Picked up a free non working smoker on the way to drop off brisket to my Ps. Identical to my Gen 1 40. Wasn't out of the way . The element ohmed at 17.9. No shorting to ground on the element spade and outer jacket or back of smoker. The controller was switching the relay but no heat. Hooked up my backup/test power cord directly to the element and ground wire to one of the access screws. Heated fine so it had to be the thermal safety switch. Had to drill out some rivets on the model/serial number plates that covered the area I needed to access the thermal switch with a dremel cut off wheel and sure enough that little junction box was a rusted mess like it was power washed. One wire was connected. Left the swich in and stripped new wire and bypassed the switch with a wire nut. Fired right up! Took out the boxy gen 1 chip burner assemby and left in the rails. Since I have spare controllers I grabbed my rf remote, turned on the controller and remote, press/hold set temp on controller 3 seconds till it beeps, then within 5 seconds on the remote press meat probe, light, meat probe, light , meat probe, light and they paired. Water pan, bottom grease pan and racks were missing but the inside looked scrubbed clean, not moldy. Just need to clean it up a little and reseason it. Now I have a portable smoker. It heats hotter than 275 so I'll set it to my digital probe that has a range alert at 145-290 since the thermal safety switch isn't in the circuit. My other Mes Gen 1 40s never got to 275 that's why I went the PID controller route and simple no back removal rewire. Once you get to know these Mes smokers with the PID mod you never need to buy a new one and never get electronics through MB. I'm going to bring in the controller in the a/c like my PID on my Gen 1 40 and see how this Mes 30 does with the stock controller. I'll probably mount it to a piece of 2×6 and get it away from the top vent The controller sensor is at the second from the top rack on this 30 , my go to rack vs at the second from the bottom rack on the 40. Pretty excited to get this mini me smoker with the actual Smokehouse emblem vs stamped black paint on SS. If anything it's a holding oven for holidays to keep covered dishes warm if using the other smoker on a different circuit.
Wasted thermal safety switch and rusted out junction box. You can see whats left of the alum lug in the rusted junction box when you enlarge the photo.
Mini me's big brother before the mailbox mod and PID.
Wasted thermal safety switch and rusted out junction box. You can see whats left of the alum lug in the rusted junction box when you enlarge the photo.
Mini me's big brother before the mailbox mod and PID.
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