# Contraption for a MES



## illini (Dec 15, 2007)

*Here is another way to obtain smoke in your MES at temperatures under 200**

*The principle is smoke production not dependent on the internal temp of the MES.*
*With this method you can run your digital controller between 100* and 275* and *
*Always have the *same* amount of smoke inside the MES.*

*There are two â€œrod heatersâ€ inside of the device shown in the photos. The top lid *
*Opens to introduce more chips or chunks and when closed the smoke goes through*
*The hollow tube into the smoker where the wood tray has been replaced with my*
*contraption.*

*Testing findings: A one hour maintenance of adding chips or chunks seems adequate.*
*The top vent emits what seems to be just the right amount of TBS. Observed no flare-ups, just a slow smoldering burn rate. Very easy to check your wood burn just flip the top lid open and have a look. There needs to be a metal container under the contraption to catch the hot ashes as they fall through the grate which is the â€œrod heatersâ€.*

*Techs: The major square piece with the lid on top is 2â€x2â€ square tubing x 4-1/2â€ in length.*
*The tube going inside the MES has a 3â€ washer welded to it to plug the hole created by removing the original wood tray. The lower round thing is an attachment magnet that holds tightly to the smoker cabinet. This probably wonâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t work on a stainless exterior cabinet. Switching back and forth from this contraption to original equipment operation is simply a plug-n-play thing. The two â€œrod heatersâ€ are 2â€ long and .495â€ OD so they slip right in the Â½â€ holes drilled through the square tube to mount them. They are spaced so they also act as the grate for wood lying upon them. The â€œrod heatersâ€ are wired in series to 120V and get just hot enough to start and maintain combustion. In series they draw about 125Watts. I leave them plugged-in for the entire smoke. This contraption gets hot to the touch but the spring handle on the lid remains cool. Used John Deere muffler black paint on the outer surfaces.*

*Took about 3 days to research and develop the idea and another to weld up and assemble.*

*I like it very much!!!!!*
*Marvin *


----------



## pitbullcrazy30 (Dec 15, 2007)

hi, im new to this. do most MES have trouble smoking at temps below 200? i just bought mine and used it last nite, it was 7 above zero out, and i was smoking jerly at 140 temp and it smoked great? just courious


----------



## pigcicles (Dec 15, 2007)

Very nice Marvin! This can be adapted to other smokers too. It looks like the heaters could be moved further down to allow more room for chips to extend the time between fill ups too. Congratulations on a successful build.


----------



## illini (Dec 15, 2007)

Hi pitbull;   Most all of us using the MES find it does not work at the low temp and still produce smoke

I would imagine that at 7* it was using the heater inside considerably.   That is probably why you had smoke production.     
Do not think that would be the case in warm weather


----------



## pitbullcrazy30 (Dec 15, 2007)

this is a stupid question im sure, but i guess i dont know what you mean by using the heater inside? i guess i thought if it was running at the temp that i set at 140 and it was smokin great, then it was doing what it was sapose too? lol sorry im new here


----------



## pitbullcrazy30 (Dec 15, 2007)

sorry for the double post, but when you said heater inside, did you think i was smoking in a heated building? i was outside in a nonheated building if that helps, so it was pretty cold in thier too


----------



## gofish (Dec 16, 2007)

Illini,

First off ..... Excellent post, and thanks for sharing your idea!  

That is a very impressive contraption.  You are truley the master of the MES! (ok, enough kissing up....) I have fiddled with different ways to get smoke in the MES while doing jerky at low temps, and just end up raising the heat to 190* or so then dialing it back down.  What a great way to smoke cheese as well!  

How much will you be selling them for .... you know us 'non-fabbers' are always willing to whip out the check book to have something made.


----------



## illini (Dec 16, 2007)

PitBull;
sorry for the double post, but when you said heater inside, did you think i was smoking in a heated building? i was outside in a nonheated building if that helps, so it was pretty cold in thier too

Sorry to not have been explicite.   When you operate at an ambient temp of 7* the heater in your mes must be on more than if it were 70* ambient.   To the wood chips inside your smoker on-is-on  no matter what temps you are trying to achive so they ignite because of the "on" time.    At the other end when it is 70* outside "on" time will be reduced to maintain 140* so no burn is expected.


----------



## smokin' siggy (Dec 16, 2007)

Very nice design.  I also have a MES and was thinking about fabing a box out of sheetmetal for cold smoking, but after reading your post, I think I'll try you design. Just not sure where to find the heater rods.


----------



## cman95 (Dec 16, 2007)

I do not own a MES but that is a very good contraption you made there. My hat is off to ya!


----------



## pitbullcrazy30 (Dec 16, 2007)

lol ok i follow ya now sorry im slow lol
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  here is a question i have then, most of all our smoking will probally be done in the cold weather, with it hurt my smoker if the burner has to stay on all the time because of the cold temps? and when its warm out how should i get my MES to smoke when im doing jerky if it dont like to smoke below 200 temp? i heard that the new MES has a better heating element, do you think that is true and might cure the low tem smokin problem? i think my smoker is the new model it had the adjustable door latch, thanks for any imfo


----------



## illini (Dec 16, 2007)

Your welcome


----------



## deejaydebi (Dec 16, 2007)

Very impressive Marvin!


----------



## t-bone tim (Dec 16, 2007)

Marvin , when it comes to the MES ,YOU ARE THE MAN 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 , what a great little invention and addition to the MES , thank you for sharing your build .


----------



## illini (Dec 17, 2007)

Siggy; I have a machine shop guy who is a friend and he gave me three of the rod heaters. They were used and there is no way to read the ratings that are engraved on the outside. We used a digital ohmmeter to determine the resistance and guessed at the wattage from there. All I can say is they work well when wired in series and are way too hot if wired parallel.

go to any industrial supply catalog like "Grainger" and you will find them

www.grainger.com
and search Heater then cartridge and you will find a bunch My two were free but the new pups will cost you $15 to $20 each. Ouch I know!!


----------



## smokin' siggy (Dec 18, 2007)

Illini,
      Thanks for the info.  and taking the time to post the link.  I'm new to the site and can't believe how helpful and informative the members are.  Once again thanks.  BTY- I have the rods on order.


----------



## illini (Dec 19, 2007)

Great Siggy!; Am curious as to what wattage you ordered? I am still not sure what my used ones are but will tell you this. Did some cheese and fatties today and am very well pleased with the "contraption" as a smoke manager.

Hope your project works out as well.
Keep me informed and feel free to ask further questions if you need on this thread.

Marvin


----------



## smoked (Dec 19, 2007)

cool beans marvin.....think I'll have to make one of those suckers myself now......


----------



## irwinwd (Dec 19, 2007)

Nice mod Marvin, glad to see you got it working and the write up.  I'll have to read in more detail later.

Bill


----------



## illini (Jan 23, 2008)

Bump for Siggy
How are you getting along on the project?
I can tell you that it has become my preferred operational method for all smokes.   the thing works well and simplifies the procedure for obtaining the amount of smoke you desire at all temp ranges!


----------



## hassy (Jan 28, 2008)

Hi Marvin,
I am new to this forum and I am very intrigued by your solution. I have a "Centro" electric smoker which is the Canadian version of the MES and identical in every respect. I am very happy with it and have done some excellent hot smoking but would like to use it also for cold smoking salmon. This should be done at a temperature of around 80 degree F in the smoke chamber. My question to you is if your modification would be suitable to achieve this. Thanks for your input.

Hassy


----------



## illini (Jan 28, 2008)

My cheese smoking method:  set the temp controller to 100*, set the time to 0, then the digital controller will read the internal temp down to as low as 32* the " contraption" will raise the internal above the ambient temp that you are having on any given day (very slowly).   So I set a few minutes on the timer (2-10) at a time and pulse the timer manually to hold between 75* and 100* internal.

In theory if your ambient is say 70* and the contraption is adding heat (which it is) you could end up at exactly 80* +or-.   If not bump it occasionally with the MES heater or if too hot I guess you could open the door a little.

Its too bad they didn't engineer the controller to a minimum of 75*
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






You can cold smoke salmon on a cooler ambient day and bump the heat with the MES heater and not get anything else done but monitoring the smoke

The "contraption" is great for smoke generation


----------



## hassy (Jan 28, 2008)

Thanx for your reply, Marvin. I will try to build one when I'm back from vacation in April. I looked at the Grainger catalog and it seems that their Cartridge Heater # 2E914 (Vulcan TB5013A) with 200 Watts and 86 Watts per square inch may be best suited. If the 200 Watts is too high then they could still be wired in series or the power supply pulsed on and off.

Did "Smokin' Siggy" reply what cartridge heaters he used and how it was working out?

Thanx again for your inspirational design. I was just about to build a separate smoke generator with a hot plate and pipe it into the chip loader opening but your design is much more functional.

Regards, Hassy


----------



## illini (Jan 28, 2008)

Hi Hassy, no have not gotten a response from Siggy. I asked him to PM but to no avail
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Really wish that I could advise you on what size to order for the heaters....Think that the series connection will extend the life of the heaters as they are not being pressed to their temp limits nearly as much....Do not think that you will like the connect/disconnect operation you mentioned as you will have to really be on top of it....The ones I am using are plugged in all the time and do a great job of making the chunks smolder and do not jump to a flame-up at all....Yes I use homemade sized chunks and they work much better than using chips....the harder woods require smaller chunks than the softer fruit woods to obtain the same smoking effect....this is a learning curve thing on the chunk sizing....

The heaters I have wired in parallel will get eventually to a red color when heated....when wired in series you can not see a color change but when wood chunks on top of them are smoldering they will change a little toward red hot but not nearly as much as when in a prallel connection with no wood on top of them....You might want to try them before installing and see what temps are being produced....hopefully they can be exchanged for another size if not what you need
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Would like to know how your project turns out and what size heaters you eventually end up with....sorry but I have no clue as to what wattage is needed since the used ones I have are unreadable


----------



## hassy (Jan 28, 2008)

Hi Marvin, I am thinking of running the Cartridge Heaters in parallel (which sums up to a max. 400 Watt load) and then connect them to 120 Volt supply via a LEVITON Cat. Nr. 6681 Delux Full Range Rotary Dimmer (or similar..). This dimmer costs only $9.81 and is rated for 600 Watts. This should allow me to adjust the glow temperature just right. What's your opinion about this idea?

Hassy


----------



## illini (Jan 28, 2008)

Sounds GREAT
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  Like that idea
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Let me know how it works when you get to the project!


----------



## tender loins (Aug 25, 2008)

Any updates on this, especially from Siggy or Hassy?


----------



## illini (Aug 25, 2008)

Have not heard a word from either of them!
I still use mine and it is especially useful as a cold smoking tool.
It does not extend the time for adding chips/chunks.   But does make the process easier to manage and you can readily tell how much smoke you are producing at any given moment

thanks for your interest and if I can be of assistance let me know


----------



## hassy (Sep 2, 2008)

Hi,
I have not made the modification yet but are planning to do this as my "Fall Project". I'll definitely let you know how it turns out.

Cheers,
Karl Hassenbach
******   I would be unstoppable. If I could just get started.   ******


----------

