# MES owners - question about your door seal



## elohel (Nov 23, 2011)

So I bought the sam's club 40" MES a bit ago, fantastic smoker. I do have an issue with the door, though. The seal doesn't really 'seal' along almost the entire top of the door, and tons of heat/smoke leaks out of it.

I emailed masterbuilt, and they told me this is normal. I would believe them, but then they ended the email saying they'd send me another seal if I wanted. Just seems strange to me that they'd offer to send me a seal, free of charge, if the one I have is fine. Can anyone confirm/deny that their door isn't fully sealed?


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## tjohnson (Nov 23, 2011)

No, it's not normal....

You can adjust the door, by loosening the screws and sliding the door towards the case

Also, you can tighten the door latch

Todd


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## elohel (Nov 23, 2011)

Thanks, that's what I needed to know.

I tried adjusting it, even to the point where it was so tight that I couldn't latch it. The seal is just bent at the top, and no matter how close I mash the two together, it refuses to seal.


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## uhmgood (Dec 8, 2011)

i have a MES 30 with no sealing problems , if you have tried adjusting the door and it still won't seal i say let masterbuilt send you another seal if their willing and do that . sounds like the offer is just good customer service


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## SmokinAl (Dec 8, 2011)

Yea if the seal is bent I would get a new one too.


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## mikeaugu (Dec 8, 2011)

Agreed.  I purchased an MES 40 from Sam's last week and used it for the first time tonight.  The door seal did not leak during pre-seasoning or during the smoke.  That should not happen.

Good luck with the new seal.

Mike


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## spg1 (Dec 11, 2011)

I also wipe down my seal  and where it seals against the unit every now and then to clean it.  But like others have said, take the free one and see what happens when you replace it.


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## jmr57 (Nov 22, 2012)

i bought a MES 30" today and assembled it.....I have not fired it up yet....I notic that the whole bottom of the door does not seal.....it has a gap of about 1/4 inch, maybe a little more. The top and sides look to seal OK. The latch is good and tight. What should I do?


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## sigmo (Nov 22, 2012)

My MES 40's door seals quite well.  So it's not normal in my opinion. 

Phoned in.


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## chef jimmyj (Nov 22, 2012)

jmr57 said:


> i bought a MES 30" today and assembled it.....I have not fired it up yet....I notic that the whole bottom of the door does not seal.....it has a gap of about 1/4 inch, maybe a little more. The top and sides look to seal OK. The latch is good and tight. What should I do?


That ain't right...Give Customer Service a call. Have Model # and Serial# ready. They will most likely ship a new door to you...JJ


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## jmr57 (Nov 22, 2012)

Thanks Chef,   I got the very last one they had on sale at Gander today, so I really would like to make it work somehow. Thanks again.


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## hkeiner (Nov 23, 2012)

> The seal doesn't really 'seal' along almost the entire top of the door, and tons of heat/smoke leaks out of it.


I had a similar problem on my MES40 and found (using a straight edge) that that the problem was with the sheet metal on the box. The sheet metal above the opening (where the seal on the door touches the box when closed) was bent inwards a bit in the center causing a gap. The door and seal were straight so clamping the door closer to the box (by adjusing the latch or hinges) was not the solution.  Instead, I bent/pulled the sheet metal outwards a bit so that it was straight and on the same plane as the rest of the front of the box. You can do this by pulling outwards on the bottem edge of the sheet metal that wraps down under the top of the door opening. My description of what to do sounds more complicated than what will be obvious if you do find that the top front edge of the smoker box sheet metal is not straight.

I am not saying that your leak is caused by the same thing, but I would suggest that you get a straight edge and check it out.


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## deltadude (Nov 23, 2012)

All versions of the MES some owners have had leak or door sealing issues.  If the factory door gasket doesn't solve the problem you can look around on the internet you will find various oven seal/gaskets that you might consider.

Here is some other products you might consider.

• Smokehouse Door Seal

• Rutland Stove Gaskets

• Products to consider

• More products to consider


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## glocksrock (Nov 23, 2012)

My MES 40 has a slight leak at the top of the door as well, I tightened the latch as much as I could and it did help a little. I called and asked and was told it was normal, even though my old MES 30 didn't leak at all. The leak isn't that bad and it's not enough for me to worry about anyway, I doubt I'm losing that much heat and smoke to be a cause for concern.


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## netbbq (Nov 23, 2012)

I know this will sound weird and there are people out there that will question what I propose, but will do so anyway.....

If you have (or plan to get) an AMZNPS (and most owners who have an MES 30 or 40 would likely agree that you should) a little extra airflow at the bottom seal might not be such a bad thing.  There are several posts that talk about the AMAZNPS "going out" and I think it's all about the airflow and moisture.  I actually purposely didn't seal the door the whole way yesterday when smoking the turkey and it worked perfectly.


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## deltadude (Nov 24, 2012)

NETBBQ said:


> I know this will sound weird and there are people out there that will question what I propose, but will do so anyway.....
> 
> If you have (or plan to get) an AMZNPS (and most owners who have an MES 30 or 40 would likely agree that you should) a little extra airflow at the bottom seal might not be such a bad thing.  There are several posts that talk about the AMAZNPS "going out" and I think it's all about the airflow and moisture.  I actually purposely didn't seal the door the whole way yesterday when smoking the turkey and it worked perfectly.


What you say would seem to make sense.  Frankly, if Todd's instructions about pulling out the chip loader tube slightly is followed there should be plenty of air.  When I start the smoke with the AWNPS I pull out the tube, as instructed, after about an hour I shove it back in, the smoldering continues.  Once those pellets or dust is going good inside the smoker it doesn't take much O2 to keep them going.  The cover I'm using over the AWNPS though does an excellent job of reflecting heat back, and making sure the pellets or sawdust is dry, thus keeping the heat part of the fire triangle at the proper level. (Fire triangle:  fire = heat, fuel, air, you have to have all three for fire/combustion).


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## mpjmeyer (Dec 11, 2012)

I have a masterbuilt and noticed smoke coming from all 4 sides of the door.  Food was great, but didn't seem normal so I used high temp sealant and ta da.  However, I smoked ribs tonight (first time with new seal) and they seemed a tad tougher and cooked faster.  Maybe in my head but I did purchase ribs from a different butcher shop.  What are the differences between having a sealed and non-sealed smoker door?  Tenderness, cook times, etc?


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## beernuts (Dec 12, 2012)

The door on my MES 40 seals very well and this is the second door.  The first sealed well also.  The problem with the first door was the trim piece on the top of the door cracked in half.  The reason was unknown.  The door worked fine but when I called and inquired about a new trim section they sent me a new door instead.  Now I have a door that works fine but the trim is cracked.  As for the seal it works very well.  I don't have it reefed down, just enough to seal the door with a normal closure.  I do clean the seal after every use and maybe that helps...


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