# too hot problem



## armchairqb (May 29, 2016)

I have a new MES with bluetooth and am having a problem with it getting too hot. I have the temp set at 225. My bluetooth app shows the temp set at 225 but the smoker temp has jumper over 350. I went outside to check the smoker and adjust the temp, it showed the temp set to 899 degrees. That is supposed to be impossible because the unit is supposed to be capped at 275. Does anyone have thought on why this is happening? It has happened 3 times on my first brisket so far, I am about I am about 9 hours in so far.


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## goldmine1965 (May 29, 2016)

ArmchairQB said:


> I have a new MES with bluetooth and am having a problem with it getting too hot. I have the temp set at 225. My bluetooth app shows the temp set at 225 but the smoker temp has jumper over 350. I went outside to check the smoker and adjust the temp, it showed the temp set to 899 degrees. That is supposed to be impossible because the unit is supposed to be capped at 275. Does anyone have thought on why this is happening? It has happened 3 times on my first brisket so far, I am about I am about 9 hours in so far.


I don't have that particular MES, but it sounds it might be a defective controller. I hear that the Masterbuilt customer service is pretty good. Maybe give them a call and run your problem by them.  A lot of posts on this board show that they ship replacement parts free of charge when things like this happen


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## dr k (May 29, 2016)

ArmchairQB said:


> I have a new MES with bluetooth and am having a problem with it getting too hot. I have the temp set at 225. My bluetooth app shows the temp set at 225 but the smoker temp has jumper over 350. I went outside to check the smoker and adjust the temp, it showed the temp set to 899 degrees. That is supposed to be impossible because the unit is supposed to be capped at 275. Does anyone have thought on why this is happening? It has happened 3 times on my first brisket so far, I am about I am about 9 hours in so far.


It maybe the app because people wih the same problem have ran their smoker with only the controller with no issues. 
Kurt


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## SmokinAl (May 29, 2016)

It has to be the controller. At 899 the whole thing would be on fire.

Do you have a temp gauge inside to measure the temp at the grate?

Al


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## armchairqb (May 29, 2016)

I considered it was a problem like that. I was thinking maybe the bluetooth connection isn't strong enough for where I am set up. I will move the smoker closer next time to see if that helps.


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## armchairqb (May 29, 2016)

the temp never actually reached 899. That is just what it set itself to try to reach. The hottest it got before I saw what was happening was 358.


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## bpilgrim (Jun 4, 2016)

I just had the exact same problem.  Bought my smoker last weekend from Home Depot.  Used it on Monday for some pulled pork.  I was just smoking some salmon and the temp of the smoker got up to 310 (it was set on 215.)  On the unit itself, it said it was set for 899.

I will be calling Masterbuilt!  Frustrating for a brand-new machine.  Makes me consider whether I can just return it and get something different.

Paul


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## asa kadane (Jan 17, 2017)

hey guys, any luck with this problem or getting assistance from MS?  I had the same problem today on my first smoke.


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## old sarge (Jan 17, 2017)

Asa Kadane - I would return the smoker and look for something more reliable, maybe with less bells and whistles.


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## usnguns (Sep 1, 2017)

ArmchairQB said:


> I have a new MES with bluetooth and am having a problem with it getting too hot. I have the temp set at 225. My bluetooth app shows the temp set at 225 but the smoker temp has jumper over 350. I went outside to check the smoker and adjust the temp, it showed the temp set to 899 degrees. That is supposed to be impossible because the unit is supposed to be capped at 275. Does anyone have thought on why this is happening? It has happened 3 times on my first brisket so far, I am about I am about 9 hours in so far.



having this exact issue... any advice or a quick fix? I plan on contacting support monday, it's Friday and they are closed for the weekend. shoot, monday is a holiday guess I'll call Tuesday..


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## milwted (Sep 16, 2017)

Anyone have any luck on solving this?  I am experiencing the same issue right now.  I have the temp set at 225, but when I come back an hour later it's showing over 300 on the phone app, and 875 on the smoker itself.


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## Lubie40 (Jan 30, 2018)

I got one of these for Christmas and I had the same problem. Masterbuilt said it is the blue tooth and to not use it until the Dev team provides a fix. I told them the reason I asked for this was because of this feature... they didn't care. They claim they have a team actively working on this but I pointed out it has been 2 yrs without an update and they couldn't provide me with an ETA. So at this point I have a smoke that is advertised to have this cool feature but the  am told not to use it... my advice don't buy this model.


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## lothar1974 (Feb 2, 2018)

Assume this is the new 2.5 gen?  I got one a while back and had the same issue.  Called MB and they sent me a new controller.  Havent had time to install it yet but they said the new controller should fix the issue, this was prior to xmas.  Will try to install it soon asn see if it actually works.


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## Lubie40 (Feb 2, 2018)

They sent me a new controller as well. I installed it right away hoping it would solve it, but it didnt. I called them back looking for more help and they said in a company meeting on the 3rd of Jan they were told that it isnt the controller. So I guess the good news is i have a back up controller incase i would need it.

I am going to smoke some summer sausage this weekend so i am going to not connect at all via the blue tooth and i hope the temp stays consistent.


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## Rings Я Us (Feb 2, 2018)

Holy Hot House Batman !
3 people just bought new smokers all here on one thread had the same trouble? This sounds like  recall material. Just think of the other thousand not on the thread country wide possibly with the same issue.


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## tallbm (Feb 2, 2018)

Well don't feel too badly, the MES smoker and meat probes are never correct anyhow.  If you buy a wireless dual thermometer (which is basically a mandatory action for MES owners) you can walk around with the wireless part of the thermometer and get notified by alarms you set on it when temps are hit.

The bluetooth feature is nice and shiny but most of us MES owners don't even have it and do very well without.
I know this isn't what you want to hear since the bluetooth feature was a major selling point but at least you have a workable approach you can use since bluetooth is busted :)
Best of luck with it! :)


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## Justanothaguy (Feb 23, 2018)

Just picked up the mes30 from Walmart on sale and noticed the same issue. Tried using Bluetooth while I was doing a 4 hour break in and the first two hours keep struggling to maintain a consistent 275 it kept bouncing all over the place it finally go us to around 320 and I tried the last 2 hours with disconnecting Bluetooth and it stayed around the desired temp.

I later smoked some ribs for about 5 hours without Bluetooth and had 0 problem related to heat. 

I would recommend not using Bluetooth until they fix it which is looking like that may not happen.


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## tallbm (Feb 23, 2018)

Justanothaguy said:


> Just picked up the mes30 from Walmart on sale and noticed the same issue. Tried using Bluetooth while I was doing a 4 hour break in and the first two hours keep struggling to maintain a consistent 275 it kept bouncing all over the place it finally go us to around 320 and I tried the last 2 hours with disconnecting Bluetooth and it stayed around the desired temp.
> 
> I later smoked some ribs for about 5 hours without Bluetooth and had 0 problem related to heat.
> 
> I would recommend not using Bluetooth until they fix it which is looking like that may not happen.



Hi there and welcome!

The MES smoker and meat probes cannot be trusted.  This is also a known issue.  
If you do not have an aftermarket wireless dual probe (or more probes) Thermometer you may want to look into getting one.  It is basically a must with the MES.  You can use 1 probe to measure the smoker temp and the other probe to measure the meat's Internal Temperature (IT) since the MES probes are junk.
I like the ThermoPro TP20 but there are a number of options out there to choose from.

I hope this helps you figure out what your temps are actually doing in the MES rather than what it is reporting :)


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## SonnyE (Feb 24, 2018)

I'm so glad I went simple...
I'm so glad I went simple...
I'm so glad I went simple...
I'm so glad I went simple...
I'm so glad I went simple...

:rolleyes:


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## gahunter01 (Mar 8, 2018)

I'm having the same high temp issue with a MES, except mine is the 40".  I purchased the unit in December 2017.  Other than "seasoning" it, today was the first time using it with food.  I plugged the unit it and went in side for a few minutes.  Returned to retrieve the drip pan and water bowl so I could line them with foil.  The power light and display were off, however when I opened the door, the inside was already warming up.  I went ahead and turned it on and set the temp to 250. Came back about 30 minutes later and the display was reading 310.  I opened the door and the element was bright orange.  I turned the unit off, however the element didn't turn off and remained bright orange.  The element didn't turn off until I unplugged the unit.  I plugged it in again, still powered off and no lights on display,  the element started getting orange.  I inserted an analog oven thermometer and closed the door.  I checked it 30 minutes later and it was reading 300.  I called MB this morning shortly after they opened. They are going to send me a new power circuit board, high temp limiter kit, heating element and digital control panel.  Hopefully one of these parts fixes the problem.  The customer support rep was very nice.  Disappointed in the performance of this MES.  I recently retired an older MES 30 that I wore out after about 8 years of use.


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## dr k (Mar 8, 2018)

gahunter01 said:


> I'm having the same high temp issue with a MES, except mine is the 40".  I purchased the unit in December 2017.  Other than "seasoning" it, today was the first time using it with food.  I plugged the unit it and went in side for a few minutes.  Returned to retrieve the drip pan and water bowl so I could line them with foil.  The power light and display were off, however when I opened the door, the inside was already warming up.  I went ahead and turned it on and set the temp to 250. Came back about 30 minutes later and the display was reading 310.  I opened the door and the element was bright orange.  I turned the unit off, however the element didn't turn off and remained bright orange.  The element didn't turn off until I unplugged the unit.  I plugged it in again, still powered off and no lights on display,  the element started getting orange.  I inserted an analog oven thermometer and closed the door.  I checked it 30 minutes later and it was reading 300.  I called MB this morning shortly after they opened. They are going to send me a new power circuit board, high temp limiter kit, heating element and digital control panel.  Hopefully one of these parts fixes the problem.  The customer support rep was very nice.  Disappointed in the performance of this MES.  I recently retired an older MES 30 that I wore out after about 8 years of use.


Wow. The element seems good and the safety snap disc seems fine so I'd put in the new controller first, being easier most likely to see if that solves the problem before the circuit board.  When your ready to put in the new controller just plug it in first to see if it takes off without programming, then unplug and swap out the controller to see if that fixes it.  If that doesn't work, unplug and swap out the circuit board because it appears the SSR is stuck closed.


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## old sarge (Mar 8, 2018)

I have the Smokin-it 3D and have not experienced any problems. But it is a more expensive unit so the components are probably of a higher grade.


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## gahunter01 (Mar 8, 2018)

dr k said:


> Wow. The element seems good and the safety snap disc seems fine so I'd put in the new controller first, being easier most likely to see if that solves the problem before the circuit board.  When your ready to put in the new controller just plug it in first to see if it takes off without programming, then unplug and swap out the controller to see if that fixes it.  If that doesn't work, unplug and swap out the circuit board because it appears the SSR is stuck closed.


Thanks for the advice.  I wasn't sure if I should replace one piece at a time or replace all at once.  I'll follow up with results once I get the parts and finish swapping them out.


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## SonnyE (Mar 8, 2018)

gahunter01 said:


> I'm having the same high temp issue with a MES, except mine is the 40".  I purchased the unit in December 2017.  Other than "seasoning" it, today was the first time using it with food.  I plugged the unit it and went in side for a few minutes.  Returned to retrieve the drip pan and water bowl so I could line them with foil.  The power light and display were off, however when I opened the door, the inside was already warming up.  I went ahead and turned it on and set the temp to 250. Came back about 30 minutes later and the display was reading 310.  I opened the door and the element was bright orange.  I turned the unit off, however the element didn't turn off and remained bright orange.  The element didn't turn off until I unplugged the unit.  I plugged it in again, still powered off and no lights on display,  the element started getting orange.  I inserted an analog oven thermometer and closed the door.  I checked it 30 minutes later and it was reading 300.  I called MB this morning shortly after they opened. They are going to send me a new power circuit board, high temp limiter kit, heating element and digital control panel.  Hopefully one of these parts fixes the problem.  The customer support rep was very nice.  Disappointed in the performance of this MES.  I recently retired an older MES 30 that I wore out after about 8 years of use.



Good on Masterbuilt to fix you up. Chances are the heating element relay is stuck in the closed position, a faulty relay. Or there is a problem telling the control board to heat.
Just carefully change out the parts, and enjoy. 
In industry, what you've got is called an infancy failure. Changing the control board should cure what ails ya.


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## tallbm (Mar 9, 2018)

Have you tried putting it on 200F and seeing if it just keeps going up?  If it goes all the way to 310F when set at 200F you definitely have a problem, especially if the heat "on" light is off and the temp definitively rises to 310F.

Also you cannot trust the MES smoker or meat probe thermometers.  Basically every MES owner buys a wireless Dual Probe (or more probes) digital Thermometer (no analog ones).  I often recommend the ThermoPro TP20 but there are a lot out there to choose from that should work for you.

I highly recommend you do a low temp setting and see if the temp climbs to 310F.  This will tell whether or not you have large temp swings or something is truly broken allowing the element to never cut off.  FYI, my MES had 30-35F temp swings and could never hit 275F so I had the opposite problem... until I rewired and used a 3rd party PID Controller, but you aren't at that point yet :)


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## gahunter01 (Mar 9, 2018)

tallbm said:


> Have you tried putting it on 200F and seeing if it just keeps going up?  If it goes all the way to 310F when set at 200F you definitely have a problem, especially if the heat "on" light is off and the temp definitively rises to 310F.
> 
> Also you cannot trust the MES smoker or meat probe thermometers.  Basically every MES owner buys a wireless Dual Probe (or more probes) digital Thermometer (no analog ones).  I often recommend the ThermoPro TP20 but there are a lot out there to choose from that should work for you.
> 
> I highly recommend you do a low temp setting and see if the temp climbs to 310F.  This will tell whether or not you have large temp swings or something is truly broken allowing the element to never cut off.  FYI, my MES had 30-35F temp swings and could never hit 275F so I had the opposite problem... until I rewired and used a 3rd party PID Controller, but you aren't at that point yet :)


Yep, I did a low temp setting on the control panel. The “heating” light went off when desired temp was reached, however the element never turned off. I tried it with the Bluetooth app too. On the app, it said heating until the desired temp was reached, then it no longer said heating. However, the element never turned off and the unit temp pegged out at 310, with the element still orange. I’m aware of the temp variances with the MES. My old MES 30 I retired was off by about 20 degrees, but it was consistently off and never fluctuated up and down. I finally wore it out, the temp wouldn’t get above 200 the last time I used it. I upgraded to the 40 only because it has more capacity, bluetooth is nice, but I can do without. Cabelas had the 40 on sale for 1/2 price in December 2017. I have 2 digital thermometers I used with my old MES 30. One probe in the meat and the other on the rack. I’m looking at the one you suggested so I can carry the remote inside and watch for temp spikes. A friend of mine has an MES 30 for about 5 years now and hasn’t had any problems. He uses it quite a bit too. Seems he got lucky and ended up with a good one.


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## tallbm (Mar 9, 2018)

gahunter01 said:


> Yep, I did a low temp setting on the control panel. The “heating” light went off when desired temp was reached, however the element never turned off. I tried it with the Bluetooth app too. On the app, it said heating until the desired temp was reached, then it no longer said heating. However, the element never turned off and the unit temp pegged out at 310, with the element still orange. I’m aware of the temp variances with the MES. My old MES 30 I retired was off by about 20 degrees, but it was consistently off and never fluctuated up and down. I finally wore it out, the temp wouldn’t get above 200 the last time I used it. I upgraded to the 40 only because it has more capacity, bluetooth is nice, but I can do without. Cabelas had the 40 on sale for 1/2 price in December 2017. I have 2 digital thermometers I used with my old MES 30. One probe in the meat and the other on the rack. I’m looking at the one you suggested so I can carry the remote inside and watch for temp spikes. A friend of mine has an MES 30 for about 5 years now and hasn’t had any problems. He uses it quite a bit too. Seems he got lucky and ended up with a good one.



My guess is that the Relay/Switch that is told to cut power on/off to the heating element is shorted out in the ON position.
If I believe that Relay/Switch is part of the lower circuit board under the smoker.  If Masterbuilt doesn't come through for you let us know.
An Auber PID controller can run you about $150 or so and with a simple rewire of the MES you can have a unit that works way better, more reliably, and as long as you don't burn down the MES you should be able to keep it running until lighting strikes it :)


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## dr k (Mar 9, 2018)

If the lights on the controller are going on and off correctly,  then the ssr is stuck closed in closed circuit and the snap disc is kicking in to cut power to the heating element if the heating light is still on.  Then change the circuit board first when you get the parts. I figured the controller.  You said just plugging it in and it took off to 310.


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## gahunter01 (Mar 13, 2018)

Update: FedEx delivered replacement parts on Saturday. Unfortunately they sent me two different types of control panels and did not send the circuit board. Just for giggles, I replaced the control panel.  No change. Called MB Monday morning and spoke to Jasmine E who had helped me last week. She put in an order for replacement circuit board and had it shipped same day. I received it today and installed it. Plugged in smoker and no heat from the element with the u it turned off. So far so good. Turned the unit on and set the temp to 200 and 2 hours. As expected, the heat light turned on and started heating. Left the MES meat probe in place and inserted two separate probes I have. One even with the internal heat sensor and another on the top rack. During heat up, the two probes I used were off by about 5 degrees from each other, however they were about 20 degrees warmer than what the MES was reading. The heating light turned off when 200 was reached and this time the element turned off too. When the temp stabilized, the unit was reading 215. My upper probe was at 230 and middle probe was at 225. The MES meat probe was reading 170. I’m familiar with MES displaying inaccurate temps, but as long as it’s consistent, I can adjust the temp setting. I won’t be using the MES meat probe. MB came through and solved my problem and there was very little effort on my part. Their customer service is excellent. Overall I'm pleased with how MB treated my problem and I’m glad everything is working and didn't cost me a dime.  Now to throw some meat in it and see how it turns out.  Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions. You all know a lot more about how these electric smokers work than I do.


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## tallbm (Mar 14, 2018)

gahunter01 said:


> Update: FedEx delivered replacement parts on Saturday. Unfortunately they sent me two different types of control panels and did not send the circuit board. Just for giggles, I replaced the control panel.  No change. Called MB Monday morning and spoke to Jasmine E who had helped me last week. She put in an order for replacement circuit board and had it shipped same day. I received it today and installed it. Plugged in smoker and no heat from the element with the u it turned off. So far so good. Turned the unit on and set the temp to 200 and 2 hours. As expected, the heat light turned on and started heating. Left the MES meat probe in place and inserted two separate probes I have. One even with the internal heat sensor and another on the top rack. During heat up, the two probes I used were off by about 5 degrees from each other, however they were about 20 degrees warmer than what the MES was reading. The heating light turned off when 200 was reached and this time the element turned off too. When the temp stabilized, the unit was reading 215. My upper probe was at 230 and middle probe was at 225. The MES meat probe was reading 170. I’m familiar with MES displaying inaccurate temps, but as long as it’s consistent, I can adjust the temp setting. I won’t be using the MES meat probe. MB came through and solved my problem and there was very little effort on my part. Their customer service is excellent. Overall I'm pleased with how MB treated my problem and I’m glad everything is working and didn't cost me a dime.  Now to throw some meat in it and see how it turns out.  Thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions. You all know a lot more about how these electric smokers work than I do.



That's awesome to hear!  Sounds like the relay on the other circuit board was shorted in the ON position.  Too bad they don't sell that shorted ON configuration for those who want to use an Auber Plug and PLay pid with the MES :P


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## dr k (Mar 14, 2018)

Great! People that had app problems when the bluetooth came out where their app was reading 800°F received a rf remote controller that has a great range. They swapped out the Bluetooth and put in the rf remote controllet. I wonder if the other controller they sent is that one that is compatible with the gen 2.5.


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## gahunter01 (Mar 14, 2018)

dr k said:


> Great! People that had app problems when the bluetooth came out where their app was reading 800°F received a rf remote controller that has a great range. They swapped out the Bluetooth and put in the rf remote controllet. I wonder if the other controller they sent is that one that is compatible with the gen 2.5.


The other controller was for a different model MES. It looks like it would have worked on my old MES 30. The bag the one of the right came in didn't have any part numbers.  I’ll try to add a picture.  The one on left fits my 40. I’ve got a friend with an MES 30, so I am going let him try it and keep it if it fits.


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## mary noeth (Jun 5, 2018)

Hi...we had the same problem with getting too hot using the bluetooth...masterbuilt sent us a new control panel.this didn't solve the problem.We have come to the conclusion that when we received a text message or call interrupting the signal,this is when the temp began to spike. I notified support of this and they said this doesn't happen.we have used it without bluetooth and it works perfectly.


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## SonnyE (Jun 5, 2018)

tallbm said:


> That's awesome to hear!  Sounds like the relay on the other circuit board was shorted in the ON position.  Too bad they don't sell that shorted ON configuration for those who want to use an Auber Plug and PLay pid with the MES :p



I created my own short circuit. ;)
I can turn it on, or turn it off... :)


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