# A-MAZE-N-PELLET-SMOKER Does Not Smoke, Why?



## tjohnson (Jul 5, 2011)

I've received some PM's, Emails and Phone Calls about pellets not burning in the New A-MAZE-N-PELLET-SMOKER(AMNPS). 

Each time I've been able to get the customer going.

*Reasons Why the AMNPS Stops Burning*

*Not Started Properly*

 - Not Enough Heat During Start Up - Use Propane Torch for Approx. 30 Seconds Thru The Starting Hole

 - A Small Flame Needs to Appear on top the Pellets

 - Allow the Flame to Burn for Approx. 5-10 Minutes and Then Blow Out Flame Before You Put The AMNPS Inside Your Smoker

 - You Need a Good Bed of Coals going, to Keep the AMNPS Burning

*Not Enough Ventilation*

 - Open Intake Vents and Exhaust Vents 100% to Start and Adjust Accordingly

 - Gas or Charcoal Can Consume all the Available Oxygen - Place AMNPS Closer to Intake Vent

*Too Much Humidity In the Smoker*

 - Don't fill the water Pan - Use a Small Pan For Water if Necessary

 - Damp Wood Just Does Not Burn Well

*Pellets*

 - Good Quality Pellets Burn Better - Try Different Pellets

*MES Owners*

 - Pull Chip Pan Out 1 1/2" - This Increases Air Flow

 - Remove Chip Loader During Cold Smoking

 - DO NOT Remove Chip Loader During Hot Smoking

As you gain confidence in your New AMNPS, you can alter the instructions.

I'm sure guys will add their own "Tips and Tricks", but this is a start.

THX!

Todd


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## nwdave (Jul 5, 2011)

As a suggestion, take a look at Todd's threads on his recent bacon.  He posted excellent QVues of lighting the AMNPS and what it should look like before  inserting into the smoker.  Most important though is to remember FIRE (or in this case pellets) NEEDS OXYGEN to burn.  If the pellets don't have oxygen, they will go out.  I've even made poor quality pellets smoke nicely.


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## scarbelly (Jul 5, 2011)

Another thing to be careful with is the placement of the AMNS or AMNPS smoker. Don't place it under dripping anything.  If you have to place it directly under what you are smoking make an "aluminum foil tent" to cover the smoker to protect it. 

Also make sure that your pellets or dust is dry before trying to light it

Good smoking


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## holdem (Jul 5, 2011)

Not trying to hi jack the thread but... can Todd or someone explain the pros and cons of the original compared to the pellet smoker. Whats better and why. I'm in the market just trying to figure out what to go with.

Thanks Robb


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## rbranstner (Jul 5, 2011)

The new pellet smoker with smoke both pellets and dust. From what I gather is the pellets will smoke longer and also the main thing is they will hold up at higher temps. The issue I was having with my dust was when I would put it in my propane rig it would burn up really fast because the dust can't hold up in that high of heat but the new pellets can. I'm sure there will be others that can give you some more insight into this as well.


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## Bearcarver (Jul 5, 2011)

Holdem,

The AMNS (dust) is the best thing since sliced bread.

The AMNPS (pellets) is the best thing since way before sliced bread!

The biggest thing is the AMNPS will smoke perfectly at higher temps, even at temps up to 275˚.

My AMNS would burn through interior walls for me at temps of 230˚ & above, and sometimes even a few degrees lower than that, so I was always filling the outside rows only when hot smoking with it.

They tell me the AMNPS burns dust good too, but my AMNS works soooo good for cold smoking, I hate to try it for that.

I will probably continue to use my AMNPS for Hot smokes (above 180˚), and my AMNS for cold & warm smokes (180˚ and below).

Kinda like using my .308 Winchester (model #88) for Deer & Bear, and my 22 cal for squirrels.

I'm set for life. I got my MES 40 that I can set for any temp up to 275˚.

I can monitor that thing from any place on my property.

Then I can put whichever one the heat I'm using calls for, and get up to 11 hours of perfect smoke on whatever I'm smoking that day.

What else can one ask for???

Thank You Todd !!!!

Bear


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## tjohnson (Jul 5, 2011)

Great Answers Guys!

I've also received a number of calls, PM's and emails about the differences, but they are very well covered in the posts above.

Since the AMPS is so new, I wanted to give guys using one, a thread they could rely on for good info.  There are enough guys currently using the AMNPS, to offer some help, if needed. 

Yes, I include instructions with every AMNPS, but if my customers are anything like me, they don't read them!

THX!

Todd


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## biaviian (Jul 5, 2011)

One thing I have been doing is taking out the chip load (From my MES) when using the pellet version.  For the dust it was too much oxygen (burned way too fast) but it seems to be perfect for the pellets.  Of course this all depends on the placement of your rig compared to the wind.

I ONLY read the instructions because I saw, on here, that it was a must (due to needing to let it burn for a while then blowing it out).  The first try I didn't succeed too well (it went out on me) so I lit both ends to make damn sure I would get enough smoke.  The second time I mixed apple and hickory and lit 1 end and had more than enough smoke for a good 10+ hours (I put it out after 8 and still had 3/4s of the last row left to burn).  One thing I did notice is that you need a nice hot flame.  I ended up having to have the torch on "full blast" in order to get a good starter flame.


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## striper (Jul 5, 2011)

I ran out of propane for my torch, so instead of heading into town for another bottle I grabbed my Heat Gun to try.  It has worked so well for starting the pellets I may never pick up a tank for the propane torch.  And just lighting 1 end it will fill my GOSM with good smoke.


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## tjohnson (Jul 6, 2011)

Joe,

Are you "Yankin' My Chain"?

A Heat Gun?

Now I gotta try this for myself

If this works, this could be a very cool thing!

Todd


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## Bearcarver (Jul 6, 2011)

Striper said:


> I ran out of propane for my torch, so instead of heading into town for another bottle I grabbed my Heat Gun to try.  It has worked so well for starting the pellets I may never pick up a tank for the propane torch.  And just lighting 1 end it will fill my GOSM with good smoke.


Holy Shoot!!!!

I never would have thought that would work.

Only things I ever used a heat gun for was to put hardwood edging on shelving, and to thaw frozen pipes in old uninsulated homes.

We gotta get a Qview Demo of "Lighting an AMNPS with a heat gun"!!!

Thanks Striper,

Bear


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## striper (Jul 6, 2011)

TJohnson said:


> Joe,
> 
> Are you "Yankin' My Chain"?
> 
> ...


Todd,

Nope, it works.  When it happened I really didn't have time to head into town for another propane bottle, had to get things going somehow so just grabbed the heat gun and tried it.  For a minute or so I didn't think it was gonna work, but it does.

Joe


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## striper (Jul 6, 2011)

Bearcarver said:


> Holy Shoot!!!!
> 
> I never would have thought that would work.
> 
> ...


Bear,

You gonna do that or should I see if I can get someone to take pictures for me while I do it?   HMMMMM I am out of Smoked Mozzarella and Havarti.

Joe


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## tjohnson (Jul 6, 2011)

Striper said:


> Bear,
> 
> You gonna do that or should I see if I can get someone to take pictures for me while I do it?   HMMMMM I am out of Smoked Mozzarella and Havarti.
> 
> Joe


ALREADY?

Todd


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## nwdave (Jul 6, 2011)

Dang Joe, who woulda thunk?!  Now, where did the wife hide her art deco heat gun?


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## nwdave (Jul 6, 2011)

Bearcarver said:


> Holy Shoot!!!!
> 
> We gotta get a Qview Demo of "Lighting an AMNPS with a heat gun"!!!
> 
> ...


No sooner asked then done.

The gun (borrowed from SWMBO's art deco "stuff")








Playing with the zoom of my new "smoking camera".  The other one was too big and awkward to use for this type application.







More realistically, some pellets from previous smokes tossed into a common can (I think I got the idea from you, Bear)







Finally got everything propped up to work.







Temp as measured at the center of the pellet pile.  Nice temp gun, got the lead from one of our Floridian members.  Thanks, a sweet tool!!







Can you see it?  Just a kernel of a starter. 







A better picture.







And, finally:







There ya go, Bear, Joe and Todd.  Joe wasn't yanking our chains.  It does work, in a pinch.  Took about 3 minutes then I figured that I'd put the nozzle of the heat gun almost on top of the pellet.  Then it worked real good.  In a pinch, this will work.  The other method is much faster though.

~Dave


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## Bearcarver (Jul 6, 2011)

Thanks for the great illustrations, Dave!!!

And thank you for the idea, Joe!!  Never thought of it until you brought it up!!!

Working together to learn more & more ----That's Great !!!!

Bear


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## striper (Jul 6, 2011)

Hey Dave,

Thanks for the pictures of your pretty PINK
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





 heat gun.  Mine is just a plain ole Ace Hardware special.
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





   It does the trick though and is quick enough for now.

Joe


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## holdem (Jul 6, 2011)

WOW... excellent info in these posts. Thanks. Looks like I'll go with the AMNPS... 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  The main reason I want to try it is I'm looking for more smoke flavor out of my gosm bb.


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## nwdave (Jul 6, 2011)

I think your monitor is out of color sync.  That color is fuschia and I did happen to mention, it's the wifes.  If it were mine, it would have been some macho color like Camo, Nato Green or other manly color.  You might just as well use the weed burner you use to remove airport striping with.  That would get it smoking......real good.


Striper said:


> Hey Dave,
> 
> Thanks for the pictures of your pretty PINK
> 
> ...


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## striper (Jul 6, 2011)

NWDave said:


> I think your monitor is out of color sync.  That color is fuschia and I did happen to mention, it's the wifes.  If it were mine, it would have been some macho color like Camo, Nato Green or other manly color.  You might just as well use the weed burner you use to remove airport striping with.  That would get it smoking......real good.


SORRY
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






   Actually THANKS for giving it a try and posting the Q-vue.  While it may be a bit slower starting, it works and was what I had on hand at the time.  Now I just keep forgeting to pickup a propane bottle, so end up using the heat gun again  and again.  I need to make another run of Smoked Cheese though, so will try to time how long it takes to get things going.  Now onward and upward.........more Salmon to get smoked, etc.


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## tjohnson (Jul 6, 2011)

Great Job on the pics Dave!

Great Idea Joe!

I've got a 1500 watt heat gun, and think I'm gonna give this a try for myself.  Then I can say I've done it.

Thanks Again!

Todd


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## striper (Jul 6, 2011)

Just checked mine, it's a 1200 watt with dual heat settings.  High setting claims 1,000 degrees.  Works pretty good so I'm thinking your 1500 watt should work like a dream.


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## BGKYSmoker (Jul 6, 2011)

I will show my LOOFT Lighter in action tomorrow on some pellets in my AMNS cold smoking some cheese.


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## daveomak (Jul 6, 2011)

Now we need pictures of using a magnifying glass...........NWDave you up for it............is the enough sun over there to try it ????????

from the dry side of the state.....to the wet side of the state.......


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## tjohnson (Jul 6, 2011)

OK, You Guys Got My Curiosity Going..............

I took out my heat gun and gave it a whirl

Placed My 1680 Watt Heat Gun and Aimed It Into The Starter Hole







On The Pellets for About 45 seconds, and Once I Pulled The Heat Gun Away....Poof!  Fire!!







Blew Out The Flame After  a Few Minutes and The Smoke Appeared







I Thought My Heat Gun Was  Milwaukee Tools, but Guess Not.  Label Says 1680 watts!







I guess I learn something new every day!!

This is a great option for someone who does not want to mess around with a propane torch.

THANKS JOE!

Todd


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## nwdave (Jul 7, 2011)

Well, since you posted yesterday afternoon, the coastal clouds have rolled in with promises of that wetness we're so fond of.  Back to you Dave since you're in the sun.  When I get to Colorado next week, I'll try it there though. 

~Dave
 


DaveOmak said:


> Now we need pictures of using a magnifying glass...........NWDave you up for it............is the enough sun over there to try it ????????
> 
> from the dry side of the state.....to the wet side of the state.......


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## nwdave (Jul 7, 2011)

Well, I guess bigger isn't always better.  The wattage on my wife's is 300W.  It's intended for art deco stuff and doesn't need to thaw out pipes and the other neat things we find for heat guns to do.  Before this, I used it for shrink tube when building gauge wiring harness'es for members of a Diesel Truck Support group I belong to.  A different kind of SMOKIN'.  In this group, clouds of black smoke are acceptable, but not in traffic.


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## Bearcarver (Jul 7, 2011)

You guys might get a charge out of this.

The only heat gun I have any more would not be any good for lighting pellets.

When I closed my cabinet shop, I sold most of the stuff I no longer needed.

My Edge Bander (Below) was one of those things, but nobody wanted to give me anything for it.

The big shops used bigger edge banders. The small shops either bought their shelving "pre-edged" or used an iron to melt the glue backing on the veneer tape.

So I removed the heat gun (blue thing on the right), and threw the rest away.

The heat gun is Made in Germany, 1100 watts, and has a big flat scoop type end on it to spread the heat out.

I could probably find a smaller tip for it, but I'll just use my propane torch.

Bear


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## tjohnson (Jul 7, 2011)

Try it?

What the heck!

May take a couple seconds longer, but who cares??  You got nothin' but time!

I held the heat gun too close, and when I pulled it away....POOF!   FIRE!

Now i gotta find one of those cute little heat guns like you guys have.

TJ


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## sonnyhad (Aug 10, 2011)

I'm wanting to see the magnifying glass start some!


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## worktogthr (Jun 3, 2014)

Maybe a stupid question... But I have been lighting the AMNPS with a butane torch.  Would this have any effect on how well it starts.  Used the AMNPS twice and the first time is smoked for almost 12 hours!  Second time it died in about 3.5... Didn't make the turn.


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## daveomak (Jun 4, 2014)

worktogthr said:


> Maybe a stupid question... But I have been lighting the AMNPS with a butane torch.  Would this have any effect on how well it starts.  Used the AMNPS twice and the first time is smoked for almost 12 hours!  Second time it died in about 3.5... Didn't make the turn.





I pile the pellets higher on the corners.....   Also, I noticed the other day when smoking a brined turkey, the hotter the smoker got, the less the AMNPS smoked....   I figured it was the water converting to steam and because of that expansion, the air flow slowed through the smoker...  the AMNPS almost went out during that "steaming" episode.... even though the AMNPS is in my mailbox mod...  slowing air flow reduces oxygen....


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## tjohnson (Jun 4, 2014)

Couple things......

Usually if the AMNPS dies out at 4 hours or so, it's because the unit is starved for oxygen.

What's different this time that you only got 3.5 hours of smoke time out of the pellets?

Smoker Temp?

Ambient Temp?

Water in the water pan?

Placement inside your Smoker

What smoker is it in?

Did some juice drip on the pellets?

Todd


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## worktogthr (Jun 4, 2014)

TJohnson said:


> Couple things......
> Usually if the AMNPS dies out at 4 hours or so, it's because the unit is starved for oxygen.
> What's different this time that you only got 3.5 hours of smoke time out of the pellets?
> 
> ...



I was using the MES 30 (Gen 1).  The set up and temp were all the same but the time it went out it was a really humid night.  Maybe that was it.  I'm going to smoke some beef ribs on Father's Day with the MES.  I'll be able to keep an eye on it all day. Even if it does go out after 4 hours, that's more than enough smoke for ribs.  And the first time I uses it with the brisket overnight it worked like a charm.  I have not given up hope I was just wondering if what you light it with matters?  And what should the part that you torch look like to get a good start?


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## will75 (Sep 24, 2015)

Not to necro.. but i had a question, still bad idea to remove chip loader completed during hot smokes?   It seems that's only way i can keep AMNPS going lately..  Florida humidity?  I use amazn pellets   Spend 3 hours so far today fighting the old gen 2... today.It's been a pain! Luckily i have 2 AMNPS and i get 2nd one going when 1st goes out or smoke goes away.


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## zzrguy (Dec 30, 2015)

Very informative


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## gixxerfrk (Dec 31, 2015)

Contractor type heat guns like the one Todd used often have different tips available some of which can focus the heat on a very small spot (think plastic welding) and thus may be even more effective for lighting the pellets or sawdust.


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## ak1 (Dec 31, 2015)

Try some hand sanitizer. 70% alcohol, burns like a charm. AMNPS just keeps on smoking.


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## smoke4lsu (Jan 23, 2016)

Todd, I need your help.

I've got the masterbuilt XL 44" propane smoker and I went for a test smoke today with my AMNPS.

I placed this thing all over the place and it would only smoke for about a half a row and then stop...all the while I had a strong bed of embers still going

I positioned my AMNPS right next to the side vents on either sides while running the alternate side burner. I lost a lot of smoke out of the side vents where it didn't seem like any was getting into my meat chamber..

Which leads me to believe it's an airflow problem. Is there anything I can do about this? I'll include some pictures to show you what I'm talking about.

Thanks in advance!













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## daveomak (Jan 24, 2016)

smoke, morning....    First thing you might try is fill the rows completely up to the top with pellets...   They may be lacking in enough thermal mass to keep burning...  I have to fill mine to the top of the rows...  and dry them...


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## smoke4lsu (Jan 25, 2016)

Thanks Dave.

I will give that a try. 

I just don't understand why I could continue to have a hot bed of embers yet the burning/smoking stops.  I'm hoping you're right and it's just a thermal mass issue, but I'm also afraid that it's not getting enough oxygen even though I'm positioning it right next to the side vent. 

Plus when it does smoke, I'm losing a lot out of my side vents and it's not rising into the meat chamber.  I'm about out of ideas and would really like to avoid setting up a small fan by the side vent to provide oxygen.  I'm really hoping it doesn't come to that.

i'll report back.  Thanks for the response.


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## daveomak (Jan 25, 2016)

Smoke4LSU said:


> Thanks Dave.
> 
> I will give that a try.
> 
> ...


Not enough exhaust... open the exhaust up... wide open...   so there is flow through the smoker...

Also, if there are 2 inlets, close down the opposite side a bit until all the inlet is through the one next to the AMNPS...


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## zzrguy (Jan 26, 2016)

Sorry for the silly question can I use the pellet in my MES chip pan?


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