# HELP - Have pork butt ready to go & MES30 controller doesnt work - keeps blowing fuse on panel



## bonzo (Dec 5, 2010)

Hi,

I have a prok butt all ready to go & to add to my already bad weekend, my MES30 controller doesnt even light up. It took me awhile to realize that the breaker on my house panel was blown. I was like great, so I push it, plug smoker back in & WAM it keeps triggering breaker. All this time I disconnected controller, heated up sensor, brought controller in house to warm up. NOpe, nothing works, it keeps flipping breaker off. I live in Chicago area. I keep smoker with a cover under a overhang. Its about 2 years old. Any ideas beyond what I tried? It is on a GFI breaker. If not any ideas what to do with this rubbed butt??

Thanks


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## eman (Dec 5, 2010)

Sounds like you have a hot wire that has burned loose at the heating element and has gone to ground.

 DO NOT PLUG THIS UNIT BACK IN!!!!

 If the breaker does not trip you could have 120 volts on the cabinet surface .

 the breaker is doing exactly what it's supposed to do.

  Easy fix if you have a drill and an 1/8" drill bit. You will need to get some high temp 12 guage or 14 guage wire and some high temp connectors. There is a tutorial on the site on how to do this repair.

search mes wiring repair.   I did the repair on my MES 40' and took me about 1.5 hrs


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## dale5351 (Dec 5, 2010)

If you are lucky enough to have an access panel on the back of your MES to get to the wires on the heating element, you might even be able to spot the broken wire and fix it from there without taking the back panel off.  My guess is that is where the problem happened --  those connections are closest to the heat from the box.  I've had mine corrode and lose connection, but as eman said -- a short is a far more dangerous condition.


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## nozzleman (Dec 6, 2010)

That is exactly what mine was dong at it was the wires they are describing. It really is a simple fix and it took about an hour to do.


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## eman (Dec 6, 2010)

If it's 2 years old it won't have the inspection panel. you will have to drill out the rivets , Use 1/2 pan head self drilling screws to put the panel back on .


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## texacajun (Dec 6, 2010)

Bonzo said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have a prok butt all ready to go & to add to my already bad weekend, my MES30 controller doesnt even light up. It took me awhile to realize that the breaker on my house panel was blown. I was like great, so I push it, plug smoker back in & WAM it keeps triggering breaker. All this time I disconnected controller, heated up sensor, brought controller in house to warm up. NOpe, nothing works, it keeps flipping breaker off. I live in Chicago area. I keep smoker with a cover under a overhang. Its about 2 years old. Any ideas beyond what I tried? It is on a GFI breaker. If not any ideas what to do with this rubbed butt??
> 
> Thanks


The reason for everyone giving you this advice is because your warranty has run out like the rest of us that had this issue. This was a common problem with the older models. But a very easy fix. If you call the Manufacture you will have to by a hole new cabinet due to the fact that your wiring is not accessible with out having to drill out the rivets on the back panel to access them.

Hope this clears things up and any more help you need just ask.


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## garyt (Dec 6, 2010)

Quality made product, if it happens this often why doesn't the manufacturer fix it


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## ryanhoelzer (Dec 6, 2010)

I don't know that I'd say common.  If it was a big enough issue there would have been a recall. 

And improvements have been made in newer models..


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## texacajun (Dec 6, 2010)

garyt said:


> Quality made product, if it happens this often why doesn't the manufacturer fix it


The manufacturer accounted for the issue and has since incorporated it into its new models. Only some of the older models have had this problem with the wiring.


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## mossymo (Dec 6, 2010)

I had the same problem. Opened up the back panel of my MES and the ground connection was creosoted up, clean it and reattached, been working fine since.


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