# MES 30 Temp. Overrun



## Murray (Feb 17, 2019)

MES new at Christmas, 8 smokes, cold climate. I now have a reoccurring issue with the unit surpassing the temperature set point and keeps heating. Happened once when I first got the MES, cleared it’s self up and hasn’t happened until today. Applied the hairdryer to start it up, set temperature to 225F came back later and temperature was 235F and still heating. Shut it down, disconnect power and let it cool. Started it up and I incrementally increasesd the temperature up by 5F, unit keep passing the set point. Did this 4-5 times each time temperature surpassing set point. Then all of a sudden it’s working fine.

It’s under warranty so I’m not stuck just inconvenienced.

Disconnected the control panel and have it sitting besides the wood stove. I’m guessing condensation is my problem in the control panel. Any thoughts or suggestions?


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## SonnyE (Feb 17, 2019)

When my MES 30 cycles, it is not at all unusual for it to swing.
What it it, is the heating element has a bit of mass. The element, an insulated Nichrome wire inside a housing, gets shut off, but there is a certain amount of over-run because the heat is oozing out.
Nothing unusual about that with electric heat.
If you pre-heat it a considerable time, 1-2 hours, you can see it tend to stabilize somewhere around the set temperature. Then, when you put your meat in it to smoke and cook, you'll see the temperature re-stabilize as the steam from the meat affects the operation.
In all, the control of the MES line is at best marginal. It works, but it's anybodies guess how well because every one is different.
But, it's a damn sight better than nursing a charcoal or stick burner. And it can be improved upon.
That is why many will get a PID controller to work around the OEM controller.
Even at that, I see my PID controller switch on at 1 degree below set point then drift to 2 degrees below before it starts to rise. It shuts completely off at set point, but the residual heat can carry it 2-4 degrees above the set point.
But if you are looking for lab results, you will never see it at this price point. You will have to learn to work around what your MES does, or modify the controller. Which is the route I took.


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## Murray (Feb 17, 2019)

SonnyE said:


> When my MES 30 cycles, it is not at all unusual for it to swing.
> What it it, is the heating element has a bit of mass. The element, an insulated Nichrome wire inside a housing, gets shut off, but there is a certain amount of over-run because the heat is oozing out.
> Nothing unusual about that with electric heat.
> If you pre-heat it a considerable time, 1-2 hours, you can see it tend to stabilize somewhere around the set temperature. Then, when you put your meat in it to smoke and cook, you'll see the temperature re-stabilize as the steam from the meat affects the operation.
> ...



Mine isn’t shutting down at the set point, the red light stays on and so does the heating element.


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## SonnyE (Feb 17, 2019)

Murray said:


> Mine isn’t shutting down at the set point, the red light stays on and so does the heating element.



 At what point does it shut off?
If it is too far out, or running up against the safety switch (Out around 320°) it has a problem and needs to be dealt with with Masterbuilt.
Could be a faulty controller. 
But it is NOT a precision device.


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## TomKnollRFV (Feb 17, 2019)

It is likely a faulty controller if it's just plain not shutting off. I'd give masterbuilt a call, they'll definitely replace the part(s). I just had to deal with this sort of thing, they sent me a new power control unit <since mine plain kept shutting down randomly!>

Now it took mine a bit to get sorted mind...first time around I got the wrong power part kit sent out. So they actually forwarded my case to Quality control/engineering folk and it took a while for them to slog through their work load to me. On the other hand, they said if this doesn't work, they'd just replace the thing.


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## Murray (Feb 17, 2019)

SonnyE said:


> At what point does it shut off?
> If it is too far out, or running up against the safety switch (Out around 320°) it has a problem and needs to be dealt with with Masterbuilt.
> Could be a faulty controller.
> But it is NOT a precision device.


Doesn’t shut off, set control temperature  to 100F, hits 100F and keeps on heating. Set temperature to 125F same thing, heating element keeps going past the set point. Never let it run to see what might happen, figured if the controller is letting the heating element run 5F past the set point no need to see how high it will go till a melt down. 
Haven’t had the MES anywhere near 300F.


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## Murray (Feb 17, 2019)

TomKnollRFV said:


> It is likely a faulty controller if it's just plain not shutting off. I'd give masterbuilt a call, they'll definitely replace the part(s). I just had to deal with this sort of thing, they sent me a new power control unit <since mine plain kept shutting down randomly!>
> 
> Now it took mine a bit to get sorted mind...first time around I got the wrong power part kit sent out. So they actually forwarded my case to Quality control/engineering folk and it took a while for them to slog through their work load to me. On the other hand, they said if this doesn't work, they'd just replace the thing.


I’m thinking it’s a controller, yours shut down, I’m the opposite, mine won’t shut down. However that being said it’s working fine now.


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## TomKnollRFV (Feb 17, 2019)

Murray said:


> Doesn’t shut off, set control temperature  to 100F, hits 100F and keeps on heating. Set temperature to 125F same thing, heating element keeps going past the set point. Never let it run to see what might happen, figured if the controller is letting the heating element run 5F past the set point no need to see how high it will go till a melt down.
> Haven’t had the MES anywhere near 300F.



Set it for 225f and see what happens. It could be an over run for a few minutes as Sonny suggested. I've had a MES go well past 300f <Not from the MES..I had 3 rows of mesquite just decide to light them selves on me. Which pushed it from 275f to who knows what!>

The temperature sensors in the MES may read 5 above but it could very well be not there yet etc. Always worth seeing the way it goes. It could be fine and just needs to stabilize. 

And..now that I'm thinking about it. Make sure the extension cord etc is alright. I used to keep reptiles and when a power cord or the like got screwy connected to the heat lamps etc, weird things would happen.


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## Murray (Feb 17, 2019)

TomKnollRFV said:


> Set it for 225f and see what happens. It could be an over run for a few minutes as Sonny suggested. I've had a MES go well past 300f <Not from the MES..I had 3 rows of mesquite just decide to light them selves on me. Which pushed it from 275f to who knows what!>
> 
> The temperature sensors in the MES may read 5 above but it could very well be not there yet etc. Always worth seeing the way it goes. It could be fine and just needs to stabilize.
> 
> And..now that I'm thinking about it. Make sure the extension cord etc is alright. I used to keep reptiles and when a power cord or the like got screwy connected to the heat lamps etc, weird things would happen.


Thanks for the extension cord, will try a different one, can’t hurt.


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## chopsaw (Feb 17, 2019)

Murray
 it's not un common for them to run over / under 10 or 20 degrees . Just the way some of them are . Do you have a therm inside that you trust ? When you get time , set a temp and let it run until it cycles . Use a remote therm to monitor the temp inside so you know what it is compared to the unit read out . It should settle in once you let it run , but watch it to make sure it doesn't run away on you .


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## Murray (Feb 17, 2019)

chopsaw said:


> Murray
> it's not un common for them to run over / under 10 or 20 degrees . Just the way some of them are . Do you have a therm inside that you trust ? When you get time , set a temp and let it run until it cycles . Use a remote therm to monitor the temp inside so you know what it is compared to the unit read out . It should settle in once you let it run , but watch it to make sure it doesn't run away on you .


I tried that once when the unit was new, got nervous at 287F. Today I had it set to 100F and let it heat until the smoker hit 150F, heating light and element still going. I’ve got the controller in the house now, letting it warm up. Will reassemble tomorrow and test.


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## chopsaw (Feb 17, 2019)

Murray said:


> I tried that once when the unit was new, got nervous at 287F. Today I had it set to 100F and let it heat until the smoker hit 150F, heating light and element still going. I’ve got the controller in the house now, letting it warm up. Will reassemble tomorrow and test.


 OK yeah that's a problem . I think you need to give them a call then .


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## Winterrider (Feb 17, 2019)

Are you going according to the MES temp gauge? Have you put a quality digital thermometer in to check with?


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## Murray (Feb 17, 2019)

Winterrider said:


> Are you going according to the MES temp gauge? Have you put a quality digital thermometer in to check with?


Yes, MES claims 150F, TP-08 163F


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## TomKnollRFV (Feb 17, 2019)

Alright that's no longer stabilizing, it's borked. If it doesn't work properly after the reassembly, call right away, don't risk a fire!


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## Murray (Feb 17, 2019)

chopsaw said:


> OK yeah that's a problem . I think you need to give them a call then .



I tend to agree with you, I have been pushing the MES. Cold smoking cheese whre I was turning it off and on to keep the cheese from freezing and staying below 70F. Warmest ambiant temperature I have smoked in was 0F, most of the smokes have been -10F. On two occasions I have had moisture seeping out the door, too much condensation.


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## Winterrider (Feb 17, 2019)

I think I would do like chop suggests, set temp at about 200° and let it roll to see if it does shut down. If TP-08 gets to the 300° mark, shut it down and open to cool quick. Little phone call if so.  I had issues similar, tried new controller which got me closer but not to my liking. Went with PID, couldn't be happier.


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## Murray (Feb 17, 2019)

TomKnollRFV said:


> Alright that's no longer stabilizing, it's borked. If it doesn't work properly after the reassembly, call right away, don't risk a fire!


That’s why I’m shutdown for now, not too many control panel replacements posts, it seems for the most part the MES have a fairly robust control panel, temperatures not so accurate... I set my MES 15F less than the desired temperature.


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## Murray (Feb 17, 2019)

Winterrider said:


> I think I would do like chop suggests, set temp at about 200° and let it roll to see if it does shut down. If TP-08 gets to the 300° mark, shut it down and open to cool quick. Little phone call if so.  I had issues similar, tried new controller which got me closer but not to my liking. Went with PID, couldn't be happier.


I hear you, would like to wait until the smoker has a few miles on it before replacing components.


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## Wibb (Feb 17, 2019)

First post here, been lurking for awhile.  I have a brand new MES 140S and it started doing this exact same thing today.  Ambient outside was about 31-33F today and I've got mine wrapped in the MB insulating blanket.  I smoked a full smoker of jerky yesterday in similar temps and it worked perfectly but today I had a smoker full of sausage and it was running away.  I had it set for 120 and it was heating to 175.  On multiple occasions today I had to cycle power and reset just to get it to the proper temp.  At some point I ran the temp up and down from the main controller (not the remote) and it finally started behaving correctly the rest of the day.  No rhyme or reason why it was acting up earlier though.  I guess I'll call MB tomorrow and see what they have to say because I won't keep it if it behaves like this, I can't trust it without being outside every 15 minutes to monitor the panel.  All temps were comfirmed by multiple probes from my iGrill2 which was working fine.


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## Murray (Feb 17, 2019)

Wibb said:


> First post here, been lurking for awhile.  I have a brand new MES 140S and it started doing this exact same thing today.  Ambient outside was about 31-33F today and I've got mine wrapped in the MB insulating blanket.  I smoked a full smoker of jerky yesterday in similar temps and it worked perfectly but today I had a smoker full of sausage and it was running away.  I had it set for 120 and it was heating to 175.  On multiple occasions today I had to cycle power and reset just to get it to the proper temp.  At some point I ran the temp up and down from the main controller (not the remote) and it finally started behaving correctly the rest of the day.  No rhyme or reason why it was acting up earlier though.  I guess I'll call MB tomorrow and see what they have to say because I won't keep it if it behaves like this, I can't trust it without being outside every 15 minutes to monitor the panel.  All temps were comfirmed by multiple probes from my iGrill2 which was working fine.


Wet brine or dry rub?


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## BrianGSDTexoma (Feb 18, 2019)

My did few weeks ago.  Took controller off smoker and made sure wires tucked in good.  After put back on seemed to fix problem


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## DanMcG (Feb 18, 2019)

I did some sticks on my MES a couple days ago, and it doesn't like the cold, maybe 20° outside and the temps were in a 20 degree swing for the whole smoke. In the summer the swing is much tighter.


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## Murray (Feb 18, 2019)

danmcg said:


> I did some sticks on my MES a couple days ago, and it doesn't like the cold, maybe 20° outside and the temps were in a 20 degree swing for the whole smoke. In the summer the swing is much tighter.


I wouldn’t know how my MES works in the summer yet, my MES temperatures are 13F to 15F cooler than the TP-8. If I place my TP-8 on the top rack beside the MES temperature probe then I’m within 3F


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## DanMcG (Feb 18, 2019)

What's the MP-8?
 I never look at the mes temp read out, it's way off all the time. I drilled a hole in each side on the cabinet so that I can insert Inkbird temp probes through.


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## Murray (Feb 18, 2019)

danmcg said:


> What's the MP-8?
> I never look at the mes temp read out, it's way off all the time. I drilled a hole in each side on the cabinet so that I can insert Inkbird temp probes through.


Digital remote thermometer with probes (2)


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## Murray (Feb 21, 2019)

MES support claim all my issues are extension cord related. I’ve had the same problem using two different extension cords. They want a 12 gauge cord minimum which I will try this weekend. 

 TomKnollRFV


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## dr k (Feb 21, 2019)

I skimmed through the posts and didn't see a guage of extension cord you were using then looked at the Mes manual that mentioned using an extension cord that meets at least the electrical rating of the appliance. My 14 guage 12' appliance extension cord is rated at 1875 watts and the mes 40 is 1200.  I did get a back up 12 guage 25' extension cord to have around that is weather resistant for outdoor use. I hope that the 12 guage you get solves your issue but if you were using 14 guage, I don't think that is the issue.


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## TomKnollRFV (Feb 21, 2019)

Well Murray, try that first, if it doesn't work, keep on em. They just sent me replacement parts right away...weird though. How does an extension cord lead to an over run temp is beyond me.


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## MNBrownie (Feb 22, 2019)

I’ve been using my MES 30 in temperatures below 20 deg. F even below zero. I’ve noticed swings in temperature 30-40 deg. above set temperature it always goes back down to set temperature and below. I believe that over the coarse of the smoke the average temperature is pretty close to what I was going for.


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## Murray (Feb 22, 2019)

Put the controller back on the MES after 5 days of sitting in the house and fired it up to 150F, no issues. Set the temperature to 225F and ran the smoker for 2 hours, again it ran as it was designed to. Switched extension cords (3 in total) No way could I get the smoker to overrun the temperature set point. As soon as the MES hit the set point the heating element shut down until the smoker temperature dropped to the set point then turned back on. I wiggled each each end of all 3 extension cords looking for a weak plug, never missed a beat. I still think I’m getting condensation in the control panel. When I took the control panel off last week there was condensation between the controller and the top of the smoker. Both times it failed was the the next smoke after I had too much condensation inside the smoker, the first time was after I added hot water to the water pan and the second time was after a wet brine for jerky. I have added a 6” chimney to get the moisture up and away from the control panel and I now have an o ring between the controller and the smoker. See if that makes a difference. No more wet brines during the winter until I can prove it’s not the extension cords.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions


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## Wibb (Feb 22, 2019)

They tried the extension cord line on me too.  They also mentioned the remote control causing issues.  I'm thinking condensation is the culprit as well and I'll try to duplicate the issue over the weekend.


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## Bearcarver (Feb 22, 2019)

Murray,
I just got done reading all the posts on this thread.
If your Smoker keeps heating after it gets to the set point, and beyond, it's more than likely the Controller.

The "Swings" a lot of guys are referring to is when the element shuts off at the right time, but the heat keeps rising (coasting). This is obviously not your problem, if the element stays on after it gets to the set point.

I don't think your extension cord will cause your element to stay on past the set point either.

I would write down all the things it does & call Masterbuilt.

BTW: Do you know which Generation MES you have?? Gen #1, Gen #2, or Gen #2.5?
Here's how you can tell:
*Masterbuilt Smokers (Bear's Thoughts & Findings)*
*MES Generation Number Recognition Pictures & Pics (Digital Units)
Avoid Temp Swings in MES*

Bear


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## Bearcarver (Feb 22, 2019)

Murray said:


> Put the controller back on the MES after 5 days of sitting in the house and fired it up to 150F, no issues. Set the temperature to 225F and ran the smoker for 2 hours, again it ran as it was designed to. Switched extension cords (3 in total) No way could I get the smoker to overrun the temperature set point. As soon as the MES hit the set point the heating element shut down until the smoker temperature dropped to the set point then turned back on. I wiggled each each end of all 3 extension cords looking for a weak plug, never missed a beat. I still think I’m getting condensation in the control panel. When I took the control panel off last week there was condensation between the controller and the top of the smoker. Both times it failed was the the next smoke after I had too much condensation inside the smoker,* the first time was after I added hot water to the water pan *and the second time was after a wet brine for jerky. I have added a 6” chimney to get the moisture up and away from the control panel and I now have an o ring between the controller and the smoker. See if that makes a difference. No more wet brines during the winter until I can prove it’s not the extension cords.
> 
> Thanks everyone for the suggestions




One way to help eliminate extra moisture inside an MES is "DON'T PUT WATER IN THE WATER PAN!"
I haven't put water in any of my MES water pans in 8 years.
The MES holds too much humidity without adding extra water!

Bear


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## Murray (Feb 22, 2019)

Bearcarver said:


> Murray,
> I just got done reading all the posts on this thread.
> If your Smoker keeps heating after it gets to the set point, and beyond, it's more than likely the Controller.
> 
> ...


MES 30 Gen 1 I think


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## Murray (Feb 24, 2019)

A little blistering around the keypads. Started today while preheating the smoker. Progressively got worse as the afternoon wore on. Anyone have this happen to their control panel?


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## river100 (Feb 25, 2019)

I'd like to shed some light on this issue.
The temp sensor in the MES is in some way physically tied to the case of the smoker. It will always be slower than an external temp sensor you hang in the smoker because of thermal mass. To see the temp window of the MES controller watch only it's reading. A temp controller uses the input it has, if the MES readout shows giant temp swings then it might be bad. If you use a separate thermocouple / temp sensor it will have a smaller thermal mass and not match the MES temp readings and will always show bigger temp swings.   You will notice this more when the ambient temps are considerably lower than normal.
  You will get a bigger temp differential when the outside temp is lower using an external temp sensor.


After re reading all of your posts I have to say, condensation could be your issue.  It can change the temp readings if the circuit board is not well protected. Most circuit boards used in outdoor appliances are protected by some type of paint or coating.  Maybe you should try to "seal" the circuit board some how.
Temp readings are usually low impedance, water can affect them on the board.


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