# Masterbuilt 40" Shocks



## smokincoachk (Jul 19, 2011)

Howdy! 

i have had a 40" Masterbuilt Electric Smoker for about 4 months.  Used it the other day to smoke some yard bird.  When I went to open the unit to take the meat out, I felt like I touched an electric fence.  Where ever I touched it, I got shocked. 

No water near the unit.  Cord wasn't in water. 

Any clues?  I am waiting for a call back from customer service at masterbuilt.


----------



## hardslicer (Jul 19, 2011)

I would just ask my wife to open the smoker door.....problem solved


----------



## smokincoachk (Jul 19, 2011)

BRILLIANT!


----------



## rayjn (Jul 19, 2011)

I would un-plug the unit. I think the power cord has been cut and has come in contact with the smoker body. Could be very dangerous. Probally internal. Send it back for a replacement.


----------



## flyboys (Jul 19, 2011)

[quote name="hardslicer" url="/forum/thread/109307/masterbuilt-40-shocks#post_665321"]
I would just ask my wife to open the smoker door.....problem solved  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	




[/quote]

Hahahahaha


----------



## meateater (Jul 19, 2011)

Sounds like a bad ground, could be the smoker or where it's plugged in. Do you have one of these to check the wall outlet? At least this would tell you if it's the smoker or something else.


----------



## mossymo (Jul 19, 2011)

meateater said:


> Sounds like a bad ground, could be the smoker or where it's plugged in. Do you have one of these to check the wall outlet? At least this would tell you if it's the smoker or something else.




Is the ground plug still on your MES cord?

Is the outlet grounded?

You were obviously grounded (grin), so I don't have to ask that...

Were you using an extension cord without a ground?


----------



## meateater (Jul 19, 2011)

MossyMO said:


> Is the ground plug still on your MES cord?
> 
> Is the outlet grounded?
> 
> ...


Good to check the point of contact, maybe a plug back from that source had a vacuum plugged in repeatedly and loosened a wire contact. (Grin).  Is the heat makin folks grumpy lately here or what. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  Sheesh, I'm just answering a question.


----------



## smokingnjapan (Jul 29, 2011)

You could check for short to ground using a multimeter. Sounds like something inside the unit could be "HOT" causing the issue. Wire inside or something similar. If your worried about it, you could always send it back. Getting shocked is no fun, that's for sure. I work for John Deere, and am around these sort of things all the time ( Electrical Engineering). So be careful with it.


----------



## michael ark (Jul 29, 2011)

Sounds like a wire was touching inside metal some were and melted. Could be either wire bacuse of backfeed.


----------



## kfpetit (Jul 22, 2013)

I have the same problem with my 30 inch Masterbuilt.  Great smoker, but this 4th of July smoker gave me the "electric fence" shock.  It's plugged into a GFI so not enough of a short to trip the GFI.  Apparently no one have solved this mystery.  Smoker is about 2 years old, well kept covered under a patio. Thought it may be from the digital controls since it felt like a low voltage shock, but could not get the control off to check it out....


----------



## bill scott (Jul 22, 2013)

Let us know when you're done, and send pictures. LOL!


----------



## chiefwej (Jul 22, 2013)

If you have it plugged into a GFI protected outlet and still got a shock there is something wrong with the wiring of the outlet or the GFI.  You should never feel a shock from a properly working GFI.  So that is your first problem.  You should be plugging into a properly working, three pronged, GFI protected outlet.  If you must use an extension cord, it most be a heavy gauge, heavy duty, outdoor three prong cord. 

Has you smoker been exposed to rain or moisture?  Is the power cord in good condition, paying particular attention to where it enters the body of the unit?  If all that is taken care of, it's time to do some testing with a multimeter and open it up to check internal wiring.


----------



## old sarge (Jul 22, 2013)

Just a thought, and probably a wrong headed thought:  Were you barefooted?  I ask because as a kid in the early 60's, I got zapped getting a haircut on the carport when my bare foot touched the concrete.  On another occasion, barefooted again, I grabbed an electric drill that was plugged in. Knocked me on my keister. As a 10 year old, I was a slow learner.  It's common to be barefooted in the summer so I thought I was ask. But really, a wire may have come loose in the unit and is in contact with the cabinet.


----------



## kfpetit (Jul 23, 2013)

I thought the same thing, I tested out my GFI which I have a pool pump plugged into and it trips as advertised,  I may change it out just to make sure.  I have another GFI outlet that I can test the smoker on when I get the chance.  The shock must be low voltage it is more of a tingle than a shock.  If you touch any part of the metal you feel it,  The cord looks good, it has been covered and has been well taken care of.  I thought the problem may be coming from the control panel since it is probably working on a lower voltage. It was plugged directly into the GFI outlet no extension cord. I'll post if I make any headway with this problem.


----------



## kfpetit (Jul 23, 2013)

No I wasn't barefoot, I tried to looked under the control panel and I did not see any bare wires.  It lifts about a fourth of an inch from the cabinet.  Maybe I'll shim it off the cabinet with some wood chips and see if the problem still exists.


----------



## moses (Jul 27, 2013)

Mine did the same thing to me and my 3 year old son a few weeks ago. Called customer service and they told me to cut the cord and the metal identification plate off the back of the smoker and mail it to them. They said when they receive those components they will ship me another unit.


----------



## kfpetit (Jul 29, 2013)

Thanks Moses, I think I'll do the same.  I'm thinking it's not worth risking trying to fix it.  I'll contact them and see what happens.


----------



## moses (Jul 29, 2013)

Hopefully they will treat you as good as they treated me.


----------



## moses (Sep 10, 2013)

Hey man just checking. Did you ever talk to masterbuilt about your smoker?


----------



## timothy barrons (Jul 7, 2015)

I had the same problem with a 30" and now my 40" smoker. Customer service told me that I was past the warranty so unless I wanted to buy repair parts, they couldn't help me. Stupidly, I bought another Masterbuilt as it was cheap, easier and I needed my smoker fixed ASAP but enough is enough. Unless customer service knocks one out of the park, this will be my last Masterbuilt product


----------



## mummel (Jul 7, 2015)

Call Masterbuilt!


----------



## brickguy221 (Jul 7, 2015)

Even though the MES only has a 90 day warranty, I "think" that Masterbuilt will replace parts if Smoker is not more than 2 years old. Anyhow that was my recent experience on my old 40" Gen 2.0 which was almost 2 years old at the time. They replaced both the heat coil and controller free of charge and would have replaced the box had I kept the receipt when I bought it, but unfortunately I did not.


----------

