Major MES fail

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Mine is definitely a 20070311, and the element is replaceable. A pain in the rear, but replaceable.
My issue (see above) was the connectors which slide over the element tabs having crumbled, so I really had not planned to replace the element. When Masterbuilt included a new one with the other wiring parts, I decided to go ahead and replace everything.

It's a darn good thing I did that, because while removing the old element, BOTH tabs broke off. They were as rotten as the connectors and would not have lasted much longer. All well now, heats like a champ.
Good!  I just put a post on the "Problems with MES" thread if I should go in and put dielectric grease on the joints that failed on yours before mine corrode/oxidizes.  Maybe checking the tightness of the flag connectors yearly would eliminate resistance/heat/oxidation to keep the inferior OEM parts from failing. 

-Kurt
 
I would say that might prevent some major future frustration. You KNOW it will fail in the middle of a smoke when you have a bunch of people waiting on food. And, there is no warning....all control panel lights will still be operating normally, with your only clue being the steady drop in temp.
You have to remove the entire chip loading assembly to access the element, thus the reference to it being a pain to replace.
 
Went to an appliance parts store today while doing errands and bought a couple steel high temp female disconnects. I spent more in gas going there than I did buying them at 15 cents each. So yes I bought more than just a couple of them.

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Using a dielectric paste on those connections will help them perform forever....   stops corrosion, maintains conductivity at the connection...   It comes in hundreds of forms.....  

https://www.google.com/search?q=no+...UIBigB#tbm=isch&q=dielectric+electrical+paste
I've got eight months on my MES and I am looking forward to seeing the condition of the heating element connections and if I have to wire brush them clean with my Dremel before pasting.  If they are in bad shape I'll have to start a new thread with pics.  I haven't heard much on preventative maintenance on newer smokers.  I guess the last thing people want to do is run errands when they get a new smoker to prevent a lot of electrical problems because the OEM electrical parts aren't substantial enough.  

-Kurt  
 
Right... if they are aluminum, dissimilar metals like aluminum and brass corrode... You can always solder the wires on the element connectors.... clean the connectors well with wire brush and sandpaper... tin the connectors and wire with solder.... then solder them together.... slide shrink tubing on the wire FIRST.... then shrink the tube over the connector/wire joint... it will never corrode if you follow that procedure....
I know this is an old thread Dave, but I just bypassed the electronics on my new MES 40 2.0 so that I can use the Auber controller and I have a question here. If the spade connectors/wiring were melting and charring, would then the melting point of solder be high enough to keep the joint integrity? While I have mine "up on blocks" in "frankenstein mode" I'd like to make sure that I don't run into these problems I'm seeing here and will at the least be replacing the OEM spades with high temp steel spades and high temp shrink tubing or soldering the wires directly, depending on your thoughts.

Thanks for your wisdom!
 
m00se, morning...  The junction connection should never get hot...  What happens is....   It gets corroded...  corrosion will not conduct electricity.. therefore the remaining material, that is not corroded, has to carry the current....  the corrosion continues until the remaining clean material is too small to carry the current at a safe temperature and heats up...  finally, the remaining clean material will overheat and get really, really hot when it reaches the critical amp carrying capacity and burn up...  The first few inches of an element do not get hot because the resistance is too small until it has passed through more of the element...   If you have an electric stove, that phenomenon can be seen on your stove top element...   the element is always dark where it enters the stove top...  it's red where the pan sits...  same deal....

Having clean connections and using a no-corrode electrical paste on them is good...   make sure the connections are tight..   you can crimp them a bit after the install...   and/or solder them...

I like to use fiberglass electrical tape to finish off connections in a hard to get at place that "can" get warm...
 
Thank you for your thorough reply Dave. I think I'll follow through with the SS spade lugs and then spray them down with maybe some auto battery post protectant. I don't like the idea of putting dielectric grease anywhere near an actual connection. I thought that stuff's for insulating and would actually accelerate corrosion. Am I right here?
 
 
Thank you for your thorough reply Dave. I think I'll follow through with the SS spade lugs and then spray them down with maybe some auto battery post protectant. I don't like the idea of putting dielectric grease anywhere near an actual connection. I thought that stuff's for insulating and would actually accelerate corrosion. Am I right here?
NOCO battery corrosion preventative is formulated to make all surfaces impenetrable to corrosion-causing acid fumes which reduce battery life and cranking ability. It is suitable for battery terminals, cables, hold-downs, enclosures, boxes and carriers. It does not dry or evaporate and guaranteed for the life of your battery.

The use of a dielectric grease, seals a permanent connection to prevent galvanic corrosion...  It also prevents arcing... 

I used it for years, at the recommendation of an industrial electrician, when wiring around salt water where condensation and salt corrosion was prevalent...   I used it, when I built my charter boat, on all electrical connections....  12V and 120V..  we used it on 32V on the Seiner I fished on.... 

If you have an OHM meter, check across the finished connection to determine if it will build heat when operating..  that is the ultimate test...

Since this is a topic that has been discussed here previously, I will withhold my findings, and provide findings from another source....  solely to reduce the arguments that will ensue...

http://www.w8ji.com/dielectric_grease_vs_conductive_grease.htm
 
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