MES 30" bass pro model. Doesn't smoke unless she is upto 275

winchested

Newbie

Original poster

Jan 1, 2015

9

10

Ontario, Canada

• Jun 24, 2016

• #1

I can't seem to get these chips smoking very good unless this thing is at max temp which isn't very good for a lot of the long smoking I want to do. I am using fine chips that have been soaked.

What am I doing wrong.

 

Bearcarver

Gone but not forgotten RIP

OTBS Member

Group Lead

Sep 12, 2009

45,279

18,182

Macungie, PA

• Jun 24, 2016

• #2

Winchested said:

I can't seem to get these chips smoking very good unless this thing is at max temp which isn't very good for a lot of the long smoking I want to do. I am using fine chips that have been soaked.

What am I doing wrong.

Click to expand...

IMHO, it's not worth trying to fix it.

The problem is the bottom of your chip drawer is too far from the heating element, or you don't have the drawer in right.

If your drawer has a big slab of extra metal on the bottom, make sure when you slide it in, that big piece of metal goes UNDER the heating element---Not between the drawer & the element.

If it's not the extra piece of metal, and you can't bend your drawer supports down closer to the heating element, the best thing is to get an AMNPS.  Actually that's the best thing to do, even if the chip burner is working normally.

Be Back.

Bear

 

Bearcarver

Gone but not forgotten RIP

OTBS Member

Group Lead

Sep 12, 2009

45,279

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Macungie, PA

• Jun 24, 2016

• #3

Winchested,

Below is what I'm talking about above.

I don't know which MES you have, but this could be your problem:

It is possible that you don't have your chip drawer in properly.

If it looks like the one below, make sure the large part of the drawer slides under the Heating element, and the drawer goes above it, with the heating element sandwiched in between:

image.jpg

• galpd320
• Nov 8, 2014

So.. The piece with the black scorch mark in the picture above goes under the heating element. 

Bear

 

cliffcarter

Master of the Pit

OTBS Member

Feb 28, 2010

2,277

258

Old Town, Maine

• Jun 24, 2016

• #4

Winchested said:

I can't seem to get these chips smoking very good unless this thing is at max temp which isn't very good for a lot of the long smoking I want to do. I am using fine chips that have been soaked.

What am I doing wrong.

Click to expand...

IMHO it is that you are soaking the wood chips, stop doing this and put them in dry and see if this makes a difference.

 

winchested

Newbie

Original poster

Thread starter

Jan 1, 2015

9

10

Ontario, Canada

• Jun 24, 2016

• #5

20160624_173758.jpg

• winchested
• Jun 24, 2016

Here is the style of element and tray. Looks like 1/4 to 1/8 gap between tray and element.

Seems like chip tray is only like over 1/4 of the actual element.

 

Bearcarver

Gone but not forgotten RIP

OTBS Member

Group Lead

Sep 12, 2009

45,279

18,182

Macungie, PA

• Jun 24, 2016

• #6

Winchested said:

20160624_173758.jpg

• winchested
• Jun 24, 2016

Here is the style of element and tray. Looks like 1/4 to 1/8 gap between tray and element.

Seems like chip tray is only like over 1/4 of the actual element.

Click to expand...

OK---If you can get it closer to the element, it would be a big help, but also like Cliff said--"Don't soak wood!!"

I know it says to soak them in your book, but the book lies!

However even if you get it working the way it should, it will still do the following:

No smoke until it gets going.

Then light smoke.

Then nice smoke.

Then too heavy smoke. (Not good)

Then nice smoke.

Then no smoke.

Then reload & start the above cycle again & again ever 20 minutes.

OR

Fill AMNPS with wood pellets.

Light one end properly.

Put AMNPS in Smoker.

Sit back & get perfect smoke for up to 11 hours without touching it.

Bear

 

winchested

Newbie

Original poster

Thread starter

Jan 1, 2015

9

10

Ontario, Canada

• Jun 24, 2016

• #7

20160624_173734.jpg

• winchested
• Jun 24, 2016

 

joel11230

Smoke Blower

Mar 21, 2016

133

16

• Jun 24, 2016

• #8

Do not soak your chips, that's what's wrong I bet. Mine looks like yours and I never soak them unless I'm using my offset smoker.

 

joel11230

Smoke Blower

Mar 21, 2016

133

16

• Jun 24, 2016

• #9

Winchested said:

20160624_173734.jpg

• winchested
• Jun 24, 2016

Click to expand...

Where's your chip tray? I'm not seeing it. I see the element but not the chip tray

 

winchested

Newbie

Original poster

Thread starter

Jan 1, 2015

9

10

Ontario, Canada

• Jun 24, 2016

• #10

20160624_173729.jpg

• winchested
• Jun 24, 2016

Here it is.

 

joel11230

Smoke Blower

Mar 21, 2016

133

16

• Jun 25, 2016

• #11

Winchested said:

20160624_173729.jpg

• winchested
• Jun 24, 2016

Here it is.

Click to expand...

Ok, gotcha. Just like the above comments recommend, don't soak. If you watch YouTube videos from John himself he says not to soak the chips I bet it'll work fine then.

 

winchested

Newbie

Original poster

Thread starter

Jan 1, 2015

9

10

Ontario, Canada

• Jun 25, 2016

• #12

Thanks fellas. Going to experiment with the loader position to see if it makes a difference.

 

joel11230

Smoke Blower

Mar 21, 2016

133

16

• Jun 25, 2016

• #13

Winchested said:

Thanks fellas. Going to experiment with the loader position to see if it makes a difference.

Click to expand...

Thank you for sharing, it's how we learn.