MES element quits

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sundown farms

Meat Mopper
Original poster
Apr 3, 2013
173
23
Houston, TX
I have searched for a solution and with advice found here fixed the corroded connection to the heating element on my MES 40 Gen 2.5. It now heats up but after an hour or so the element will not heat up when the thermostat's red light on the control panel is on. I rechecked the soldered connection and it is solid. Moved the BB's to the Weber. Once it cooled down I turned it on and the coil became red hot. I looked at the element closely and it has no suspect spots. This was the third time. Any ideas of why it seems to not reheat once it gets hot?
 
The element may be broken....  fine when cold but expansion, when hot, breaks the continuity...   MAYBE...
 
Yup Dave. That is what I am thinking. But, as one connection is solder in and the other is insulated, I do not want to disconnect and run an ohm test if someone has another idea. Thanks for responding.
 
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Call Masterbuilt. They have an amazing troubleshooting team. But yes it is probably The heating element. Had the same thing happen to me. If the smoker is less than 2 years old they will send a new one for free. If it's older you can buy one from them for $30
 
If you unplug the power cord, if I remember correctly, the hot wire to the element will be "uncoupled"...  then across the connections should give you an OHMS reading...    I think a good element is 18 OHMS...  but I'm getting addled.. 
 
Update - Masterbuilt are great guys as even though I had bought the smoker used they still sent me a new element kit at no charge. Got it installed despite the rusty screws in the old box. But, the new element asks like the old one as it cuts off about 120 and will not come back on. Must be a controller issue??? Anyone have any ideas???
 
Dave - I found that post and comments before I posted this inquiry. I also saved your link to the "dimmer" controller in case I needed it. Looks like I do. I will call MB again and see if they have any other ideas.
 
You may have to access the dime sized snap disc sensor swich to bypass it and test if that's the issue. If it takes awhile to cool and reset but the temp inside the smoker goes to 120*F from a cold start then quits I would be looking at the safety snap disk switch. Disconnect the wires to the switch and wire them together and see if it goes over 120*F to the set point and cycles normally. If that works then get a new switch.
-Kurt
Update - Masterbuilt are great guys as even though I had bought the smoker used they still sent me a new element kit at no charge. Got it installed despite the rusty screws in the old box. But, the new element asks like the old one as it cuts off about 120 and will not come back on. Must be a controller issue??? Anyone have any ideas???
 
Kurt - Wish I saw your idea yesterday. I searched for info about the snap switch and think you may have the solution. Also looks like I can get to it without drilling out the rivets to remove the back panel. I bet I find rotted out blade connectors like were on the heating element's connections. Looking forward to getting home this evening and working on this idea.
 
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Kurt - Wish I saw your idea yesterday. I searched for info about the snap switch and think you may have the solution. Also looks like I can get to it without drilling out the rivets to remove the back panel. I bet I find rotted out blade connectors like were on the heating element's connections. Looking forward to getting home this evening and working on this idea.
I think Kurt may have found your problem.  Also it seems by your comments that your MES has the panel for the rollout switch so you are in luck!

I had an issue where the connector to the rollout switch was loose which caused resistance which lead to heating.  The heat melted the plastic part of the rollout switch where the tab was which made the overheating even worse as things got looser and looser. 

Long story short, if the connection to the rollout switch is bad it can heat up and that causes your rollout switch to trip no matter what temp your smoker is at.

If the roll out is bad it would be also be wise to use high temp steel connectors when you replace it with a new switch.

Check the last paragraph of this post to see how I easily handle putting the connectors on the rollout switch tab ensuring they are all the way on, they are snug, and without damaging the rollout switch while adding the connectors.  I hope this helps :)

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/261224/new-element-not-heating-any-at-all-now/40#post_1702294
 
Update - This evening I drilled out the rivets on the back panel and removed the screws holding the top handle and the tray's clips. I removed the two screws above and below the snap switch inside the MES. That allowed the cover over the snap switch-- visible with the back panel off--to be pulled away. One of the wires look a bit corroded and when I touch it the connection to the switch fell off. What I held in my hand was exactly like a photo in a post that I cannot find now that I am typing this. 

The spade was still in that clip so I shoved it into the other clip I had removed thereby jumping around the snap switch. Plugged in MES and turned it on set to 225. It heated quickly and turned off at 227. It overshot to about 235 as usually and when it fell back to 223 it came back on. It reheated to 227. I smiled and watched it go through that cycle twice more. Unplugged it and will order a new snap switch. 

Many thanks to Kurt, aka Dr. K, TallBM, and DaveOmak for the responses and advice. I can now cook the misses something special for Mother's Day. When I pointed that out to her she rolled her eyes and sighed. So that brings up the age old problem that you can help me with. How does a hard-working guy do something special for the special lady in his life if she does not really respect and put good home smoked meat above all the restaurant stuff?  If only the problem was that she had a bad "snap switch"...of well...good night and thanks again.
 
 
Update - This evening I drilled out the rivets on the back panel and removed the screws holding the top handle and the tray's clips. I removed the two screws above and below the snap switch inside the MES. That allowed the cover over the snap switch-- visible with the back panel off--to be pulled away. One of the wires look a bit corroded and when I touch it the connection to the switch fell off. What I held in my hand was exactly like a photo in a post that I cannot find now that I am typing this. 

The spade was still in that clip so I shoved it into the other clip I had removed thereby jumping around the snap switch. Plugged in MES and turned it on set to 225. It heated quickly and turned off at 227. It overshot to about 235 as usually and when it fell back to 223 it came back on. It reheated to 227. I smiled and watched it go through that cycle twice more. Unplugged it and will order a new snap switch. 

Many thanks to Kurt, aka Dr. K, TallBM, and DaveOmak for the responses and advice. I can now cook the misses something special for Mother's Day. When I pointed that out to her she rolled her eyes and sighed. So that brings up the age old problem that you can help me with. How does a hard-working guy do something special for the special lady in his life if she does not really respect and put good home smoked meat above all the restaurant stuff?  If only the problem was that she had a bad "snap switch"...of well...good night and thanks again.
I'm glad to have helped :)

I would suggest you get at least 2 rollout switches in case you damage one.  They can be a little fragile.  

You may also want to look into some Hi Temp Spade Connectors as well.  They will be less likely to corrode on you.

If you put the spades onto the rollout switch and gently tap snugly in place with a hammer you can ensure they go on properly without damaging the rollout.  You then just fasten the wires to the spade connectors and then fasten the rollout switch back to the MES.

I had problems with getting the snug connectors onto my first rollout switch replacement.  This resulted in there being wiggle in the connection and the tab which causes heat which caused my switch to trip over and over until it burned up lol.  I then learned to put the connectors on the rollout switch first as I explain above.  Please, learn from my mistakes :D

As for the wife, just hand write a letter for her concerning how awesome of a mother she is and how much it means to you and stick it in a card.  If that doesn't do something for you then I'm afraid you will be stuck buying jewelry for every occasion :P
 
Update - This evening I drilled out the rivets on the back panel and removed the screws holding the top handle and the tray's clips. I removed the two screws above and below the snap switch inside the MES. That allowed the cover over the snap switch-- visible with the back panel off--to be pulled away. One of the wires look a bit corroded and when I touch it the connection to the switch fell off. What I held in my hand was exactly like a photo in a post that I cannot find now that I am typing this. 

The spade was still in that clip so I shoved it into the other clip I had removed thereby jumping around the snap switch. Plugged in MES and turned it on set to 225. It heated quickly and turned off at 227. It overshot to about 235 as usually and when it fell back to 223 it came back on. It reheated to 227. I smiled and watched it go through that cycle twice more. Unplugged it and will order a new snap switch. 

Many thanks to Kurt, aka Dr. K, TallBM, and DaveOmak for the responses and advice. I can now cook the misses something special for Mother's Day. When I pointed that out to her she rolled her eyes and sighed. So that brings up the age old problem that you can help me with. How does a hard-working guy do something special for the special lady in his life if she does not really respect and put good home smoked meat above all the restaurant stuff?  If only the problem was that she had a bad "snap switch"...of well...good night and thanks again.
When DaveOmak mentioned Mes snap disks are switches that reset themselves and that another guy had a problem with his I figured going that route was the best place to start. You have all kinds of spare parts for years of service until the bottom mother board fails or the controller/controller sensor which would be solved with a PID controller.
-Kurt
 
MES FIXED. The problem was the snap switch. I tested that theory by unplugging the two wires to the switch and taped them together. Everything operated normally. Not having that hi-temp cutout was not comfortable so I order the snap switch.  It was an easy replacement after drilling out the rivets to open up the back. The rivets were soft and the drill easily punched through. Home Depot had screws that replaced the rivets. The only hard part was waiting on the parts to arrive. 

I have now had two successful smokes with the second one yesterday that rocked along for 10 hours to deliver a great pork shoulder roast.

Many thanks to Dave, Kurt and TallBM.
 
 
MES FIXED. The problem was the snap switch. I tested that theory by unplugging the two wires to the switch and taped them together. Everything operated normally. Not having that hi-temp cutout was not comfortable so I order the snap switch.  It was an easy replacement after drilling out the rivets to open up the back. The rivets were soft and the drill easily punched through. Home Depot had screws that replaced the rivets. The only hard part was waiting on the parts to arrive. 

I have now had two successful smokes with the second one yesterday that rocked along for 10 hours to deliver a great pork shoulder roast.

Many thanks to Dave, Kurt and TallBM.
I'm glad it all worked out!

When the day comes that things fail due to connectors wearing out at the rollout switch (snap switch) or the heating element I don't think you will hesitate to replace them.  You will likely keep your smoker up and running through almost anything :)
 
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