2012 MES 40 vs. Old Model MES 40

[smokeone]

Christina - What ever you get don't forget a Mav probe and smoke generator from A-Maze-n Products. When the cooker works these items make it truly set and forget!

 

[mcgallimore]

I have the Mav probe...just have to get smoke generator.
:biggrin:

 

[mcgallimore]

I have the Mav probe...just have to get smoke generator.
:biggrin:

 

[mcgallimore]

Just got my 40 inch MES old version..
Burning off fumes now... ;)
:grilling_smilie:

Checking temps with oven thermometers on each rack..
So far.. Go good :)

 

[mcgallimore]

Right on target! :)
All 3 oven themoters and meat probe on MES and digital readout right at 275.. Staying steady!
:yahoo:

 

[lovemasterbuilt]

The elements went from 650 watts to 800 watts not vice versa. 

 

[bbqbilly]

Thanks, nice detailed comparison between the 2. I'll consider this when making my purchase decision.

 

[milt2tle]

This last 2012 MES I got from SAMS had a crack in the door frame, along the bottom

I'll call Masterbuilt today and see what they want to do

Controller is 20° - 25°+ Off

Set 205° = 225° on the 2nd Rack

Set 225° = 250° on the 2nd Rack

Set 250° = 275° on the 2nd Rack

Set 275° = 300° on the 2nd Rack

TODD Where Did You Go??

What did masterbuilt do re: your cracked door?

What happened re: the mod you were working with/on to try to even out the temps in your 2nd gen Sams Club MES40?

You simply can NOT just let the story end here ...

... please ...

 

[tjohnson]

Well, I didn't go away.....!

Today, I fired up my MES 40 2nd Gen, to smoke some dog treats

Haven't even looked at it since I got a 4th replacement body from Masterbuilt, and seasoned the box

This is the 2nd time it has ever been turned on

Turned it on today, and there was a distinct smell of melting plastic......Hmmmmm!

Then, I started taking a good look at the inside, and there's "RUST" and "Corrosion" Everywhere!!!

Thought this unit was "Stainless Steel"....No Way It's Stainless Steel!!!

It was stored in my garage right along side (2) Old Model MES 40's and (2) of the 2nd Gen MES 40 Replacement Bodies

This is the only one that shows any rust and corrosion

The white corrosion is very similar to the corrosion occurs on galvanized metal......Hmmmmmm!

Could it be "Galvanized Steel or "Aluminized Steel"????

Seems odd, that wherever the foam seemed to ooze out, the steel is corroded

Here's a few pics:

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• tjohnson
• Sep 7, 2013

 

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• tjohnson
• Sep 7, 2013

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• tjohnson
• Sep 7, 2013

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• tjohnson
• Sep 7, 2013

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• tjohnson
• Sep 7, 2013

 

[geerock]

Wow! It just keeps getting worse. You know the problems I had with mine. Bought mine last december. Worked for 2 weeks. They said I needed a new controller but they were out of them. Waited 13 weeks for one and that lasted about a month. So we are into May. Called them and they told me since the original sale was in December the unit was out of warranty. So I had a working unit for about 6 weeks from the point of sale and now its out of warranty because they took over three months to get me a part? Now they're selling rusted stainless? Masterbuilt sucks IMHO. Never again. Think real hard before dealing with these new generation mes.

 

[tjohnson]

I'm calling Customer Service at Masterbuilt on Monday

This smoker is well beyond the 90 Day Warranty

Thank God I bought the extended warranty at SAMS!!!

Did a batch of Smoked Bacon Dog Treats today

Set it to 250°

Came back and the temp was 300° on the meat probe, hanging on the inside wall

50° off is unacceptable in my book!

 

[geerock]

There's lots of folks where the units have controllers off in the other direction. They have to set at max 275 to get to 235 or 240. If you like real low and slow I guess that works for some. Not for me.

 

[milt2tle]

Thanks for getting back into the discussion, Todd ... I did decide to go on and solve my problem myself ... took the second New Gen Mess 40 back to Sams Club for a refund ... no hassle at all with the return of Take Two, and no hassle at all with my decision not to try for Strike Three.

Went to my local Academy Sports store, bought a new "Old" MES 40 and - so far (what's the smiley for Knock On Wood??) it seems to be working fine ... temp seems accurate and consistent, my AMNPS works ... the only real down side so far is that I'm now having to rework my estimated cooking times ... it seems that things take longer to cook in a smoker that is set at 225 and cooking at 225 than they do in a smoker that is set at 225 and cooking at 270 ...

 

[tjohnson]

I've heard that Academy Sports has a bunch of the old MES 40's

Airflow in this new unit is TERRIBLE!

If you place the AMNPS on the top shelf, the smoke actually moves downward, to the bottom of the smoker, and then out the exhaust....WOW!

The placement of the exhaust on the left side causes lots of turbulence inside the smoker

Trying to harness this turbulence may be a little difficult

I ran it all night trying to configure the AMNPS inside the smoker

More airflow tests today

 

[smokeone]

They sent me a new one a while back I think I posted about it. I think it is my 5th now. The meat probe is very accurate so far but the internal temp is all over the place. I can not keep a AMNPS working at all but the tube smoker works every time with no problems. The loader jammed and came apart in the process of removing it. Got it back together and with a few mods of bending metal is working OK. If I can ever figure out how to get something other than a 50 degree swing I would be all right with it for what it is. I have turned out some pretty good Q lately but not without staying constantly on top of the thing.

 

[blat]

Why would it be that the tube works burnout the amnps?

 

[blat]

Oops should have proofread, why would the tube work and the amnps does not?

 

[tjohnson]

Oops should have proofread, why would the tube work and the amnps does not?

That's a good question!

It not that the AMNPS does not work in the new MES 2nd Gen, it's that it does not burn consistently every time.  The trick is to figure out the variables that may cause the inconsistent burning.

There is a larger "Mass of Pellets" in the Tube Smoker, and it seems to perform better than the AMNPS in a low oxygen atmosphere.

I've got over 100 hours of testing my gadgets in the new MES Gen 2, and think there's a pretty simple solution to get my gadgets to work consistently.

Think of the MES in terms of a balloon

Heat the balloon, and there's an increase in air pressure inside the balloon

Even though there was no air added, the pressure inside is increased

A smoker works the same way

A small intake and small exhaust hold in this increased pressure, and do not allow for additional intake air for combustion

Add a fan to the intake, and you get plenty of air for combustion, but the heating element has to work harder to overcome this cooler air

Increase the size of the exhaust and you also get more intake air for combustion, but there's a substantial loss of heat

The intake vent on the MES is right above the heating element.  Heating this intake air causes it to expand, and this increased pressure does not allow for very much intake air to enter the smoker.  If the intake vent and heating element were separated, I believe the unit would draft much differently

A few more tests today, and I should have an answer.......

Todd

 

[blat]

Thanks, I have the analog mes 30 arriving tomorrow, specifically got it because I already had a pid, not sure it is the same animal as the digital 40, so cheap it has likely got all kinds of unintentional air intakes to aid in air for my anmps.

 

[tjohnson]

Brought my New 2nd Gen MES 40 to work so I can do a little more testing

Opened the door and discovered the plastic frame has several severe cracks

The 2nd pic is where the door hinge attaches to the door

The plastic is literally disintegrating around the hinge!

I'm hoping that the plastic frame is only a cover for the actual frame of the door.  If the plastic is an integral part of the door, then the door will quickly fail

I have very little use on this smoker

Other than the 1st time at 275° to burn off all the oils, all were testing my gadgets at 225°

I purchased the extended warranty from SAMS, but not sure if these things are covered

Cracks appeared on top top frame of the door after smoking this weekend @ 225°

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• tjohnson
• Sep 10, 2013

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• tjohnson
• Sep 10, 2013

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• tjohnson
• Sep 10, 2013