HHHEEEELLLLPPPP !!!!!!!

[jason wilson]

BUILDING FIRST SMOKER FROM WOOD HEAT SOURCE IS AN ELECTRIC STOVE BURNER RUN ON 110V THE SWITCH FOR THE BURNER I TURN IT TO 4 IT WILL GET TO 200 TO 250 HOLD FOR A MIN THEN DROP TO 64 THEN START BACK UP HOW DO I KEEP STEADY TEMPS THE OVEN BURNER AND THERMOSTAT WILL HOLD BUT DON'T KNOW IF I WANT TO USE THAT BIG OF AN ELEMENT PLUS CAN SEEM TO FIND THE SWEET SPOT TO HOLD IT AT TEMP FLUCTUATES I TOUCH THE CONTROL AND WILL DROP WAY TO MUCH OR GET WAY TO HOT

 

[daveomak]

Jason, morning....  Sounds like the control knobs don't like working on 110....  Try a dimmer switch.... I would go with a 1500 watt dimmer not knowing the ampere draw on the elements.... Check the amp draw and narrow down which dimmer to use....   Dave

 

[jason wilson]

THANKS DAVE AMPERAGE IS 15 AMPS SO A DIMMER WILL I BE ABLE TO CONTROL TEMP OR WILL IT FLUCTUATE BETWEEN TEMPS
 

 

[jason wilson]

OH AND ELEMENT SAYS 3500 WATTS ALSO AT 240V IF THAT'S GONNA MAKE DIFF

 

 

[daveomak]

Did you check the amp draw (with an amp meter), of the element, while it was on and giving the proper temp to the smoker ??

 

[jason wilson]

NO THE SIDE OF THE NOB SAID 15AMP AND THE BURNER SAID 240V 3500W

 

[jason wilson]

WILL CHECK WITH METER AFTER WORK THOU WHAT READINGS AM I LOOKING FOR ?

 

[daveomak]

amps x volts = watts      When you buy a dimmer switch, they are rated in watts....  

 

[s2k9k]

Hi Jason! I moved your thread over to our "Smoke Houses" forum, I think you will get a lot more responses over here. "Roll Call" is pretty much just for introducing yourself so when you get a minute come back to Roll Call and tell us a little about yourself so we can give you a proper SMF welcome, Thanks!

 

[linguica]

NO THE SIDE OF THE NOB SAID 15AMP AND THE BURNER SAID 240V 3500W

If you are trying to use a 240 Volt burner element on a 110 volt circuit, it won't work. If this is the case, STOP ALL WORK IMMEDIATELY. Some schooling in basic electricity and Ohm's law are in order. Your safety is at risk.

 

[daveomak]

Jason, morning.... I have a 220V element in my old, old smoker to add a little extra heat and it is operating on 110V..... Running a 220V element on 110V is not a problem....  The element will not get "screaming" hot like it does on 220 in an oven.... It will just idle along at a medium heat because the resistance is so high in the 220V element it can't get hot....   As an example, a 110V element will probably flame out on 220....  or a 110V light bulb will be dimly lit on 12V.....   Voltage is similar to pressure in a water line.... If you have a water line designed for 220 psi and put it up to 110 psi it will live forever ..... Amperage is akin to volume flow in a pipe.... The more amperage used, the bigger the wire needed or similarly the bigger the pipe is needed for more gallons per minute......  I hope that makes sense......

Linguica is absolutely correct with his observation..... 

  [color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Some schooling in basic electricity and Ohm's law are in order. Your safety is at risk.[/color]

[color= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Had you been attempting something that was not safe, I would have mentioned it to you..... That being said, electricity is not very forgiving...[/color]

There are many experts on here that are willing to help with anything you want to attempt... If you have any doubts about how to do stuff, please ask first....  Dave

 

[jason wilson]

yes i know basic electricity that's y i didn't think it would hurt drop the burner down from 220v to 110v but i do not know much about stoves and how the heat is controlled or thermostats work or potentiometers dimmers any thing that can help me pretty much just that if i drop it down to 110v it wont get red hot like a normal 220v would that's y i thought it would b perfect

if I'm wrong i would hope someone would let me know a better alternative

 

[daveomak]

Jason, A dimmer will reduce the electricity to a constant level....   I use a 1500 watt dimmer on my MES 30..... It holds a constant temp when all is said and done with no temp spikes up or down....  Once the smoker gets to equilibrium, temp wise, it's perfect..... Takes some tweaking during warm up to get it there but it is worth it....   Depending on the amp load to the element when it is operating, that is the number to use when getting a dimmer so the dimmer won't be overloaded and burn up..... Say it draws 6 amps.... 6 amps x 120 volts = 720 watts.... a 1000 w or 1500 w dimmer will work just fine and you will have total control of the temp.....   Dave

 

[linguica]

Jason, A dimmer will reduce the electricity to a constant level....   I use a 1500 watt dimmer on my MES 30..... It holds a constant temp when all is said and done with no temp spikes up or down....  Once the smoker gets to equilibrium, temp wise, it's perfect..... Takes some tweaking during warm up to get it there but it is worth it....   Depending on the amp load to the element when it is operating, that is the number to use when getting a dimmer so the dimmer won't be overloaded and burn up..... Say it draws 6 amps.... 6 amps x 120 volts = 720 watts.... a 1000 w or 1500 w dimmer will work just fine and you will have total control of the temp.....   Dave

One quick question...please. I took your advice and wired up a 1500 W dimmer in a conduit box with a short 14 ga cord. That works fine. My question is about the on board electronic control on the MES 30. Most electronic controls won't work if the power drops by more than 10%. Will i damage the temp-timer control by dimming the power to the unit?

 

[woodcutter]

If you have the dimmer between the controller and the heating element the controller should have full power. You would then set your controller on high and do the adjustments to the element with your dimmer switch................ I think.
 

 

[daveomak]

Linguica, morning..... When installing a dimmer on the MES, it needs to be installed at the element.....  Unplug the unit, pull the back cover plate off at the bottom where the element is, unhook the wires from the element, plug the MES back in....  Using a volt meter check the two wires that go to the element to the chassis.... one should show hot, the other not..... This needs to be done with the electronics turned on and the timer set so the unit will power up the element wiring......  The dimmer goes between the element and the hot wire..... There are 2 separate circuits in the MES..... one for the element and one for the electronics......  Also, make sure the outlet you are plugged into has the right polarity....  Wide spade is neutral..... narrow spade is hot.....   That will insure the MES is wired correctly....  

If you check my profile, I have a tutorial on how I did mine.... the complete install.......    Any more questions ??? I'm happy to answer.....  

Dave

 

[linguica]

If you have the dimmer between the controller and the heating element the controller should have full power. You would then set your controller on high and do the adjustments to the element with your dimmer switch................ I think.
 

Sounds logical.

 

[daveomak]

That is true...... the set temp function still works as always and so does the timer......  If you need the max temp set at 160..... it will still turn off the element as always..... 

 

[dward51]

I think we are missing some of the equation with the OP question.  

What sort of control for the 220v element is he currently using?  I noted the original post mentioned setting it to "4" so I take it he may be using the controls for the 220v element that are also made to operate at 220v.  If it's a simple analog control, that may not be much of an issue, but if it's some sort of digital circuit there in may lay his problem with the temp cycling.

Jason, how is it wired now? (photos would also be a help).

 

[jason wilson]

i took apart an old stove so I'm using all the parts pretty much knob controls thermostat elements even the racks

and element receptacles im just not running at 220v only 110v