I've had a couple of MB electric smokers and I'm real tired of replacing heating elements and now I have an electrical issue with the one I'm using. I've tried everything I could find to fix it and I'm not getting anywhere with it. For ayone that is wondering why, as soon as the unit is connected to electric it automatically heats up w/o turning it on and has no temp control. I use my smoker a lot, may be one reason why I've gone through 2 of them now. I like smoking chcken, ribs, fish and at the end of deer season kielbasa usually 30 pounds and I double smoke it. I really don't want another MB especially now that you can't even talk to someone if there is a problem, only emails now. For someone like me should I switch to propane or would you guys recomend somthing else? I do like the control of the electric but I'm willing to change.
This sounds like the relay (switch) on the lower circuit board is stuck in the on/heat position. You likely will not be able to find a replacement board BUT you arent screwed. This should have nothing to do with your heating element.
I'm with
Winterrider
on this. For a good bit less than a new smoker (but still a little money) you can give the finger to MB by doing a simple rewire to your MES and using a PID controller.
This would make your MES perform easily 25x better than it ever did new or any electric smoker you could get for less than $1,000!
The way the rewire + PID controller works is that you cut the ends off 4 wires and wire nut ends together to make 2 whole wires.
At this point the MES plug will feed power to the heating element while still keeping the safety cuttoff switch in the mix. No control here but you have now bypassed all of the crappy
Masterbuilt electronics so the element will simply just heat up. This is where a PID controller comes in.
You plug your MES into a PID controller
Plug the PID controller into your wall out let.
Drop the PID temp probe down your MES vent and clip underneath the center of the lowest rack (to measure heat temp).
Finally you turn on the PID, enter the set temp, and it will cut power on/off to the MES plug (which now feeds to the elemnt) until the PID hits and holds the set temp.
This thing will likely hit and hold dead on and very well within 1-2 degrees of your set temp. It is super precise and performant.
You now have turned your golf car of an MES into a Ferrari that will never have a problem doing low temps, max temps, or a problem doing sausage, bacon, jerky, etc.
You can score a plug and play PID controller for $150 or so. It cost a little but it's like getting an amazing brand new smoker you never knew you could had that would normally cost $1,000!
Ask any questions you have. We've helped many people on the forum with this fix/conversion and they all wondered why they waited so long to do so (including me when I did it) :D
