MES 30 Temp. Overrun

[Murray]

First post here, been lurking for awhile. I have a brand new MES 140S and it started doing this exact same thing today. Ambient outside was about 31-33F today and I've got mine wrapped in the MB insulating blanket. I smoked a full smoker of jerky yesterday in similar temps and it worked perfectly but today I had a smoker full of sausage and it was running away. I had it set for 120 and it was heating to 175. On multiple occasions today I had to cycle power and reset just to get it to the proper temp. At some point I ran the temp up and down from the main controller (not the remote) and it finally started behaving correctly the rest of the day. No rhyme or reason why it was acting up earlier though. I guess I'll call MB tomorrow and see what they have to say because I won't keep it if it behaves like this, I can't trust it without being outside every 15 minutes to monitor the panel. All temps were comfirmed by multiple probes from my iGrill2 which was working fine.

Wet brine or dry rub?

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

My did few weeks ago. Took controller off smoker and made sure wires tucked in good. After put back on seemed to fix problem

 

[DanMcG]

I did some sticks on my MES a couple days ago, and it doesn't like the cold, maybe 20° outside and the temps were in a 20 degree swing for the whole smoke. In the summer the swing is much tighter.

 

[Murray]

I did some sticks on my MES a couple days ago, and it doesn't like the cold, maybe 20° outside and the temps were in a 20 degree swing for the whole smoke. In the summer the swing is much tighter.

I wouldn’t know how my MES works in the summer yet, my MES temperatures are 13F to 15F cooler than the TP-8. If I place my TP-8 on the top rack beside the MES temperature probe then I’m within 3F

 

[DanMcG]

What's the MP-8?
I never look at the mes temp read out, it's way off all the time. I drilled a hole in each side on the cabinet so that I can insert Inkbird temp probes through.

 

[Murray]

What's the MP-8?
I never look at the mes temp read out, it's way off all the time. I drilled a hole in each side on the cabinet so that I can insert Inkbird temp probes through.

Digital remote thermometer with probes (2)

 

[Murray]

MES support claim all my issues are extension cord related. I’ve had the same problem using two different extension cords. They want a 12 gauge cord minimum which I will try this weekend. TomKnollRFV

 

[dr k]

I skimmed through the posts and didn't see a guage of extension cord you were using then looked at the Mes manual that mentioned using an extension cord that meets at least the electrical rating of the appliance. My 14 guage 12' appliance extension cord is rated at 1875 watts and the mes 40 is 1200. I did get a back up 12 guage 25' extension cord to have around that is weather resistant for outdoor use. I hope that the 12 guage you get solves your issue but if you were using 14 guage, I don't think that is the issue.

 

[TomKnollRFV]

Well Murray, try that first, if it doesn't work, keep on em. They just sent me replacement parts right away...weird though. How does an extension cord lead to an over run temp is beyond me.

 

[MNBrownie]

I’ve been using my MES 30 in temperatures below 20 deg. F even below zero. I’ve noticed swings in temperature 30-40 deg. above set temperature it always goes back down to set temperature and below. I believe that over the coarse of the smoke the average temperature is pretty close to what I was going for.

 

[Murray]

Put the controller back on the MES after 5 days of sitting in the house and fired it up to 150F, no issues. Set the temperature to 225F and ran the smoker for 2 hours, again it ran as it was designed to. Switched extension cords (3 in total) No way could I get the smoker to overrun the temperature set point. As soon as the MES hit the set point the heating element shut down until the smoker temperature dropped to the set point then turned back on. I wiggled each each end of all 3 extension cords looking for a weak plug, never missed a beat. I still think I’m getting condensation in the control panel. When I took the control panel off last week there was condensation between the controller and the top of the smoker. Both times it failed was the the next smoke after I had too much condensation inside the smoker, the first time was after I added hot water to the water pan and the second time was after a wet brine for jerky. I have added a 6” chimney to get the moisture up and away from the control panel and I now have an o ring between the controller and the smoker. See if that makes a difference. No more wet brines during the winter until I can prove it’s not the extension cords.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions

 

[Wibb]

They tried the extension cord line on me too. They also mentioned the remote control causing issues. I'm thinking condensation is the culprit as well and I'll try to duplicate the issue over the weekend.

 

[Bearcarver]

Murray,
I just got done reading all the posts on this thread.
If your Smoker keeps heating after it gets to the set point, and beyond, it's more than likely the Controller.

The "Swings" a lot of guys are referring to is when the element shuts off at the right time, but the heat keeps rising (coasting). This is obviously not your problem, if the element stays on after it gets to the set point.

I don't think your extension cord will cause your element to stay on past the set point either.

I would write down all the things it does & call Masterbuilt.

BTW: Do you know which Generation MES you have?? Gen #1, Gen #2, or Gen #2.5?
Here's how you can tell:
Masterbuilt Smokers (Bear's Thoughts & Findings)
MES Generation Number Recognition Pictures & Pics (Digital Units)
Avoid Temp Swings in MES

Bear

 

[Bearcarver]

Put the controller back on the MES after 5 days of sitting in the house and fired it up to 150F, no issues. Set the temperature to 225F and ran the smoker for 2 hours, again it ran as it was designed to. Switched extension cords (3 in total) No way could I get the smoker to overrun the temperature set point. As soon as the MES hit the set point the heating element shut down until the smoker temperature dropped to the set point then turned back on. I wiggled each each end of all 3 extension cords looking for a weak plug, never missed a beat. I still think I’m getting condensation in the control panel. When I took the control panel off last week there was condensation between the controller and the top of the smoker. Both times it failed was the the next smoke after I had too much condensation inside the smoker, the first time was after I added hot water to the water pan and the second time was after a wet brine for jerky. I have added a 6” chimney to get the moisture up and away from the control panel and I now have an o ring between the controller and the smoker. See if that makes a difference. No more wet brines during the winter until I can prove it’s not the extension cords.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions

One way to help eliminate extra moisture inside an MES is "DON'T PUT WATER IN THE WATER PAN!"
I haven't put water in any of my MES water pans in 8 years.
The MES holds too much humidity without adding extra water!

Bear

 

[Murray]

Murray,
I just got done reading all the posts on this thread.
If your Smoker keeps heating after it gets to the set point, and beyond, it's more than likely the Controller.

The "Swings" a lot of guys are referring to is when the element shuts off at the right time, but the heat keeps rising (coasting). This is obviously not your problem, if the element stays on after it gets to the set point.

I don't think your extension cord will cause your element to stay on past the set point either.

I would write down all the things it does & call Masterbuilt.

BTW: Do you know which Generation MES you have?? Gen #1, Gen #2, or Gen #2.5?
Here's how you can tell:
Masterbuilt Smokers (Bear's Thoughts & Findings)
MES Generation Number Recognition Pictures & Pics (Digital Units)
Avoid Temp Swings in MES

Bear

MES 30 Gen 1 I think

 

[Murray]

A little blistering around the keypads. Started today while preheating the smoker. Progressively got worse as the afternoon wore on. Anyone have this happen to their control panel?

 

[river100]

I'd like to shed some light on this issue.
The temp sensor in the MES is in some way physically tied to the case of the smoker. It will always be slower than an external temp sensor you hang in the smoker because of thermal mass. To see the temp window of the MES controller watch only it's reading. A temp controller uses the input it has, if the MES readout shows giant temp swings then it might be bad. If you use a separate thermocouple / temp sensor it will have a smaller thermal mass and not match the MES temp readings and will always show bigger temp swings. You will notice this more when the ambient temps are considerably lower than normal.
You will get a bigger temp differential when the outside temp is lower using an external temp sensor.


After re reading all of your posts I have to say, condensation could be your issue. It can change the temp readings if the circuit board is not well protected. Most circuit boards used in outdoor appliances are protected by some type of paint or coating. Maybe you should try to "seal" the circuit board some how.
Temp readings are usually low impedance, water can affect them on the board.