MES back to basics

[cmayna]

OK,  I just went through my MES instructions and they do not indicate what the two sensors (probes) are inside the MES.  This is not the meat probe but the two on the back panel (large diameter on the left side and small diameter on the right side).   Which one does the MES use when telling you the internal temp?

Craig

 

[LanceR]

Having looked into my sons MESs I believe the round disk looking one is to shut the heat element off if it gets too hot to be safe and the stubby pin shaped one is for cabin temperature.

I suspect someone will be along shortly to confirm or deny that suspicion.....

Lance

 

[hamrhead1971]

Lance is correct. The round disk is a safety "fuse" if you will, and the other is the temp probe. I clean both of these with water/alcohol everytime I clean the window of mine.

Smoke it up
William

 

[cmayna]

Awesome, thanks. 

 

[daricksta]

 
OK,  I just went through my MES instructions and they do not indicate what the two sensors (probes) are inside the MES.  This is not the meat probe but the two on the back panel (large diameter on the left side and small diameter on the right side).   Which one does the MES use when telling you the internal temp?

Craig

Which model and generation do you own? Basically, the small disk on the left is the temp sensor (on mine it's shaped like a toggle switch and is on the right). The one on the right (to the left on my smoker) is the hi-temp cutoff switch sensor. It's designed to turn off the heating element to prevent the MES from overheating and worse. I found out from personal experience that it only works if you keep it clean.

 

[dr k]

 
Which model and generation do you own? Basically, the small disk on the left is the temp sensor (on mine it's shaped like a toggle switch and is on the right). The one on the right (to the left on my smoker) is the hi-temp cutoff switch sensor. It's designed to turn off the heating element to prevent the MES from overheating and worse. I found out from personal experience that it only works if you keep it clean.

I never have ever read to clean any sensor and I prefer to not clean the button over heat sensor.  I want my smoker emergency button sensor to be insulated with smoke. It'll open if the heat calls for it.   I'll clean the toggle Mes sensor periodically.  The more you do nothing is the reason why you bought an electric smoker.  It's like a hammock!  It's a net to catch lazy people!

-Kurt  

 

[cmayna]

Sorry,

Mine is a Gen1.  Toggle sensor on the right as you look into the chamber.

 

[daricksta]

 
I never have ever read to clean any sensor and I prefer to not clean the button over heat sensor.  I want my smoker emergency button sensor to be insulated with smoke. It'll open if the heat calls for it.   I'll clean the toggle Mes sensor periodically.  The more you do nothing is the reason why you bought an electric smoker.  It's like a hammock!  It's a net to catch lazy people!

-Kurt  

Why Kurt--that's crazy talk! Yer figgern' to bern down the whole kit and caboodle! Sorry, reading lots of Louis L'Amour. Actually, you do need to keep those sensors clean. I don't understand why you want the hi temp cutoff switch insulated with smoke unless you want to intentionally "overburn" your heating element. I wasn't too happy the one time my set point was 235° and no matter what I did I couldn't prevent the temp from shooting up to 295°. An entire tray full of wood pellets burned like a prairie fire in about 30 minutes because of the intense heat.

Nope, the sensor's there for a reason. Both Bear and Todd agree--from personal experience--with keeping both sensors clean.

 

[goldmine1965]

 
Why Kurt--that's crazy talk! Yer figgern' to bern down the whole kit and caboodle! Sorry, reading lots of Louis L'Amour. Actually, you do need to keep those sensors clean. I don't understand why you want the hi temp cutoff switch insulated with smoke unless you want to intentionally "overburn" your heating element. I wasn't too happy the one time my set point was 235° and no matter what I did I couldn't prevent the temp from shooting up to 295°. An entire tray full of wood pellets burned like a prairie fire in about 30 minutes because of the intense heat.

Nope, the sensor's there for a reason. Both Bear and Todd agree--from personal experience--with keeping both sensors clean.

Anything in particular to use to clean those or just any kitchen degreaser product like Dawn or something?..Thanks

 

[dr k]

 
Why Kurt--that's crazy talk! Yer figgern' to bern down the whole kit and caboodle! Sorry, reading lots of Louis L'Amour. Actually, you do need to keep those sensors clean. I don't understand why you want the hi temp cutoff switch insulated with smoke unless you want to intentionally "overburn" your heating element. I wasn't too happy the one time my set point was 235° and no matter what I did I couldn't prevent the temp from shooting up to 295°. An entire tray full of wood pellets burned like a prairie fire in about 30 minutes because of the intense heat.

Nope, the sensor's there for a reason. Both Bear and Todd agree--from personal experience--with keeping both sensors clean.

I'll have to read the manual.  If it doesn't say clean sensors regularly, I'm not going to rewrite MB's manual for them.  I'm more concerned about the Mes controller sensor because that has to be way off on the high end for the emergency button to open the circuit.  That's why we go by our calibrated therms with alarms and not the Mes controller sensor.  My alarms on my therms are redundant emergency alerts.  I would rather have it open at a little higher temp than lower.  It'll open when heat calls for it.  I am more confident in the emergency button sensor than the Mes controller sensor. 

The Mes 40's have more lateral space next to the heating element. almost eliminating the chance for a full AMNPS prairie fire.  The day my AMNPS would be a prairie fire, would be the last day it saw the inside of my Mes 40.  It would be mailbox mod time.  It's probably the best recommendation for all AMNPS owners using them in a Mes.  I believe this discussion has convinced me to jump right into building the mailbox mod.  After all. the emergency button shut off won't put out a AMNPS prairie fire.  People that are unintentionally having the unlit row of pellets in the AMNPS closest to the heating element smoke/ignite in a Mes 30 need to get it outta there or not fill up the AMNPS completely.  When we all got our AMNPS or TS we assumed risks, hazards and voided our Mes warranty.   

The one time my set point was 235° and no matter what I did I couldn't prevent the temp from shooting up to 295°. An entire tray full of wood pellets burned like a prairie fire in about 30 minutes because of the intense heat.   This near disaster of yours wasn't even hot enough to trip your CLEAN emergency button shut off switch.  I believe the mailbox mod will keep the smoker safer, closed up more, eliminating the need to micro manage the AMNPS being in the smoker and letting out heat then micro managing temp swings as it reheats and then finding you now have to open the smoker to mess with the AMNPS aqain and then start the processes all over again, eliminate grease fires from drips and proximity fires in 30" Mes being next to the heating element, as well as the food you'll be potentially ruining, allow easier suffocation of pellets by using business card magnets to cover vent holes, etc.  I love the AMNPS!  It's for looking not touching.  The more you touch the more the intended purpose is failing not succeeding.  I have no problems having to mess with the AMNPS to get the great results it is intended for.  I will be doing the mailbox mod solely for it's safety benefits and all the other pros that come with keeping my Mes closed as much as possible. Take that you dirty emergency button shut off sensor! LOL

-Kurt

 

[cmayna]

I just read the manual and don't find anything saying to clean any of the sensors except for the meat probe, but can understand why most would want to clean the sensors on a regular basis.  The more I read about the AMNPS igniting while in the MES, makes me consider going mailbox mod.  But then again having a MES40 with the AMNPS further away from the heating element as compared to the MES30, maybe it's not an issue?

It's fun being a newbie :-)

 

[dr k]

 
I just read the manual and don't find anything saying to clean any of the sensors except for the meat probe, but can understand why most would want to clean the sensors on a regular basis.  The more I read about the AMNPS igniting while in the MES, makes me consider going mailbox mod.  But then again having a MES40 with the AMNPS further away from the heating element as compared to the MES30, maybe it's not an issue?

It's fun being a newbie :-)

I didn't think there was info on sensor maintenance. 

-Kurt

 

[daricksta]

 
I'll have to read the manual.  If it doesn't say clean sensors regularly, I'm not going to rewrite MB's manual for them.  I'm more concerned about the Mes controller sensor because that has to be way off on the high end for the emergency button to open the circuit.  That's why we go by our calibrated therms with alarms and not the Mes controller sensor.  My alarms on my therms are redundant emergency alerts.  I would rather have it open at a little higher temp than lower.  It'll open when heat calls for it.  I am more confident in the emergency button sensor than the Mes controller sensor. 

The Mes 40's have more lateral space next to the heating element. almost eliminating the chance for a full AMNPS prairie fire.  The day my AMNPS would be a prairie fire, would be the last day it saw the inside of my Mes 40.  It would be mailbox mod time.  It's probably the best recommendation for all AMNPS owners using them in a Mes.  I believe this discussion has convinced me to jump right into building the mailbox mod.  After all. the emergency button shut off won't put out a AMNPS prairie fire.  People that are unintentionally having the unlit row of pellets in the AMNPS closest to the heating element smoke/ignite in a Mes 30 need to get it outta there or not fill up the AMNPS completely.  When we all got our AMNPS or TS we assumed risks, hazards and voided our Mes warranty.   

The one time my set point was 235° and no matter what I did I couldn't prevent the temp from shooting up to 295°. An entire tray full of wood pellets burned like a prairie fire in about 30 minutes because of the intense heat.   This near disaster of yours wasn't even hot enough to trip your CLEAN emergency button shut off switch.  I believe the mailbox mod will keep the smoker safer, closed up more, eliminating the need to micro manage the AMNPS being in the smoker and letting out heat then micro managing temp swings as it reheats and then finding you now have to open the smoker to mess with the AMNPS aqain and then start the processes all over again, eliminate grease fires from drips and proximity fires in 30" Mes being next to the heating element, as well as the food you'll be potentially ruining, allow easier suffocation of pellets by using business card magnets to cover vent holes, etc.  I love the AMNPS!  It's for looking not touching.  The more you touch the more the intended purpose is failing not succeeding.  I have no problems having to mess with the AMNPS to get the great results it is intended for.  I will be doing the mailbox mod solely for it's safety benefits and all the other pros that come with keeping my Mes closed as much as possible. Take that you dirty emergency button shut off sensor! LOL

-Kurt

This near disaster of yours wasn't even hot enough to trip your CLEAN emergency button shut off switch.  I think you're mistaken here. Look at it this way: with a dirty cutoff switch the temp soared. With is clean the problem never happens. There's a connection there--and you're discounting it. Maybe it's not just a cutoff switch but also a temp ceiling regulator. Bear and Todd might know more about that. In my MES 30--which is different from your MES 40--the heat is distributed a certain way that I've grown used to. Still learning about how to increase airflow during cold smokes.

But to each his own. I'll still clean both sensors because, for me., Bear and Todd filled in what the manual left out--and it's not a great manual to begin with. And I won't add a mailbox mod because it's just one more thing to bring out with my smoker and it'll have to sit on the ground beside my smoker which sits on a table. Just too inconvenient. What I'm doing works for me in all hot smokes and I hot smoke much more than I cold smoke.

 

[daricksta]

 
Anything in particular to use to clean those or just any kitchen degreaser product like Dawn or something?..Thanks

I just use a damp paper towel. For the cutoff switch sensor on the MES 30 I will also poke around the notches with a toothpick to make sure any goop is cleaned out. I wipe both sensors enough so they look metallic again instead of blackened.

 

[cmayna]

 
............. And I won't add a mailbox mod because it's just one more thing to bring out with my smoker and it'll have to sit on the ground beside my smoker which sits on a table. Just too inconvenient. What I'm doing works for me in all hot smokes and I hot smoke much more than I cold smoke.

I would love to use the MES40 with the AMNPS without using the Mailbox method for the same reasons as you indicate daRicksta.   Just another item to have to deal with.  Even if I have to do some simple mods to the smoker to accept the AMNPS without flare-ups.

 

[redsmoke]

OK,  I just went through my MES instructions and they do not indicate what the two sensors (probes) are inside the MES.  This is not the meat probe but the two on the back panel (large diameter on the left side and small diameter on the right side).   Which one does the MES use when telling you the internal temp?

Craig

You should clean the sensors. The sensors are similar to what I see in my (work world) trust me clean them from time to time. You don't need to clean them every time. The round flat sensor is the high limit and it won't work that great if it's covered with gunk which won't allow it to sense properly and the other one will operate the same way with crap on it.

Kind of common sense but you can do what you want it's your smoker.

 

[wattsmoke]

 
Anything in particular to use to clean those or just any kitchen degreaser product like Dawn or something?..Thanks

Hello Goldmine1065, I was experimenting with several household products and found rubbing alcohol dissolved the smoke. And being an electrician I recommend never use the alcohol in a smoker that is plugged in or still hot. I am very judicious with my use of the alcohol, putting it on a cloth then wiping my sensors ( all 3 of them), the glass and the ceiling. I would advise against spraying or pouring alcohol into any smoker and only dampen the cloth enough to remove the smoke and avoid any seepage into seals or electrical components. I just poured it on a rag and it just wiped away. Good Luck, Tim

 

[daricksta]

 
I would love to use the MES40 with the AMNPS without using the Mailbox method for the same reasons as you indicate daRicksta.   Just another item to have to deal with.  Even if I have to do some simple mods to the smoker to accept the AMNPS without flare-ups.

cmayna, Bearcarver has got using the MES 40 with the AMNPS all down to an art, let alone a science. He uses a homemade movable heat baffle to regulate the interior temp differences since historically it's been hotter on the right side than on the left.