- Jun 2, 2011
- 32
- 14
Hi all -
I've got a MES30 I was given, which I've been rebuilding.
It's the older analog 30
One thing I noticed while cleaning it up -
It has two permanently installed left-to-right chromed metal bars in the bottom, riveted into the walls off the smoker.
The element is mounted from the left side, just above those vars
On my MES30, the right-hand end of the element actually comes down and touches those bars.
There doesn't appear to be any sort of ceramic electrical insulator or anything like that there.
I seem to recall as well that on the electric stoves, the opposite end of the element is sometimes held up with a metal bracket, which I believe is also touching the bowl insert in the stovetop.
I understand that the element is high resistance to the 110vAC, and that's where heat comes from.
But I'm surprised there's not some electrical insulator between the element and the bars beneath it, to prevent at least some voltage from travelling to those bars, then the body of the smoker, and to YOU if you're standing in something wet.
Can someone who has that same smoker check and see if your element is touching those
bars, or whether there's some insulating block of ceramic?
Thanks, NCSmoker (Tim)
I've got a MES30 I was given, which I've been rebuilding.
It's the older analog 30
One thing I noticed while cleaning it up -
It has two permanently installed left-to-right chromed metal bars in the bottom, riveted into the walls off the smoker.
The element is mounted from the left side, just above those vars
On my MES30, the right-hand end of the element actually comes down and touches those bars.
There doesn't appear to be any sort of ceramic electrical insulator or anything like that there.
I seem to recall as well that on the electric stoves, the opposite end of the element is sometimes held up with a metal bracket, which I believe is also touching the bowl insert in the stovetop.
I understand that the element is high resistance to the 110vAC, and that's where heat comes from.
But I'm surprised there's not some electrical insulator between the element and the bars beneath it, to prevent at least some voltage from travelling to those bars, then the body of the smoker, and to YOU if you're standing in something wet.
Can someone who has that same smoker check and see if your element is touching those
bars, or whether there's some insulating block of ceramic?
Thanks, NCSmoker (Tim)