Need help with a Masterbuilt 30" smoker, doesn't work!

[hikngruven]

First post, forgive me if this one has already been beaten to death but I didn't find it after a search.  I have a 30" Masterbuilt Electric smoker, I believe model 20070910.  Solid black door, simple looking unit.  Two years old, never had an issue before and only used a dozen times.  I went to fire things up Christmas morning and got nothing on the digital display, no lights, no display, no button functionality and no heat below.  I normally use a 12/3 extension cord and have never had an issue.  Eliminated that and plugged in directly and still had nothing.  

I did hear a slight click coming from the top control unit while plugged in, a single click every two seconds or so.  Temp was about 5 degrees outside.

I did not move the unit in to warm it up but was under the impression that I would get an error code if that was the case and I had nothing.  I also have not done the connector repair to the elements but was under the impression that if that was the case I would have a working display on top but no heat below.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, my warranty is long gone and I would love to make this thing work again.  Thanks in advance!

 

[garyinmd]

Take the controller off and take it inside and warm it up, worth a try. Some have had luck putting a pan of boiling water inside which warms it up enough to work. I believe you are right when the connections on the element go bad the display still works.

 

[hikngruven]

All good!  Came home from work this morning to 40 degree temps and everything fired up as normal.  Masterbuilt oughta build these things for us northerners to be able to use.  5 degrees is barely sweatshirt weather!

 

[tiffany186]

I had a similar problem with my Masterbuilt 30", at only two months old. I called the company and the first thing she asked after I told her it was under cover, but outdoors, was, "What's the outdoor temperature?"  Well.....on the day I had trouble with it, it was in the teens...but without thinking I told her the temp at that moment, which was unseasonable warm (60*), so she just hmmmmmmmm'd.  As it was under warranty, she sent me a new control unit, and everything is working fine, albeit, I haven't used it on a frigid day.  I bet if I installed the old unit on a mild day, it would probably still work!  

 

[ernestwells]

Morning,

Wass just up in Washington last October visiting a friend, their Masterbuilt unit was acting up. We took the display unit off, warmed it at 150 F in the oven for about 30 minutes then reinstalled the unit. That did the trick. We did experience an element failure also, had to drill out all the pop rivets and solder  one of the leads in the heating element. We used screws to reattach the back onto the unit, just incase of future failures.

Masterbuilt does have controller available should your's still not repond. They were not that expensive. Luckily, we were able to resurrect the one on my friend's unit.

Good Luck,

Newbie

 

[lakesmoker]

I have about a 2 + yearold 30" Masterbuilt.  And so far knock on Wood, its been working fine.  And I've used it below Zero in Minnesota.  I do store the unit in an indoor work area part of attached garage, that's not heated but it is insulated from the extremes.  Maybe Masterbuilt cut corners on newer units.

 

[mossymo]

In colder temps I lay a folded bath towel over the controller to keep the cold temps away from direct contact with the controller. This seems works well to insulate the warm temps coming from the cook chamber so the controller functions properly.

 

[daricksta]

 
First post, forgive me if this one has already been beaten to death but I didn't find it after a search.  I have a 30" Masterbuilt Electric smoker, I believe model 20070910.  Solid black door, simple looking unit.  Two years old, never had an issue before and only used a dozen times.  I went to fire things up Christmas morning and got nothing on the digital display, no lights, no display, no button functionality and no heat below.  I normally use a 12/3 extension cord and have never had an issue.  Eliminated that and plugged in directly and still had nothing.  

I did hear a slight click coming from the top control unit while plugged in, a single click every two seconds or so.  Temp was about 5 degrees outside.

I did not move the unit in to warm it up but was under the impression that I would get an error code if that was the case and I had nothing.  I also have not done the connector repair to the elements but was under the impression that if that was the case I would have a working display on top but no heat below.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, my warranty is long gone and I would love to make this thing work again.  Thanks in advance!

Even though it's out of warranty I've heard about MB customer service agreeing to replace components for free. Some guys here (like me) have had good experience with their CS dept. and others haven't. I've had the same exact unit for about a year and a half and I'm going to fire it up in about a week to do some cold smoking. I hope it's still working; it did great over the summer.

 

[texascoast]

I have had my Masterbuilt 30" for about two years when the 1200watt element went out last week with a bang.

Luckliy I had ordered a replacement from MasterBuilt easier in 2013, they would only send me the 850watt based on the model #.

It looks like the heating element is not fully covered in the back of the unit so drippings from cooked food falls on it, this eats away at the metal. This is what seemed to cause the element failure, you may want to make a shield to cover it at the back of the unit.

When I replaced the element it would not heat up, I finally found the problem to be a dead, "KSD301 Thermostat". This is the dime size device on the left inside of the unit, it can only be accessed by taking off the back panel.

I temporarily  bypassed the switch just to test my theory!

I am in the process of acquiring a new one.

I will keep you posted!

Sorry for the Long First Post, but I thought this might save others from the time I have spent working on this one!

No cold weather problems with the Unit along the Texas Coast

Enjoy the outdoors, Cook Something!!

John 

 

[daricksta]

 
I have had my Masterbuilt 30" for about two years when the 1200watt element went out last week with a bang.

Luckliy I had ordered a replacement from MasterBuilt easier in 2013, they would only send me the 850watt based on the model #.

It looks like the heating element is not fully covered in the back of the unit so drippings from cooked food falls on it, this eats away at the metal. This is what seemed to cause the element failure, you may want to make a shield to cover it at the back of the unit.

When I replaced the element it would not heat up, I finally found the problem to be a dead, "KSD301 Thermostat". This is the dime size device on the left inside of the unit, it can only be accessed by taking off the back panel.

I temporarily  bypassed the switch just to test my theory!

I am in the process of acquiring a new one.

I will keep you posted!

Sorry for the Long First Post, but I thought this might save others from the time I have spent working on this one!

No cold weather problems with the Unit along the Texas Coast

Enjoy the outdoors, Cook Something!!

John 

Please follow up on this post, John. I'm very interested to find out if you're able to fix the problem yourself. Where are you attempting to get the new thermostat from and how much does it cost?

 

[jted]

.

~~My 910 model died after 7 months . I talked to Masterbuilt customer service, They shipped a new unit and I received it 30 minn. ago. I am very happy with the service since mine was 4 months out of warranty. They want me to send the power cord and ID plate back.

 

[hahnyak]

I just  seasoned my Masterbuilt 30 in propane smoke house, and I cant wait to  smoke up a storm. In the past I had our turkeys smoke at a smoke shop now I hop tyo smoke all thinks myself. I really want to do a Brisket but I thought I better try some chicken or something first. Any suggestions would be greatly appreaciated. Thanks Jim Mesa Arizona.

 

[texascoast]

I originally went to my local Air Conditioning & Heating supplier, he knew exactly what I was talking about.

These devices are used in things like home heaters and dryers to prevent overheating, they are meant to replaced, if needed.

He gave me an old one to test, just to see if it would work, I tried it, it worked fine.

The only problem was we did not know the tripping temperature of the item, but it proved my point.

Today, on Amazon.com, I found what looks to match the temperature range I think I need, below you will see what I ordered, cost is $6 for 5.
[h1]Amico 5 Pcs KSD301 Temperature Control Switch Thermostat 150 Celsius N.C.[/h1]
150 Celsius converts to 302 Fahrenheit, the max. temp for the MasterBuilt Electric is 275deg. so I figured 302 would be safe.

The item comes in Jan. 2nd.

I will let you know how it goes!!

Happy New Year,

John

 

[tiffany186]

I had another thought on this...something I will try if I have another problem under cold weather conditions......I think I will just plug in my heating pad an lay it over the control unit for awhile.  If, in fact, cold weather is the problem, I don't see why this wouldn't work.  

 

[cuebiz]

I have a 4 mo. old MES 40" gen 2. I live in WI where the winters are brutal sometimes.  I didn't want this to stop me, so after reading all the problems others are having, and reading information on this forum, I ordered the Auber Instruments P.I.D. controller to fit my element.  This is Great!!!  It bypasses all of the chinese controls, and operates only the element.  I can see where it is easier on the element, because after it gets close to set temp. it pulses the element.  The original controller is either on full blast or off completely (not cooking at all with big tempurature swings)  Also it is not using 100% power all the time when it is powering the element. This is truely a "set it and forget it" system. It also fires right up after warming the chamber probe to above 32* with your warm hand or a lighter.  Really worth it to me. The unit has 2 probes for meat and chamber. With a Maverick 732 it is a dream to use. + or - 3-5*.

 

[jted]

CueBiz, I checked out the Auber controllers, which one did you get? What do you do with the old controller just disconnect it? Thanks in advance for the info.JTED

 

[dirtworldmike]

 
CueBiz, I checked out the Auber controllers, which one did you get? What do you do with the old controller,jjust disconnect it? Thanks in advance for the info.JTED

I'd like to know also. Thanks

 

[geerock]

There's an access panel on the back of the mes that gets you to the slide connections at the element. Cut the power cord where it goes into the mes and crimp on a couple of female slide connectors. Connect the power cord to the two terminal and the ground to the ground terminal a few inches away. This cord l

20130331_111433.jpg

• geerock
• Mar 31, 2013

plugs directly into the Auber controller and the Auber plugs into the wall outlet. Rock solid temp control. You can get the controller with or without programmable meat probe.

 

[kjegner]

I had the same problem put mine in the basement let it warm up then took it back out side worked fine. We now cover it with a tarp and not had any issues the last 3 years.

 

[cuebiz]

I bought the WSD 1503 CPH with dual probes.  1800 watt.  My element is 1200 watt, so this has more than enough power. You may be able to use a smaller one for your wattage.

Disconnect the 2 existing wires and ground wire from the element, and put wire nuts or black tape on them and just tuck them aside in the unit.

Get a short extention cord # 12 wire w/ ground, and cut the female end off. Connect the 2 power wires from the extention cord directly to the element, and connect the ground wire to where the original ground wire was.  My unit had spade connectors. Im not sure what you will be dealing with in your unit. It's as easy as that!   Plug the male end into the back of the Auber, and plug the Auber into a wall outlet. You will have to print out the directions from the website. It will tell you to do an "autotune" with a pan of water inside the unit. (I used hot water to save time) Take a piece of wood, and drill a couple of holes in it for the probes to stick in, and set it on top of the water pan so that the probe ENDS ONLY are sticking in the water without touching the metal pan. At this point let it go through the autotune process. Once the lights quit blinking your ready to get smoking!  Now the Auber knows what it needs to do (for your unit ) to keep the temperature at the set point. I had to have a tech friend help me get through the language barrier a little, but once he explained it to me it was pretty easy after that.  This unit has up to 6 programs that you can use for meat temps or time settings. The meat temp has a default setting that you will have to change. I set mine to the max default 299*, wich will never be used. (You never cook meat to that temp.) If you DON'T do that, the unit will shut off at the preset meat default temp. and won't let you get to your desired temp. ( such as pulled pork 200* ect.)  I hope this helps you make your decision. To me it was a "no brainer", instead of dealing with high temp swings. Be sure to use some sort of a wind breaker for your unit. It helps drastically!   Any more questions feel free to ask.  I also use the AMNPS, and a Maverick 732 thermometer.

Happy Smokin! Dave.