new 30" Master built Sportsman Elite leaking liquid around door

[adrianw]

All,

I have a new 30" Master built Sportsman Elite leaking liquid around the lower door.  I have adjusted the lock to the point I am afraid it will break.  I also checked for level of the unit, but I am still getting the liquid seeping from around the lower door. It seems that the liquid is not falling from the door properly and into the drain pan.  Is there something I am doing wrong? is this just a nuisance of this type of unit?           V/r,  Adrian

 

[SmokinAl]

If you are using water in the water pan, then try running it with the pan dry.

More than likely it's condensation forming on the door & running down to the bottom of the door and leaking out.

Al

 

[adrianw]

​Al, Thanks for the reply.  I am running a pan of water.  The door has a built in sheet of metal aiming for the drip pan.  I am smoking ribs today and tightened the lock one more turn. Seems to be helping a little.  I may nee to readjust the sheet of metal for a better aim at the targeted drip pan. Its a new smoker, so I guess I may need some adjustments.

 

[Bearcarver]

 
​Al, Thanks for the reply.  I am running a pan of water.  The door has a built in sheet of metal aiming for the drip pan.  I am smoking ribs today and tightened the lock one more turn. Seems to be helping a little.  I may nee to readjust the sheet of metal for a better aim at the targeted drip pan. Its a new smoker, so I guess I may need some adjustments.

Al could be right.

It could very well be coming from the condensation on the inside of the door.

I've had 3 different MES 40 Units, each a different generation, and my New Gen #2.5 is the only one that gets a lot of condensation on the inside of the glass, even without putting any liquid in the Water Pan.

The water some times stacks up that you can't even see through, and runs down the door & leaks out near the left front foot.

I can open the door & wipe it dry quick, and within 3 minutes I can't see through the condensation again.

Note: Like I said, this only happens occasionally, but it never happened on my Gen #1.

Also:--- In 7 years I have never found a reason to put water in an MES Water Pan.

Bear

 

[old sarge]

I agree with condensation being the culprit. I will say that with only one latch it can be difficult to get equal compression of door to cabinet seal. If you are handy, you could install a second latch which is available at most hard ware stores.  I am not saying that this will solve your problem but it will look good.