temp fluctuation with older MES

[billbfoot]

I smoked some ribs the other day.  I had it set to 225, but I noticed after putting in the ribs (I had pre-heated the smoker to 260 before dropping the temp down), the temp digital readout would jump up and down from 210 to 215 in the span of a few seconds.  After watching this for awhile.  I turned off the smoker, unplugged it for over 10 seconds, then re-started it.  Interestingly, when it turned back on, the temp read 220 and held steady.  However, soon it began doing the weird up and down thing.  The element of course stayed on this whole time it was doing this.  It finally got over 225 and stayed consistent for the ending of the smoke.

Any ideas about what's going on?  This is an older 30" model, and the box has been replaced once after the whole element connector going out.  I may be about to upgrade to the new 40".  But I welcome any troubleshooting ideas.

 

[SmokinAl]

There are a host of mods & fixes for the old MES. Just go to the search box & type in mes fixes or mods. If I were you & the budget allowed I'd just buy the new 40. You won't be disappointed.