element failure

[jrfbuildit]

I have a customer (Meat Market/grocery store) and his meat smoker element fails approximatley every 6 months. The smoker (which is single phase 120v) has one element (like an electric stove) but dual settings 1250 w and 625 w. He has multiple sub panels the subpanel feeding this smoker is approx. 75 to 100' from the main panel. Any thoughts on troubleshooting? Things seem to be correct as far as bonding and grounding and voltage seems to be correct. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[petersonra]

Realistically, he probably has some kind of design flaw in the smoker that causes the heating element to overheat leading to early failure.

You might want to see if you can find a heating element designed to operate at higher temperatures.

I have now had three water coolers where the hot water heater failed within a few years.

 

[iwire]

If anything your voltage is low, that would extend, not shorten the life.

I would call the manufacturer, you may find the customer is not using the unit as intended.


Also is it really for commercial use or is a store trying to use a consumer grade product for daily continuous use?

 

[A/A Fuel GTX]

If anything your voltage is low, that would extend, not shorten the life.

So the higher amperage at a lower voltage wouldn't be bad for the element:?

 

[K8MHZ]

So the higher amperage at a lower voltage wouldn't be bad for the element:?

Higher amperage?

Lower voltage through a fixed resistive load = lower current.

 

[hillbilly1]

Higher amperage?

Lower voltage through a fixed resistive load = lower current.

Yeah, I know of several kilns I've added buck/boost transformers to in order to lower the voltage for longer element life. Same thing with long life incandescent lamps, they have a higher voltage rating than what they are actually operated at. What the manufacture does not tell the consumer is it puts out less light.

 

[A/A Fuel GTX]

Higher amperage?

Lower voltage through a fixed resistive load = lower current.

For some reason I thought voltage and current were inversly proportional, my bad:huh: It's been awhile since I took those theory classes.

 

[GoldDigger]

For some reason I thought voltage and current were inversly proportional, my bad:huh: It's been awhile since I took those theory classes.

They are when you are trying to draw a fixed amount of power from a motor. But that a special case.

 

[kwired]

Poorly designed or not designed for the amount of use it sees.

Low voltage as said will increase life as it will not operate as hot.

Too high of voltage for some reason is a possibility, but outside of neutral problems with MWBC's it is not too likely.

Is it thermostatically controlled, or is it just continuous operation when it is on?

Does element have a condition where heat is trapped near the element and this is causing overheating? Heat needs to escape because more heat is constantly being generated within.

Is any devices intended to sink heat away from the element in proper position or even missing?

 

[Besoeker]

I have a customer (Meat Market/grocery store) and his meat smoker element fails approximatley every 6 months. The smoker (which is single phase 120v) has one element (like an electric stove) but dual settings 1250 w and 625 w. He has multiple sub panels the subpanel feeding this smoker is approx. 75 to 100' from the main panel. Any thoughts on troubleshooting? Things seem to be correct as far as bonding and grounding and voltage seems to be correct. Any help would be appreciated.

If it's a smoker, does it have a fan and,if so, is it working?