During the first 2-3 times I used my Smokette my wood was hardly burned. It was black and in tacked. After checking the forum I placed my wood closer to the front and the improvement was marginal. After examining the alignment of the wood box holes and the heating element I discovered that the two were not properly aligned. When smoking at low temps, I figured the wood was not getting enough heat. Sure the bottom of the box was getting warmed up, but the heat from the electric coil was not getting to the wood. I then got a sharpie and marked the bottom of the wood box at the spots where the coil ran under the box. Using a metal drill bit I drilled about 4 additional wholes. When I used the Smokette after that the wood smoked very well. Some of the blocks were just ash while others were still onlt partially used. I marked more spots where I wanted more wholes drilled. I'll be taking the box to a metal shop and asking them to punch additional holes into the bottom of the box. Since it looks like the box is made of stainless steel, its easier to have the additional holes pinched rather that drilled at home. I believe the problem results from a design flaw in that the holes are not properly aligned with the heating element. The manufacturer should probably relook the design since many others have identified the problem of the wood not burning.