How EZ

quote:

BFDude

BFDude,
Those repairs are fairly simple if you are at all mechanically inclined but feel free to give me (Tony) or Bill a call here at Cookshack when you have some time and we can walk you through some how to's before you have to. Just in case our number is (800)423-0698.

As a team,we have had several different models of FECs,over the last 6-7 yrs.,and we read about all the spare parts-and we DO INTEND to start stocking them.

We all have different ones around the house,restaurant,etc.

Our typical round trip,from Fl,to state championships is often 1200-1500 miles,so we don't want to get caught short.

So far,we have yet to ever need anything,but I'm sure we will have to go to walmart for something.

I'm sure ,someday,something will be a problem.

Who forgot the foil.and the foil pans,and the plastic wrap?

Better bet is a trailer tire,meat supplier fails,battery on truck goes out,the cook forgot to make the motel reservations,-so ya'll sleep beside the FEC,instead of at the Comfort Inn.

Cookoff in a dry county-and no beer.

We forgot ice,no extension cord,no fan in hot weather.

I guess what I'm saying,if the FEC is your problem ,you should win every cookoff.
Tom-Fl

The only thing I've ever needed was a screw driver to reach the reset button, and that's only happened twice.

The reason I asked was, I was at a comp several weeks ago and heard that a competitor "melted" the plastic housing on a fan inside his FEC. He uses 2 FECs so it was just an adjustment to finish the comp.

Since I use 1 FEC I was wondering if it happened to me, was the comp lost even with spare parts on hand.

I'm not expecting any problems but something may happen eventually. The question is, do I stock spare parts for a contest or not? OR Wait for it to go and repair after I get home from the contest?

If taking an array of replacement parts with you to comps gives you a piece of mind that you can concentrate on the meats, then by all means take them with you. If it were me, I would take a replacement fan, and an augur pin. No need to take an augur in my mind. While it may have happened, I have never heard of an augur breaking in an FEC.

As Tom told you, we never really experienced problems while we were competing. I worried more about the meats being good and the pellets being okay. In fact, I would usually take an extra bag of pellets just in case the first bag was not good. But that is just me.

Let me ask you a question. When you cook at a competition, do you use a Maverick smoker therm with both high and low temp alarms set on it to monitor the smoker? I do. Not that I don't the FECs in the least. But how will you know you have a problem if in the middle of the night while you are sleeping. Not to use the Maverick to me is to tempt fate. And just so you know, I do this at home also.

Okay, time to get off the soapbox. Sorry Smokin.

My only issue in 5 years was a controller board that got fried by electricity (even through a surge protector but it was a MAJOR electrical storm (you know the type were you make sure not to touch water and metal at the same time

quote:

Originally posted by BFDude:
The reason I asked was, I was at a comp several weeks ago and heard that a competitor "melted" the plastic housing on a fan inside his FEC.

Fans are simple. Four screws, replace, plug, start.

New one on me, don't know how you can melt a fan mounted external to the heat source inside the smoker.

If you're worried,

1) buy the parts
2) pratice replacing them

The problem isn't the replacement, it's learning how to pull the smoker apart, get to pieces, etc and depending on when it happens, you won't have time to do it.

But in all the years of contest, it's been a very infrequent problem, I probably can't count may 1 a year that I can validate.

Seems you hear a lot of "rumors" and a lot of times, they come from non FE owners.

hmmmmm?????

I am an FEC-100 owner. I have had an augar break at home. I think a pellet jambed it. I have replaced a fan and had to buy new screws because the the original ones didn't work. Good idea to have a back-up fan with proper hardware. These and other items take up little space and are well worth having to complete a cook - home or comp. Better to have now for whenever than not at all and have to figure out what "Plan B" is.

I stand corrected then. Yours is the first I have ever heard of an augur breaking. Somehow I knew that it had probably happened to someone but just never heard of it.

quote:

Originally posted by RibDog:
If taking an array of replacement parts with you to comps gives you a piece of mind that you can concentrate on the meats, then by all means take them with you. If it were me, I would take a replacement fan, and an augur pin. No need to take an augur in my mind. While it may have happened, I have never heard of an augur breaking in an FEC.

I cooked 16 comps this year and I carry about every spare part I can. I have an extra PC Board, auger motor, 2 fans, door seals, extra pins and screws, and a couple relays. Ya never know when you might need them.