Rapid burnout of door seal

I guess I am glad that my old, dirty FE100 did not have any seals. If you don't have any it is hard to burn them up.

Have you called and talked with Tony or Eddy about that? What temps are you cooking at? Have you put another temp gauge in your smoker to see if the controller is read correct? Give them a call they will fix the problems.

Don't Worry,
Craig
FireHouse BBQ

Like Craig, call Tony first and see what he says.

If that doesn't work, as to speak to Stuart and tell them the same story.

No, if 4 years of my FE with a seal, I've never replaced one.

I've had a similar problem. Tony said above 225 was too hot. Stuart won't return my calls. Eddy suggested I fabricated a shield. My old FEC-100 is on it's third set of seals in two years. My new one was made this march '06 and needs it's first replacement. I'm still waiting on my IQ controller that I've been promised would be ready in one month, every month since March. The website also said the FEC-100 was UL listed (I have a PDF of that statement) when it was not. The website claimed California Air Resource Board approval of the FEC-100. Neither statement was true and the website was changed after I asked for supporting documentation.

I've talked to Tony. He's the one that told me 225 degress was too hot. I left 2 messages for Stuart who won't call me back. I left a message for a 3rd person (can't remember name), but they won't call me back either. I am waiting on my 7th seal in 11 months. I have also replaced the controller.

I based buying this cooker on the ad that said the temp. could go to 465 degress. Tony said the seal for this cooker is only good up to 500 degrees, but turned around and said 225 was too high! That doesn't make sense. I am not at all satisfied with Cookshack's customer service. Can anyone tell me how to contact Fast Eddy? Is it worth my time to contact him? I think their website is false advertising due to the actual service vs. the statements on the site. I love the results of the cooker, but if I can't keep a seal in it, I can't depend on it.

I have had my FEC100 for over three years and never had a problem with the seal. I cook over 400* a lot of times without any negative results. Something sounds very strange.

I agree with you FF. I have had my FEC for two years now and sometimes have it cranked all the way to 450*. Not a single problem.

I'll also have to agree with FE that something sounds strange here. My FE100 just turned one year old and has been used on a very regular basis. I bypassed the thermal cutoff for realy high temps. and the seal seems to be holding up quiet well. As for the guys at C.S., they always get right back to me.
Carfish

quote:

Originally posted by TNCatfish:
I'll also have to agree with FE that something sounds strange here. My FE100 just turned one year old and has been used on a very regular basis. I bypassed the thermal cutoff for realy high temps. and the seal seems to be holding up quiet well. As for the guys at C.S., they always get right back to me.
Carfish

TNCatfish, Why do you bypass the thermal cutoff when the switch goes up to 450*? Who do you typically contact at CS? - 1810

1810.

Before you go jumping at conclusions, give it some time. Maybe Stuart hasn't even been in the office (he's on the road most days)

I can say, in 6 years of the forum, not ONE person has complained about Customer Service.

Saying that, let's see what we can find out.

The site would not intentionally mislead someone. "Neither statement is true". As for UL it HAS passed UL and Stuart can provide you the documentation (unless UL has changed something).

You haven't really explained, but are you running the smoker consistently over 400?

A seal can NOT burn out below 300 without misuse of the smoker, so usually the seal problem occurs when it's ultra high temps.

Give us some exact details of times/temps what you're doing.

The fact that the seal rarely has problems, but you have lots of problems is unique and not normal. In fact I've never heard of that many seals needing replacing.

We'll try to help out until CS gets back to you.

Russ

Russ, I generally cook BBQ at 225* for 10-12 hours. The new seal on the cooker has less than 15 hrs of use and is showing a flat spot in the lower left side near the end of the seal. This is the same spot of burnout as every other time. When the first flat spot was noticed, I kept using it until a hole was burnt into the seal at 225 degrees. I changed the seal only to have the same thing happen consistently at the same place every time with every seal I get. I have never operated the smoker over 350 degrees.

Thank you for the advice. I hope someone can help me with this problem. If I am misusing the smoker, I don't know how I am misusing it. I simply don't know what's wrong.

I know there is a UL certificate it's on UL.com. I also know that it said on the website that it was UL listed. I have a PDF snapshot I took of the page. I also know Tony said on the phone that it did not apply to the models shipping when I taled to him a few weeks ago. I also have an email from Tony saying the website jumped the gun. I'm very sure of my facts and can document them.

quote:

Originally posted by Konrad "Teddy Bear" Haskins:
I know there is a UL certificate it's on UL.com. I also know that it said on the website that it was UL listed. I have a PDF snapshot I took of the page. I also know Tony said on the phone that it did not apply to the models shipping when I taled to him a few weeks ago. I also have an email from Tony saying the website jumped the gun. I'm very sure of my facts and can document them.

Konrad, I believe you commented earlier that you were having a similar problem with seals burning up. Where (on the gasket) is your problem? Mine is about 12" from the bottom on the left side. You also stated Fast Eddy recommended fabricating some type of shield. Did you do this and did it work? If so, what type of shield are you using? What temp. are you running yours?

Hi, guys,

I am one of the owners of Cookshack and I can tell you that it goes from the top down that we have never in any way tried to misrepresent or deceive anyone about anything. Our goal is to make a great product that works well for our customers.

I didn't see a reference to model number but I am inferring that the model in question is the FEC100.

• The FEC 100 is UL listed.
  
• Its top temperature is 350 degrees F. I will change the website immediately myself as I was unaware that this error existed.
  
• I don't know what the door seal problem is but we will get it solved.

I don't know what has gone wrong here with products and/or customer service but I have put the wheels in motion to get your problems solved.

Donna,

Thank you for the quick response. I will contact you to discuss my situation. As I said earlier, I love the results of my smoker, it has just been frustrating to keep it running.

1810

See what happens with I email them for you. Got the wheels turning, so we'll see how it gets corrected.

Russ

quote:

Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
See what happens with I email them for you. Got the wheels turning, so we'll see how it gets corrected.

Russ

I want to be clear that Smokin' brought this situation to my attention. However, I would have responded just as quickly to any customer, not just to Smokin'. We are equal opportunity customer service around here.

Donna, Your a Saint to every Cookshack owner.
Thank You.

Mike

Ditto to what Mike said! We don't care what Tom says about you Donna, you are okay.

See all the grief I get.

While it is very flattering to be Queen of Everything, thank you very much, I just want to get these problems solved!

You are Queen of everything whether ya like it or not.........Just kidding here.
You seem to be the Cookshack Savior to the owners here. Thanks again for gettin the folks help.
Like I said before......If the Big 3.....meaning the U.S. automakers treated customers like Cookshack treated their customers Im sure we wouldnt be invaded by foreign competition. Trust me Im in the rust belt and watch my friends get laid off daily.

Cookshack Rocks! Donna has a huge part int this.

Mike

All,

I spoke with Stuart today who provided some good suggestions as to what could be wrong with my smoker. He and Eddy are still investigating and discussing the possibilities along with the information I am providing. Stuart assured me that he would take care of the problem. I will keep you posted.

Donna,

Thank you again for the quick response to my issue. You DO get the wheels turning.

1810