Is your Masterbuilt smoker fan not working?
If so, this can cause issues with heat circulation and problems with reaching higher temperatures.
If you find your Masterbuilt smoker fan not working, it should not be used as the meat may not be evenly cooked and could cause health issues for you and your family.
There are various reasons for occurring his issue such as the Masterbuilt smoker controller getting damaged, temperature not registered correctly, any physical damage to the fan, smoker door and lid not shutting properly.
Your Masterbuilt smoker fan also won’t work due to overheating of the smoker or due to anything physically stuck in fan.
It is important to note that your Masterbuilt smoker fan not working may not be a problem if it intermittently stops working, as this is considered normal functioning of the fan.
Once you reach your set temperature, the fan will stop, and when the temp dips below, it will start up again.
Ensure that all doors and lids are shut on the smoker, as the fan will stop working if any lids or doors are open.
If you still need additional troubleshooting, then follow along as we go over some of the most common issues and fixes for your Masterbuilt smoker fan not working.
Causes for Masterbuilt Smoker Fan Not Working
Masterbuilt Smoker Controller Is Damaged Or Malfunctioning
It’s possible that your Masterbuilt smoker controller is malfunctioning or damaged.
Continuous use of your controller without any power resets can cause it to malfunction.
Often the smoker is plugged in for years and never loses power, and if you’re not disconnecting and bringing the controller inside, then that never resets it.
You can also get into a situation where the wires on your controller become loose or can be damaged by excess heat from a dirty or overheating smoker.
In those situations, the controller just fails to work, and nothing you do will get it back online. You need the controller for the fan to function correctly.
Temperature Is Not Being Registered Correctly On Masterbuilt Smoker
The normal functioning of your fan is to turn off when it reaches the preset temperature.
If your temperature gauge or your controller are registering the incorrect temperature, then your fan may stop working early, or it may never stop, which can cause overheating issues.
Over time your temperature gauge and controller can just malfunction break, or there could be environmental factors such as cold or heat that modify the temperature incorrectly.
You may also find that physical damage to these components can interfere with them registering the correct temperature.
Generally, it’s not that the Masterbuilt smoker fan is not working, it’s just being given incorrect information, and that needs to be fixed so that the fan functions correctly.
Physical Damage Has Broken Your Masterbuilt Smoker Fan
Physical damage to the fan or other components in the Masterbuilt smoker can be an issue that stops your fan from working correctly.
If while putting in racks of meat or taking them out, or even while you’re cleaning your smoker, the fan and other parts could have been damaged.
It could also be that overheating from a fan that doesn’t stop could melt wires which causes the fan to not run at all.
Masterbuilt Smoker Doors And Lids Are Not Shutting
If any of your doors or lids don’t shut correctly, then your fan will not run while it registers them as open.
Often your controller will indicate that something is open when it says “open” on the digital display.
This can be due to you not shutting them, something blocking them from being shut correctly, or even the sensor or wiring becoming damaged or malfunctioning, often due to an overheating smoker.
Something Is Physically Stuck In The Masterbuilt Smoker Fan
In some Masterbuilt smokers, it’s a possibility that something actually got stuck in the fan, which is stopping it from turning.
This could be charcoal, wood chips, or even some food that managed to get stuck in there.
It’s a simple issue with simple solutions and just requires some visual inspection.
Your Masterbuilt Smoker Is Overheating
If your Masterbuilt smoker is hot enough, the fan will stop working; this is an expected and normal operation.
If you’re expecting your fan to run continuously, then that’s simply not going to happen.
If you’ve been excessively using your Masterbuilt smoker and letting it run for hours, then it may not need the fan when you replace the smoker food with new food.
The temperature may simply be hot enough already.
Other issues that can cause overeating are a grease fire or a malfunctioning controller that’s discussed above.
The simplest solution is just to wait until the temperature dips down and see if the fan kicks back in and works as expected.
Is Your Masterbuilt Smoker Getting Too Hot? Find Here Reasons And Solutions
Fixes For Masterbuilt Smoker Fan Not Working
Reset The Masterbuilt Smoker Controller
- Turn off your Masterbuilt smoker
- Unplug the controller from the smoker
- Unplug the smoker from the power outlet in the wall
- Wait five minutes
- Plug everything back in and verify if the Masterbuilt smoker fan is working
If you find the Masterbuilt smoker controller is having other issues, whether that’s not displaying anything at all, or won’t turn the actual smoker on, or fails to register temperatures, then you may want to consider replacing it.
There are a few components that may need replacing, so check everything first and then make the call on whether you replace the smoker fan, smoker controller, smoker temperature gauge, or any of the wiring and power cords.
If you’re concerned about multiple components, they’re mostly cheap, and you actually get better performance from after-market controllers.
For around $100, you could replace most of the components, which can save you from buying a brand new smoker, and you get better temperature control and potentially better airflow from a new fan.
Check The Masterbuilt Smoker Temperature Gauge
- Power off your Masterbuilt Smoker.
- Unplug the temperature sensor/gauge.
- Use a cloth or compressed air to clean both ends of the temperature sensor.
- Plug your temperature sensor back in and verify your Masterbuilt smoker fan is working.
You may also need to verify if the temperature gauge is actually showing the correct temperature.
Turn your control panel on but don’t start the smoker; use a hairdryer to blow hot air on your temperature gauge and verify that the control panel registers the heat increase.
If the temperature gauge is faulty, then you will need to order spare parts from Masterbuilt.
Verify Physical Damage To Your Masterbuilt Smoker
Visually inspect all parts of your Masterbuilt smoker for potential damage, including:
1.Check all wires, ensure they are not burnt out or look frayed.
You’ll need to check the temperature sensor, main controller, doors, lids, and other wires you find running through the smoker.
2. Unplug any wires that you, clean the ends with a cloth or compressed air, plug wires back in, and ensure they secure fit.
3. Check your main controller for physical damage or water damage.
If water or moisture is present in your controller, it will malfunction.
You may need to unattach and bring it inside for drying.
4. Check the fan for damage; you may see visible cracks or breaks on the fan or the fan housing.
5. Check if there is anything stuck in the fan, there could be some meat, wood chips, or anything else. Make sure nothing is blocking and stopping the fan from running.
Anything that you find damaged could be replaced through warranty or directly with Masterbuilt. Some of the components, such as the master controller or smoker fan or can be easily replaced for cheap on Amazon, which makes it a lot faster to get back up and smoking.
If you find physical damage to the fan or the wires connecting to it are frayed, then it’s best to replace the fan, and they’re extremely cheap on Amazon.
Check The Power Supply On Your Masterbuilt Smoker
If your fan is lacking power, you can check that it’s plugged in and that your breaker or GFCI plug are not popped.
You can try to reset the breaker or reset the GFCI plug to ensure everything is working as expected.
Also, ensure that any extension cords are rated for outside use; your inside extension cord could be faulty if you’re exposing it to the elements, especially in wet environments.
Check Your Masterbuilt Smoker Doors and Lids
Double-check that all doors and lids have been closed; this includes your hopper lid door, ash door, and even the lower door on some Masterbuilt smokers.
Ensure there is nothing that keeps the doors or lids open, such as food or other debris stuck and stopping it from closing.
Clean Your Masterbuilt Smoker
Clear out any thick dirt, grease, or food particles on the Masterbuilt Smoker.
This is especially important around the controller, temperature gauge, fan, doors, and lids.
You don’t need to perform a full cleaning so that it’s perfect, but ensuring that there are no thick layers of dirt or grease gunking up the device is important.
You can use warm soapy water with a thick sponge to wipe down the inside and outside of the smoker.
Be careful with the controller and getting it too wet, as moisture can cause further issues or damage to the controller, and then you’ll really need to replace it.
If needed, you can take off your main controller, unattach it from the Masterbuilt smoker, unscrew the back of it, spray the electrical components down with WD-40, let it soak for a minute, and then use compressed air to dry everything off, then replace the screws and put it back together.
This can be helpful if environmental dirt or cooking dirt has somehow seeped into the controller and allows you to reset it to new so that it functions correctly.
Sources:
https://www.masterbuilt.com/pages/failed-component-identification
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