Masterbuilt Smoker Not Heating?: 10 Main Causes and 10 Solutions!

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Is your Masterbuilt smoker becoming a pain lately?

One prevalent problem with Masterbuilt smokers is that they won’t heat up correctly or at all.

However, check a few things before deciding to toss your smoker in the trash and buy a new one.

Dive into the comprehensive guide on Masterbuillt smoker not heating, its causes, and fixes.

But briefly, your Masterbuilt smoker isn’t heating due to power or gas supply, power cord, heating element, and corrosion issues.

Your Masterbuilt Smoker not heating up also due to loose or dirty chip tray, bad temperature controller, fried spade connectors, intake vents not opened sufficiently, using water pan in your smoker.

Nonetheless, fixing it is as simple as ensuring power or gas connection, connecting a sound power cord properly, using a working heating element, and proper care.

Cleaning or fixing the chip tray, removing water pan from smoker, replacement of temperature controller and spade connectors, properly opening of intake vents can resolve the issue.

Keep reading for causes and fixes in detail.

Masterbuilt Smoker Not Heating? – Causes

There are many reasons why your smoker isn’t heating up.

Explore some of the most common causes of a non-heating Masterbuilt smoker below.

Did You Start It?

Though seemingly obvious, your Masterbuilt smoker may be new, and you don’t know how to start it.

So, ensure you turn the right knobs or press it correctly before checking other defects that may prevent your Masterbuilt smoker from heating.

No Power or Gas Supply

We tend to forget to turn on most electrical appliances before using them.

Alternatively, you may think you left it on to grab something, yet you turned it off.

So, confirm that your socket is on.

If it’s on, establish whether there is a power connection.

Try turning on your stereo, TV, or light.

The heating issue may be as simple as the absence of an electrical supply.

If you lack electricity, check to see if there are any blown fuses or tripped breakers in your electrical panel.

Any of these scenarios cuts off power preventing you from using any electrical appliances.

If there’s electricity, then the problem may be a faulty outlet.

You may have your smoker on a socket that has no power.

Check if your LPG gas tank is empty if using a Masterbuilt propane smoker.

Confirm that the connector hose has a secure connection.

Power Cord Issues

The second most straightforward answer to a Masterbuilt smoker, not heating, is an unplugged power cord if your socket is on.

Check the power cord to ensure you inserted it correctly into the socket.

If it is, then the problem could be a breakage.

Inspect the entire power cord, particularly at the point it connects to your Masterbuilt smoker.

Do you see any chipping, cuts, or loose wires?

If so, your Materbuilt smoker isn’t receiving power hence won’t heat.

Besides checking the smoker’s power cord, confirm that your extension has a proper connection to the socket if you are using one.

Faulty Heating Element

Sometimes, the problem lies with a faulty heating element.

Check whether the element has burns or is partially melted.

Short-circuiting is a common problem with electric smokers.

Some instances are pretty severe, leading to wire disconnection.

Open the rivets on your smoker’s back.

Inspect the insulation around the box, wires, connectors, and back cover for any burn signs. Moreover, look at the wires for disconnection and burns.

Corrosion

Other times, corrosion of wires linking to the heating element may be the issue.

If you conduct poor maintenance practices, some connectors may corrode within a few months, rendering your Masterbuilt smoker dysfunctional.

Corrosion gradually eats away the connector, loosening the wire in the process.

Loose/dirty chip tray

If your Masterbuilt Smoker not heating up then sometimes the chip tray is the culprit.

The chip tray may get loose.

If the chip tray comes loose from the burner element, it doesn’t allow sufficient heat to get to the wood chips.

Sometimes chip tray is dirty or unclean because of which your Masterbuilt smoker not getting hot enough.

This ultimately causes not heating your Masterbuilt smoker.

So, don’t forget to check the chip tray if this issue occurs.

Waterpan may be the culprit

Actually, Masterbuilt electric smokers don’t attain much temperature.

The average temperature range of a Masterbuilt smoker is 210-250 degrees Fahrenheit.

So, if your Masterbuilt electric smoker isn’t reaching 150 or 200 degrees Fahrenheit, then there is an issue with your smoker.

And this problem may be due to your water pan.

Every Masterbuilt electric smoker comes up with a water chamber and pan.

Using the water pan is great for smoking but sometimes it may lead to heating issues.

Bad temperature controller

If your Masterbuilt smoker not heating up, then you should check the controller. Check your controller whether it is working properly or not.

If your temperature controller is bad, your smoker can’t reach the desired temperature or not show the right temperature.

So, if your Masterbuilt smoker not heating up checking the controller is the essential step.

Intake vents are not open adequately

One of the most common reasons for not heating the Masterbuilt smoker is that your smoker is not getting enough oxygen.

If the intake vents are not open enough, it will be difficult for your smoker to get enough oxygen.

Due to improper air flow, your smoker won’t heat up fast or at all.

Fried spade terminals/connectors

The Masterbuilt smoker won’t heat up due to the bad spade terminals or fried connectors.

The spade terminals sometimes burnt up and disintegrated.

You have to check the terminals whether they are in good condition or fried for solving this issue.

Masterbuilt Smoker Not Heating?- Fixes

Depending on the Masterbuilt smoker heating failure issue above, you can fix the problem as follows:

Start the Masterbuilt Smoker Correctly

If your smoker’s heating failure arises from trouble getting your smoker going, then you are likely using a propane or electric Masterbuilt smoker.

Now, how do you use a Masterbuilt electric smoker?

The controls are on the top and are simple to read and use.

Simply press the on-off button and pick your suitable temperature with the “Set Temp” button followed by clicking “+” or “-“

What about starting a Masterbuilt propane smoker?

Masterbuilt propane smokers use a rotating knob at the base for temperature adjustment.

Before you start turning the knob, press the spark button close to the temperature knob to get the flame going.

Remember to use the right wood chips and avoid soaking them unless using hot water.

Otherwise, you may not get them to smoke or they may not produce good smoke.

Power Cord Fix

Verify that your electric Masterbuilt smoker has a proper connection to the socket.

Press the plug into the socket to ensure unobstructed electricity flow.

If you are using an extension, verify that the parent connection is okay.

Sometimes, your extension may be receiving inadequate voltage or is no longer operational.

A direct Materbuilt electric smoker connection to the socket without an extension is best.

However, if you must use a cord, ensure it features a “W-A” label.

Plus, it should have working round terminals, be under 25 feet, and have a 16 AWG diameter or more.

For instance, the Addlon 25-feet cord is an excellent option.

A damaged Masterbuilt smoker power cord needs replacement.

You can get one depending on your smoker’s model, for example:

The MB20070210/MB25075517 cable
The multi-model WADEO cord is compatible with over ten Masterbuilt smokers.

Let’s Get Some Fuel

Masterbuilt electric smoker

Before you go power cord shopping, check that your power is functioning and that your cord isn’t the issue.

Try changing the socket if you have power, as your current outlet may have a problem.

If your panel has a tripped breaker, reset the circuit breaker by turning it to the “On” position.

On the other hand, a blown fuse needs replacement, which is safe if handled professionally.

Masterbuilt propane smoker

Your unit may not function because of an empty tank. Connect your tank to a cooker and check that it’s not empty.

If otherwise, replace your gas tank and retry starting your smoker.

Heating Element Fix

If your heating element has any damages, you’ll need to replace it.

It isn’t too challenging and should take a few minutes.

Be sure to determine your voltage requirement and sizing before ordering a Masterbuilt smoker heating element replacement.

Fix your chip tray

If you find that the chip tray is loose, you need to tighten it properly.

This helps to allow enough heat to get to wood chips.

If the chip tray is unclean, then clean it.

So, make sure you clean the chip tray and bring it near to the burner element.

This would help you to fix the heating issue with your Masterbuilt smoker.

Remove water pan from your smoker

As mentioned above, every Masterbuilt electric smoker comes with a water pan.

But to attain a higher temperature, it’s best practice to go dry.

As water can slow down the heating process inside the smoker.

So, to solve this heating problem, just dump out the water.

Begin your smoking process without using water.

Replace the controller

If your Masterbuilt smoker not heating up or not reaching the desired temperature, it may be due to a bad controller.

If you found that the controller is faulty, you need to replace the controller.

You can get the Digital controller for the Masterbuilt smoker here.

It is Compatible with Masterbuilt ESQ30B, ESQ30S, 20070106.

This temperature controller is easy to install and use.

You can check the internal temperature of the meat with this controller and also prevent heat loss and bring you juicy meat.

This controller is worth considering as it is high temperature resistant and comes with long service life.

Open the intake vents sufficiently

If you find that there is a lack of enough oxygen in the cooking chamber which causes not heating your Masterbuilt smoker, then you should check the intake vents.

You should open the intake vents enough so that the smoker can get as much air as possible.

You need to ensure that the vents are airing precisely and they are open wide enough for air to flow in.

So, make sure you’ve got good airflow in your smoker to resolve this issue.

Replace the spade terminals

If your Masterbuilt smoker is not getting hot enough due to bad spade terminals, then you simply need to replace the spade terminals.

To replace the spade terminals, you need a crimping tool and some spade terminals.

You can get this spade terminal as a replacement.

They are made up of brass and fully insulated Nylon.

You can get this whole set of terminals that will have both male and female for various wire gauges and sizes in different current ratings.

The red rated 10 Amps, Blue at 15 Amps, yellow at up to 24 Amps.

The thicker terminals hold up heat better and current and also last longer.

If you have MES 40 which is rated at 10 Amps, the blue spade terminals will go well.

You can use bigger yellow terminals for the larger smoker.

If you wanted to install new terminals, you need to cut and remove old terminals. Strip the wire and crimp on the new spade terminals using a crimp tool.