Control panel displays E6 and the smoker will not heat; sometimes appears immediately when turning the unit on.

Safety first: Unplug the smoker and verify the cabinet is cool before accessing the heating element area.

Inspection steps:

• Visual check of heating element: Open the smoker door and inspect the heating element at the bottom of the cook chamber. Look for breaks, blisters, or heavy corrosion on the element tube.
• Access rear connections: Remove the rear or bottom panel to expose the heating element terminals. Check for burned, melted, or loose spade connectors. Tighten or replace connectors as needed.
• Test element resistance: Disconnect at least one wire from the heating element. Use a multimeter to measure resistance across the element terminals. A typical 800–1500W element will read between 10–40 ohms. If the meter reads OL (open), the element is failed and must be replaced.
• Check thermal fuse: Many East Oak smokers include an inline thermal fuse in the element circuit. Locate the small cylindrical or rectangular fuse in heat-shrink tubing. Test for continuity; if open, replace with the exact temperature and current rating.

If wiring and element are good: The heating relay or triac on the main control board may be defective. In that case, replace the main control board after confirming all other components are functional.