does anyone have an AMAZEN smoke tray and MES 30"?

I have been using my MES 30" for a year of 2 and i love it. Easy to use and cooks very nicely. only thing i didnt like was the fact i had to add small amounts of wood chips fairly frequently. i wanted to be able to throw something in , like a brisket, overnight and eat it the next day. I read great reviews on the AMAZEN smoker tubes and trays. So i went for the tray and got some of their pellets. I have tried it a few times and can not for the life of me, get the pellets to stay lit. I have tried drying them in the oven and microwave, doesnt help. I have tried lighting them with gel and they light great, but once i blow the flame out and put the tray in the smoker they just burn out. I used a propane torch, them them flame up and burn for 15-30 minutes, b,ow them out, put in smoker and again they wont stay lit and stops producing smoke. I have tried moving it around, i put a "smoke stack" on, try with the chip tray removed, half way, and closed tight. nothing helps. anyone have any tips for me?

 

Well, I cracked the door open just a bit to help when I first got the tube. There isn't enough oxygen in there. You can dry the pellets in the oven, maybe you have damp pellets. You can also dampen the pellets a bit and they will fall apart into dust. Wood dust works better in the tray. And what brand of pellets?

My ol' MES analog 30 is relegated to cold/warm (110f max) smoking. I put a 92mm PC fan on the back with a speed control and cut a hole on top for a chimney. Not good for higher temps but really gets the airflow going for jerky to help dry it out.

 

I am using the amazen pellets. I will try and soak and dry them into dust. Drying in oven and microwave haven't worked yet. Thanks for the tips.

 

I have that AMAZN tray and although I've only used it once (last autumn to smoke some cheese) I had no issues with the pellets going out. The tray generated more than enough smoke and worked great. I lit the pellets with a propane torch. I did leave the vent at the bottom of my smoker open as well as the chimney to ensure good airflow. Perhaps the pellets are extinguishing due to oxygen starvation/ poor ventilation??
There is another version of the tray that is meant for saw dust.

 

I havent used these but sounds like the pellets are not getting enough oxygen or they are damp but if they are dried in an oven they should work...

 

I found a way to work it. The pellets just don't work no matter what I did.
I bought some smoker saw dust on Amazon that works well. I leave there chip loader tray half way out and the top vent half open. This provides good air flow and the perfect amount of smoke.