I just had a new smoke element put in my 2025 and was told not to use any more liquid smoke fluid in it. Fine. So we test drive the loco and put a smoke pellet in and it smokes. Fine. We wait for the pellet to cool down before placing it in the box. The loco, lying on it’s side still has the pellet in it, but it’s now rolled almost completley under the new element, and I suspect there might be another one under there as well. Will that get used up underneath or should I put a new one in? Should that pellet(s) be retrieved? Is that something to be concerned about?
There is no problem. I am surprized that any of the pellet is left. A melted pellet is a waxy liquid that is somewhat translucent. When it cools, it is just a waxy mass. When you heat it up again it will remelt. So will the material that has accumlated under the element. The melted pellet is just as good as the original pellet.
As I understand it, this material (smoke pellets) was orginally used in power transformers as a coolant. Melted when it got hot to help conduct heat out of the transformer windings. Solidified when cold.
I have often wondered the same things. I used to put WD-40 into the old 2020, of course that was before I knew any better. It would smoke, but I guess I am lucky it didn’t start a fire.
Dennis