Okay I finally got up the nerve to ask (decided I didn't care how dumb the question might be) what is a PID, also for smoking in the winter would I want to upgrade my heating element ?? Technically its two questions I know ... Any help and advice on these two questions would be greatly appreciated as it is approaching fall quick and I have no intention on waiting until next spring to smoke something..
No dumb questions here dbrown1. A PID is a very precise temperature controller. It will keep the Bradley within a couple of degrees once up to temp versus the temperature swings with out it. Depending on what your smoking, you may or may not need one. If you do sausage, smoked fish it would be a great help. For things like pork butt, brisket and ribs not so much, they can take the temperature swings just fine. As far as upgrading the heating element, I would suggest that you wait and see. Keep using your smoker and get a feel for how it works for you, then decide. Here's a link to a company that makes a PID for the Bradley. Some have built there own. http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=14&products_id=72
I am currently moving my smoker into my garage, with a vent to move the smoke outside so I can use it all winter. The Bradley is very well insulated, some people have built small house to hold there smoker and keep the wind away from the smoker. It all depends on how cold of weather you get. I have a PID and love it.
Cheers
Mike
A proportional–integral–derivative controller (PID controller) is a generic control loop feedback mechanism (controller) widely used in industrial control systems. A PID controller attempts to correct the error between a measured process variable and a desired set point by calculating and then outputting a corrective action that can adjust the process accordingly and rapidly, to keep the error minimal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PID_controller
When a PID is used for heaters it is not much more affective than a simple control circuit because it only has an on and off control of the heater element. When a PID has a "volume" output that is when it shines. The farther away from set point the greater the "volume" of the output.
John
Okay that makes sense, And living in Alaska our temps do get a bit cold in the winter so I may build a small house for my bradley just to make sure I can enjoy it all winter long. Thanks for the input and I do smoke alot of fish but seem to be able to keep my bradley fairly consistent thus far so will have to do some research (now that I know what to research :D ) on the PID .
When I lived near Anchorage the weather was rather nice. Hardly ever got below -30°F in the winter...
John
I do a lot of salmon and one day I will bring my nerve up to making sausages.
I put the question up to our fellow members (to buy or not to buy a PID) and the consensus came back to buy. I ordered one immediately and cant wait to have it.
One of the advantages of having a PID is the ability it gives you to ramp the temperatures. In other words, you can set it to 140 F for an hour the raise it to 150 F for a couple of hours and then finish at say 170 for another hour. Some thing you cant do on the BDS unless you time yourself to manually program each step.
Long time ago, I visited Universal Studios in LA and the tour included a visit to the props room. They had so much stuff there that made wonder and asked the guide if they really needed all that stuff. He said that they have a staff only to go around checking flee markets and garage sales every weekend and reasoned that to: IT IS BETTER TO HAVE IT AND NOT NEED IT RATHER THAN TO NEED IT AND NOT HAVE IT. A logic that could apply to PID. It works for me any way.
HR
Okay then based on those posts is there one PID that would be more recommended than another ?
Auber Insturments makes one for the Bradley smoker , here is a link.
http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=14&zenid=073df1fb8678bc832932db508218ac72 (http://www.auberins.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=14&zenid=073df1fb8678bc832932db508218ac72)
This is the one I purchased and it works well.
Mike
I have the Auber programmable as well.
Quote from: dbrown1 on September 03, 2009, 04:57:40 PM
Okay then based on those posts is there one PID that would be more recommended than another ?
As FLB, I bought the programable PID. Now I believe there are two types. One that sits next to the smoker with a probe that goes into the vent and the other is a wall mount. Since I am not as hand as others maybe, I ordered the first kind.
HR
Okay sold, just bought a damn PID.... If I start building sheds like Nepa I'm going to need to go to S.A. (Smokers Anonymous).
Hi my name is David and I'm a smoker.....
Quote from: dbrown1 on September 04, 2009, 08:47:25 AM
Okay sold, just bought a damn PID.... If I start building sheds like Nepa I'm going to need to go to S.A. (Smokers Anonymous).
Hi my name is David and I'm a smoker.....
Hey there dbrown1
don't even think you are coming up with some thing new, we all have been smokers anonymous members before you were even born.
HR
;D ;D ;D(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/todayschildhere/61259.jpg)