Insulation??

[tailfeathers]

Unfortunately all that particular door leads to is the dogs' partitioned off area in the back end of the garage!


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[Smokesmore]

Nice setup tailfeathers.  A bit jealous as my rigs only option is on my back deck which is on the north side of my house. As you know this can be a problem. I'm starting to think a garage setup us the only option.  Is your Bradley factory?

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[tailfeathers]

I put in a 900 watt element and have a single probe Auber pid to control the temp. It only takes 15 minutes or do to preheat now and the pid keeps temps within a couple degrees of set temp. Recovery time after opening the door is very fast as well.


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[tailfeathers]

Very windy here today but with my patio being on the south and the garage protecting the west it wasn't a problem. Strong wind from the south or southeast is the only time it bothers me.


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[dubob]

This is a highly insulated unit. There's no reason why you should have to insulate it. Its not going to keep you much better temps. Elders, please defrock my statement.

I'm certainly not an elder here and I mean no disrespect Smokesmore, but my experience is that my OBS will not reach or maintain 200 plus temperatures when the outside temperature is below 30 degrees.  I use the smoker outdoors on the north side of my garage to disperse the smoke outdoors and when I'm making pastrami I need 220 degrees of heat to finish the job in one day.  I use a 2-probe PID and smoke until the pastrami internal temp is 165.  The best I can do without insulation is a smoker temp of around 200 to 210.  When I wrap the unit in a moving company blanket I get the 220 I'm wanting and it maintains +/- 1 degree.

I smoked some trout yesterday with outside temps in the high 30s and the PID kept the unit dead on at 120, 140, and 175 without the blanket.  But last week when I made pastrami and the outside temps were in the 20s, the blanket was needed to get to and maintain 220 degrees.  I for one wish that Bradley or some after market company made an insulated cover the would slip over the unit with slots cut and trimmed to fit around the generator (not cover it) and around the vent hole on top.  A zipper that opened up the left side and top of the door would be a nice touch as well so removing the cover to rotate racks or check on things inside could be done easily.

[Smokesmore]

dubob... you probably are totally right and maybe the confusion is the model I'm talking about.  I have the BDS and it is extremely insulated. So insulated that it can be 225 inside and cool to the touch on the outside.  The only place I seem to lose heat is the vent. Otherwise it is sealed up as tight as a drum.

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[dubob]

I'm also using a 4-rack BDS with an Auberins 2-probe PID Controller.  And I can touch the outside of my tower when it is 225 inside.  But when the ambient temp is below 30 I have to wrap it in a blanket to get my desired temp and maintain it.  Somehow, the outside temp/wind factors will suck out heat when the temps drop.  I can only relate it to one other thing and that would be my stainless steel thermos.  Coffee stays HOT for about 8 to 10 hours in the summer time and only about 4 hours when the outside temps are below freezing.  It is well insulated but still loses heat faster when its cold outside.

[Pic-N-Stick]

Well, I sure can feel that its warmer on the sg side!  Don't know if its the leaking around the sg opening, but wondering if it needs this small gap as an "intake" for the top vent.  BTW, I have the double element and dual PID.  I also bought a small smokestack that sits over the vent.  Seems to stop the breeze from pushing cool air into the vent. 8)

[zueth]

Well, I sure can feel that its warmer on the sg side!  Don't know if its the leaking around the sg opening, but wondering if it needs this small gap as an "intake" for the top vent.  BTW, I have the double element and dual PID.  I also bought a small smokestack that sits over the vent.  Seems to stop the breeze from pushing cool air into the vent. 8)

When i tried a smoke stack over vent the condensation built up in cabinet and actually had a harder time keeping temps. Can you post a picture.

[tskeeter]

I'm also using a 4-rack BDS with an Auberins 2-probe PID Controller.  And I can touch the outside of my tower when it is 225 inside.  But when the ambient temp is below 30 I have to wrap it in a blanket to get my desired temp and maintain it.  Somehow, the outside temp/wind factors will suck out heat when the temps drop.  I can only relate it to one other thing and that would be my stainless steel thermos.  Coffee stays HOT for about 8 to 10 hours in the summer time and only about 4 hours when the outside temps are below freezing.  It is well insulated but still loses heat faster when its cold outside.

Dubob, your comment regarding wind is consistent with my experience.  A bit of a breeze and you seem to lose a lot of heat, even when it is pretty warm outside.  I suspect that the breeze moving across the vent creates a vacuum that pulls the warm air out of the smoker.  As Pic-n-Stick's comments indicate, a short stack attached to the vent seems to reduce the effect of the breezes. 

[Smokesmore]

Well, I sure can feel that its warmer on the sg side!  Don't know if its the leaking around the sg opening, but wondering if it needs this small gap as an "intake" for the top vent.  BTW, I have the double element and dual PID.  I also bought a small smokestack that sits over the vent.  Seems to stop the breeze from pushing cool air into the vent. 8)

When i tried a smoke stack over vent the condensation built up in cabinet and actually had a harder time keeping temps. Can you post a picture.

This what I was thinking would happen... Black rain.

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