Newbie

[Fletch]

Just got my 4 rack digital.  Tried seasoning by following the instructions last night.  My Problem was the temperature never got above 129F(set at 150).  Outside temp was about 31F with no wind.  Is this normal, or do I have a problem?  Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Fletch

[Gizmo]

What was your set point?  If you set the temperature of the digital unit to 150 and you never got above 129, I would say that was normal with a 31 deg outside temp.  If you have a higher set point, you should be able to get a higher box temp.  If the box temp was set to 320 (max), and you got to 129, then I would say the puck burner heated the box and you do not have a connection made.  Let us know some more details and we can further help out.

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

Fletch,

Welcome to the forum. I'd punch it up to a higher temp and see what happens. That temperature sounds like only the smoker generator was adding heat versus the main heating element.

Arcs_n_Sparks

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi Fletch;

The BS should have reached 150°F in 31°F ambient temperature, it will just take a little longer. Do you recall how long it took to get up to 129°F, and the total time you had the BS running? What did you have the vent set at?

General question about the digital. If you have a set point of 150°F, does the element run at full heat until the desired temperature is reached, or does it treat the element as the OBS - controlling it like a rheostat. Example; the lower the set point, the less heat the element gives off.

[Mr Walleye]

Habs

As far as I know it hits it at full throttle.
Sounds to me like it was only the generator running and not the tower heater.

Mike

[Kane]

I guess I havent really looked at my unit close enough. where does the DBS take its temp reading from. wheres the probe?

[Smoking Duck]

Welcome, Fletch.  Just curious as to what you were using to gauge your temperature?  If you're utilizing the digital readout on your DBS, be aware that the temp that registers on your DBS and the actual temp can be off +/- 20 degrees (and sometimes more).  If you haven't purchased a Maverick ET-73 or similar thermometer, I highly recommend you do so.  I no longer rely on my DBS digital readings because they vary so much depending on the location within the smoker.  You can purchase these thermometers for approximately $30-40 but the peace of mind achieved when using these makes them worth their weight in gold.  To me, that is the only way to get a true reading on the temp you actually have in your smoker.

I would also have to concur with what Giz and Arcs have previously stated.  You shouldn't have any problem achieving 150* unless all you were using was the puck burner.

Good luck and be sure to let us know what you find out.

Marc

[Mr Walleye]

I guess I haven't really looked at my unit close enough. where does the DBS take its temp reading from. wheres the probe?

Kane

The temp probe is in the back of the tower above the heat element between, I believe, the 2nd and 3rd rack, counting from the bottom. This is why the DBS tends to read a higher temp than what the meat is exposed to until the meat temp begins to rise after a few hours. I think the the sensor really does show a reasonably accurate temp but unfortunately it reads it in the hotter part of the tower and this is the reason to use a thermometer such as the Maverick ET73. This way you can see the temp the meat is exposed to and adjust the DBS accordingly. For an example you may have to set the DBS to 220 or 230 to get your meat seeing 210 degrees.

Mike

[Fletch]

Thanks guys.  Trying again today.  It's colder today, so I just turned the oven temp to 240 to see what it does.  I'll let ya know.  I wanna smoke a chicken!

[Mr Walleye]

Make sure you can see the heater in the tower glowing red (Hot)

Mike

[hillbillysmoker]

Welcome to the forum. I hope all goes well.

[pensrock]

My DBS runs about +- 15 degrees from setpoint. It is an on/off control so it should heat up to the setpoint then shut off till it drops back below setpoint. This is what causes the +- degrees. If it was controlled with a SCR or similar device it should be able to control withing +- 2 degrees. Most single loop controllers will allow you to adjust the PID settings to tighten this control, they will begin to cycle as the unit gets close to the setpoint and maybe only overshoot by a few degrees, then it may undershoot by a few degrees, each time this cycles it gets closer and closer to maintaining the correct temperature.
As for you only reaching 129 degrees, assuming you had it on for an hour or more, doesn't sound right to me. I would double check all the connections on the back of the smoker and like someone else mentioned, open the door after 15-20 minutes to see if the heating element is glowing.
Pensrock