smoker temp

Started by snowmon, July 18, 2008, 04:36:03 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

snowmon

I'm cooking first meal in the DBS6. It's about 90 degrees here and the highest the temp has been is 200.  I have a full smoker. Is this a normal temp under the conditions, 90 degrees and a full smoker???

westexasmoker

With a full load it will take awhile for the temp to recover and 200 is not to bad.  How long ya been holding 200?

C
Its amazing what one can accomplish when one doesn't know what one can't do!

FLBentRider

If you have 6 pork butts in there, that is great!
Click on the Ribs for Our Time tested and Proven Recipes!

Original Bradley Smoker with Dual probe PID
2 x Bradley Propane Smokers
MAK 2 Star General
BBQ Evangelist!

Gizmo

What is your set temp?
Check to make sure your heating element is red and actually heating the box.  With 90 deg ambient and 150 deg from the puck burner, you may not have power going to the heating element.  It doest take a while for the box to get to temp with a full load as the others have said.
Click here for our time proven and tested recipes - http://www.susanminor.org/

Leifostberg

Thank you all for your help; I just had my first session with my DBS6, and had problems as well bringing the temp up to speed.

beefmann

hello all,

easiest fix for the tempture if you  want it to be a quicker recovery and having a steady cooking  tempture + or - 7 degrees F is to  replace the 500 watt bradley  heater and put in its  place a 900 watt finned heater in its place.

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4E266

I  have been running  this heater for  9 months and no problems at  all with close to 200 hours of  cook time on it, fast recovery and holds + or - 7 degrees with a typical PID controller  with build in relay ( not aan ssr ) been working with out a hitch.

pullinpork

Hello Beefmann,

Will this 900 watt bolt right in without any modifications?

beefmann

pullin ,

a small mod for the bolts to hold the heater. its a simple mod .. just drill 2 holes through the back of the smoker inline with the holes of the heater and use 5 /16 bolts through the back of the smoker box with a  fender washer on each side, a nut on the inside then a 1 inch  all thread nut, another  standard washer heater  then washer and lastly a nut to hold the heater. this concludes the mounting. ( and yes remove the back cover and remove any  insulation that may be in the way )

wire useing  high temp connectors and bypass  bradleys box thermocuple on the back and wiredirectly directly  to the  heater from tempture  conoller ( PID )

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=6943.0

the link to give  you a better  idea of the install, I  do have a blower in mine to help with heat recovery after  close  to 250 hours of smoking / cooking  after mod  with no problems. any other questions please ask
beef

pullinpork

Thanks Beef,

I am gearing towards this mod for mine. I am sure I will have more questions once I start. Thanks for the help so far.

DrtiBird

Quote from: beefmann on August 23, 2008, 01:02:42 PM
hello all,

easiest fix for the tempture if you  want it to be a quicker recovery and having a steady cooking  tempture + or - 7 degrees F is to  replace the 500 watt bradley  heater and put in its  place a 900 watt finned heater in its place.

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4E266

I  have been running  this heater for  9 months and no problems at  all with close to 200 hours of  cook time on it, fast recovery and holds + or - 7 degrees with a typical PID controller  with build in relay ( not aan ssr ) been working with out a hitch.
I followed the link and enjoyed your pics.  The question I have concerns the fan you installed.  Can you supply info on it and maybe some pics of the install?  Does the fan provide the same/similar benefits of a convection oven?
Ron/DrtiBird
Gainesville, GA

beefmann

Dirt,

welcome to the fourm, will try to help you as  much as i  can,,, The heater is a 900 watt finned  heater, the Blower is an updraft blower for a furnace both are from graingers. The blower doesent need to be high volume .. about 70 cfm will do, one other mod that is not in the  pictures is I  took a piece  of sheet metal and bent it 90 degrees and made it  long  enough and wide enough to cover the top heater opening of the heater housing and placed it  under the bottom shelf



wiring diagram for the smoker generator and heater/ blower you will notice one 3 position swtich called a  pwr switch this  switch turns on the smoke generator, then off.. then over to the PID controller which controlls the heater and turns on the  fan

the "fan switch" controlls the speed of the fan with center off... the PID wireing you  should follow the manifactures wireing procedures.



in this picture you  see the motor of  the  blower, mounting bracket for the  motor and if you  look closly the  bolts for the inside heater... and yes you  need the  bracket for the  weight of the  motor



back of the smoke generator with all  connections made and a longer  cord to reach the outlet.



front of the smoke generator after install the red switch in the middle was left alone along with the  light and all still work along  with the advance button..

and the back of the bradly is a bit  of a  mess and I need to get  it  cleaned up and  make a new back,,

think through the process befor  you  make the  mistakes like i  have..... this was the 3 rd mod untill i was happy  with it... look at all the mods befor deciding on which one u  want...

here are the pictures of it  compleated



the heater inside



heater and bower



cover and smoker generator in place



and finally  with the V tray in place..

hope this helps 

DrtiBird

Very impressive Beef.  Gonna leave mine pretty much stock for now, but I do like the bigger heater and the fan!  In reading about the higher temps in the lower back I wondered about a fan of some type.
Ron/DrtiBird
Gainesville, GA

beefmann

#12
Dirt,



Made this mod almost a year ago and has over 250 hours of smoking and cooking  on it with no problems.. With the 900 watt heater I have more then enough heat to do 20 pounds of  meat at 220 box temp even if i do open the box and  let the temp drop to 150.. with in about 10 minutes its back close to 220,, and the blower has a fan blade between the motor and back support that you  can not see.. ps this motor does run hot notmally even  without the  heater  on

your  concerns are justified and  remember the  unit is fused and protected with a gfi recptical



Habanero Smoker

Quote from: DrtiBird on October 27, 2008, 07:45:17 PM
Very impressive Beef.  Gonna leave mine pretty much stock for now, but I do like the bigger heater and the fan!  In reading about the higher temps in the lower back I wondered about a fan of some type.

Several members have installed a fan to help circulate the heat. Here is a link to the instructions.

Circulation Fan



     I
         don't
                   inhale.
  ::)