temperature control

Seahawk · January 03, 2010, 10:41:25 AM

Hi new to the forum and new to using bradley smokers. Just purchased a bds4 and ready to smoke my first batch of fish,but having trouble getting to 160 degrees. Do i have to compensate for the amount of heat the smoke generator puts out? I set the oven temp at 140 and within 20 minutes i was at 160. Is this standard on using this smoker compensating for the heat the smoke generator puts out.

MPTubbs · January 03, 2010, 10:48:48 AM

The SG does help with heating the smoker up.

You will see that the diggi models will vary from -15 to a +15 of your set temp.

It will be a learning curve!

I use a PID to keep it at -2 to a +2 of my set temp.

Seahawk · January 03, 2010, 10:53:01 AM

Now my smoker is coming back down to the target temp. Is this standard with nothing in the smoker.

KyNola · January 03, 2010, 10:56:14 AM

Sounds pretty normal to me.

KyNola

Mr Walleye · January 03, 2010, 10:58:03 AM

Hi Seahawk and welcome to the forum.

Yup... running the smoker empty you will see the vary a little more. Once you get a load in there you will still see some temp fluctuations but as the meat gets warmer the fluctuations will become tighter.

Mike

MPTubbs · January 03, 2010, 10:59:39 AM

Yes.

The heating element will turn off after a few degrees of your set temp. But it will still rise for a while.

Then it will turn back on when the temp hits a few degrees lower than your set temp. But it will also drop a little until you start seeing a rise again.

I know...a big swing but thats what we got.

The Bradley diggi part is not as reliable as a PID.

Seahawk · January 03, 2010, 11:06:22 AM

Thank for all the info you smokers are really helpful!

ianinfrance · January 24, 2010, 03:35:31 AM

Hi another newbie here!

Quote from: MPTubbs on January 03, 2010, 10:48:48 AM
The SG does help with heating the smoker up.

You will see that the diggi models will vary from -15 to a +15 of your set temp.

It will be a learning curve!

I use a PID to keep it at -2 to a +2 of my set temp.

err, forgive my ignorance but what's PID (I found "pelvic inflammatory disease" which sounds unlikely)? Where would I find one, and how would I use it? Would it allow me to keep a lower temperature than the minimum 59C that Bradley uses on their controller?

Thanks in advance
Ian (smoking in France)

MPTubbs · January 24, 2010, 06:58:52 AM

Go to Auberins.com

They make a few that's made just for the bradley.

Yes you can get to lower temps for fish and sausage.

Mike.

anderson5420 · January 24, 2010, 07:24:50 AM

PIDs = Proportional-integral-derivative, Here is an instructive article on them.

Two ways to go with PIDs - buy the Auber Instruments pre-made unit (probably the best choice), or buy a separate PID and a solid state relay and wire them up yourself (not for the faint at heart). The Auber is very accurate and programmable so you can do unattended temperature ramping, oir at least that is what they say here, I have no personal experience with one. If a couple hundred of bucks just fell from the sky, I would probably order one up real quick.

A third way to go for temperature control is what I did, a Ranco controller. Not a PID, but a whole lot less expensive (~$75) and totally satisfactory. I got it at Grainger. You can set the +/- swing on the Ranco too, I have mine set to 2 degrees F, but the actual swing is a bit wider.

I have been making sausage and smoking food for about 20 years, and only got my Ranco this year. It really makes the difference, you really will like having SOME kind of decent temperature control. That plus a Maverick ET-71 or ET-73 remote read thermometer, and you will be fully in business!

ianinfrance · February 01, 2010, 04:39:02 PM

Thanks very much guys for your answers.

Sorry not to have replied before.

I think that's a bit too costly as a solution for me, however. While I suspect that plus or minus 10F isn't really tight enough, I don't think smoking - especially the cold smoking I'll be doing much of the time - needs as tight a tolerance as plus or minus 1F. I was a little surprised at how much heat the puck burner gave out. My ambient outdoor temperature was around 6C (sorry) and while (cold) smoking with the oven heater turned off, I was having difficulty keeping the temperature at less than 30C. I note that Auber only claim to be able to maintain a minimm temperature of around 20C above ambient. I think I'm about to make myself a cold smoking adaptor.

I do feel for Bradley. They get a nice all digital readout/control system and the accuracy of the temperature readout shows up that the control is less tight than they'd intended!

jcohan · February 03, 2010, 08:51:09 PM

Has anyone tried to detach the temperature sensor from the back of the BDS and move it so that it picks up the temperature of the air, rather than the backplane of the smoker? I've got 5 lbs of sticks in my smoker tonight, they've been in for 4 hours and I have a Maverick ET-73 probe located below my bottom rack just above the drip pan. I have no water in the pan because I'm trying to get the sticks to dry a bit. The vent is wide open to release the steam, and there is not a lot of moisture coming out the top. Yet, my digital readout says 173 compared to 120 for the Maverick probe. This seems to a huge variance in temperature for such a small load.

Jim

MPTubbs · February 04, 2010, 04:46:38 AM

The Bradley temp sensor is on the back wall above the heating element.

I believe that's why your getting those high readings.

You can slide the V tray all the way back and rest against the back wall to stop some of the heat going directly up the wall and hitting the sensor.

I also have tin foiled the back part of the V tray closing off the vents to direct the heat to the front part of the tower.

You will never get the two to match the same temp. Play with it a little and see what you come up with.

Mike.

Quarlow · February 04, 2010, 10:06:43 AM

Quote from: ianinfrance on February 01, 2010, 04:39:02 PM
Thanks very much guys for your answers.

Sorry not to have replied before.

I think that's a bit too costly as a solution for me, however. While I suspect that plus or minus 10F isn't really tight enough, I don't think smoking - especially the cold smoking I'll be doing much of the time - needs as tight a tolerance as plus or minus 1F. I was a little surprised at how much heat the puck burner gave out. My ambient outdoor temperature was around 6C (sorry) and while (cold) smoking with the oven heater turned off, I was having difficulty keeping the temperature at less than 30C. I note that Auber only claim to be able to maintain a minimm temperature of around 20C above ambient. I think I'm about to make myself a cold smoking adaptor.

I do feel for Bradley. They get a nice all digital readout/control system and the accuracy of the temperature readout shows up that the control is less tight than they'd intended!

Ian if you are having trouble with keeping your temps down to cold smoke you could try this simple cold smoker box Myself and someothers have made. It works very well.
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=3263.msg127846#msg127846