Changes to my Circulation Fan & PID TC Bracket

[Mr Walleye]

I added a circulation fan a little over a year ago now. When I installed it I changed the motor so it was running CCW. By doing this the back of my cabinet was always consistently hotter than the front of the cabinet. So today I decided to reverse the motor back to CW, build a shield to deflect the air away from the lowest rack and run some tests to see how it works in this configuration. Here are some pictures.


This is a picture showing the mounting method and brackets I made when I installed the circulation fan.




This is a picture of the 1 ¼ inch stainless steel I used for the shield material. It originally was a stick on stainless steel molding for a GM truck.




This picture shows the 2 pieces I cut. I cut a piece 3 ½ inches long, then cut a piece 3/8 inch off of that.




Here are a few pictures of the bracket completed and installed. I left an air space of about 1/4 inch between the back wall and the bracket to allow for air intake for the fan.










Some time ago I told somebody, I think it was WildCat, that I had made a bracket for my PID TC. I made it out of the same stainless material as above and attached it to the back of the cabinet about in the middles. The TC wire comes down through the vent with a sharp bend to the upper right rear corner of the cabinet, then another sharp bend down the right rear corner of the cabinet to the mid point of the cabinet where it takes another 90 degree bend to where it snaps into the bracket. By having it mounted this way I never have to move it and all the racks fit in fine.









I will let everybody know how I make out with the temps in various parts of the cabinet with the circulation fan blowing towards the door and the shield to protect the lowest rack once I've done some tests.

Mike

[Wildcat]

Neat!  It was me that you mentioned it to.  It was when I was trying to get a handle on the PID which turned out to simply be a bad probe.

[Mr Walleye]

That's good news WildCat. An easy fix!  ;)

So far in my testing, on the 2nd rack from the bottom, with a temp probe near the back and one near the front I have a 1 degree difference. It varies from being warmer at the front or at the back by one degree, dependant on if the heater is cycling on or off. Now I'm just playing with the temp offset on the PID to get all temps reading the same.

Mike

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

Very nice. I like the electrical box enclosure mod...

[Mr Walleye]

Very nice. I like the electrical box enclosure mod...

Right up your alley Arcs!  :D

I think it keeps it somewhat enclosed, especially with the exterior cooling fan running. I removed all the plugs in the box to allow more air flow. No problems to date and it's been running a little over a year.

Mike

[Habanero Smoker]

I need to get around and install my fan.

Mike;
Did you use self tapping screws or nuts an bolts to attach your braces to the smoker. I am going to install my fan to run CW, and short of have an idea for a deflector; but haven't quite decided on which idea to go with.

[Mr Walleye]

Habs

In the first photo you can see the "L" brackets that I bent out of aluminium. They are heavy enough that the only place they are mounted is to the outside edge with 2 #10 screws on each side. Lots for them to bit into out there. I did pre-drill the holes. Where the "L" bracket mounts to the electrical box I slightly slotted the holes in the box so I could make any adjustment that I had to in order to align the shaft in the centre of the hole through the back of the cabinet.

Mike

[West Coast Kansan]

Hey you got a clean spot by that fan  ;)                 8)

[Habanero Smoker]

Mike;

Thanks for the information. I really need to get started on this project.

[Mr Walleye]

Hey you got a clean spot by that fan  ;)                 8)

I figured I better scrap a layer or two off before I mounted the bracket.  ::)

You should have seen the fan blade before I cleaned it with oven cleaner!  :o

Mike

[West Coast Kansan]

  ;D nothing ya cant replace  :D

[NePaSmoKer]

Mike

As always you have done some very nice work.


nepas

[Mr Walleye]

Thanks NePas!

You know, I just have to play with things!  ;D

Mike