Problem with the temperature? Or is 220 F max "standard"?

[Big Tom]

Hi all,
I got my smoker about two weeks ago and am using it the first time today (smoked duck...) - but there seems to be a problem with the temperature setting. Even though it is set to full power and has been running for about an hour (yes the door and smoke exhaust is closed  ;D), I can not get the temperature to go higher than 220 F, the temperature outside is 45 F.  Even though this is enough for the duck, this seems to be on the very low end of what the heat output should be. Is this "normal" for the smoker or could it be something wrong with the thermostat/heater? Has anybody seen this problem before?

Thanks,
Tom

[MoSmoke]

Big Tom,
Welcome to the forum.
There might be a couple ofthings going on.
First open the vent on top 1/2 to 3/4 to let some of the heat and moisture out.
Poultry and fowl release a lot of moisture and you may end up with a big mess if it's not vented out.
I'm assuming that you are going by the thermometer in the door which is known to be more for show than accuracy. By having everything closed up you may be tripping the thermocouple and having the heating element shut off early. I would check out the internal with another thermometer. Having the duck in there may also cause the temp to stall and not get much over 220 until the temp of the duck gets close to the box temp.  If all else fails call Bradley on Monday, their customer service is one of the best I have ever dealt with.

Good luck.
John

[Habanero Smoker]

Hi Big Tom;
Welcome to the forum.

Just to add to MoSmoke, who is right on with his advise. The build up of moisture will also keep the cabinet temperature down. The 220°F mark is too low for the high temperature sensory to trip. That usually happens around 320°F.

[Big Tom]

Hi,
Thanks for the quick responses! I opened the vent completely prior to putting the duck in - my thought was that heating the smoker up to 225-250 would be faster with everything closed. I also checked with another (electronic) thermometer - I actually left it inside the smoker and the temperature with that one was pretty close (a few degree lower) to what the built in one showed. It never got beyond 225 without anything in it though. I will check with Bradley on Monday and see what they say. Reading your posts, I assume that you get your smoker significantly hotter than this?

By the way, I normally keep the vent completely open (was using a gas/wood one prior to the OBS) - how do you handle that?

Thanks,
Tom

[FLBentRider]

My OBS rarely gets over 250 when I pre-heat it. Once I put the load in, it hovers around 225 - 250 with the control on max.

I guess I need to build a PID.

[Big Tom]

lol - I just ordered the parts for mine. But as far as I understand the setup with the PID, it is an additional control, the built in thermostat will still shut off at whatever you set the controller to (that's why the built in one should be set to full power) - but I could be wrong....

Tom

P.S. Our smoked duck came out really good. Had it in the smoker for about 5 hours and used cherry and apple. Only problem was that it was too small.....

...
I guess I need to build a PID.

[Wildcat]

Welcome to the forum Big Tom.  Regarding the built-in temp gauge, you will find as much as a 10 to 20 degree difference between front and back of your OBS after you load it until the meat temp gets closer to the box temp.  This is because the heating element is in the back and the meat has a cooling effect before the heat reaches the door.  You should think about buying a dual probe thermometer (like the Maverick ET-73) to properly monitor the meat and box temps.  Regarding the vent opening, I would recommend 3/4 open for birds (due to the high moisture content) and less for pork and beef - say around 1/3.  The main objective is to prevent heat and moisture from backing back up into the smoke generator which could really do some damage.