Another Mod...

[Habanero Smoker]

Outstanding write up there Habs!! Even the electrically challenged like myself could probably do a Mod like this. I'm hoping this will end up in the recipe section for future reference.

I tell you at first I was clueless, but Mike spent a lot of time working me through this.

I'll tinker around with it a bit to see if I can shorten it up without removing any details. I'll probably append it to Mike's write up, since mine is basically a write up for the switch.

[Mr Walleye]

You did an excellent job Habs! 

Two thumbs up! 

Mike

[backstrap]

Mike-
Thanks for all your work & willingness to share.  I'm gonna upgrade mine before fall gets here.  I do have a couple of questions...I can't tell from your pictures how you used the 2nd reflector and, I am assuming the power cord is capable of handling the extra load.  Have you noticed if the cord is getting hot while in use?

[Habanero Smoker]

Backstrap;

I did this mod and it is easy. The optional reflector is a suggestion to replace you existing one while you have it off, you do not add an additional reflector.

I smoke/cooked a Tur-Duc-Hen on Wednesday. I smoke/cooked at 275°F for 5.5 hours. I use the DigiQ II to control my temperatures. The plug from the cabinet to the power raptor (part of the temperature controlling devise) never even got warm.

[Mr Walleye]

Hi Backstrap

Habs nailed it. I just used a new reflector simply because they are inexpensive and I was experimenting. You really don't have to get a new one.

Mike

[backstrap]

Thanks Habs & Mike.  Can't wait to upgrade mine.  I think a faster recovery time will help a bunch.  BTW, when a recipe calls for multiple temp stages, is the time recommended at each stage after the smoker has reached that temp or when it makes the change?  Mine has quite a bit of lag time before it actually reaches the next temp set.  I think that could be why I seem to be undercooking things but I really don't know.
Backstrap

[kiyotei]

Has anyone done this mod on a 4 rack smoker (Either OBS or the digital BS)?  I have the 4 rack OBS.  I think it does a good job but it took me a long time to accept that it was working properly because the door thermometer shows it takes a long time to hit 200+.  I did a lot of experiments with a digital thermometer to see what the real temp was inside while smoking.  I did have to replace the internal temp sensor (was causing the heating element to shut off at too low a temp).  I've never seen mine ever come close 300 degrees even empty with vents closed (I tried once to see how high the temp would go).  I know you would never smoke meats at that temp but I think its a good measure of how well the heating element works.  I added a fan which I'm not convinced helped any to even out the temp in the cabin.  FYI I would recommend mounting the fan below the drip tray.  I mounted mine above it and over time it gets heavily soiled with grease splash.  This of course kills its ability to move air properly.  Oh well live and learn.  I'm currently having no problems smoking with it per se.  I just set the temp to max and let it run.  I live in Seattle so we never have hot days.  Most of the year its below 60 degrees.  I find that whens its especially cold out that if I place my charcoal starter chimney on top of the OBS it acts like a chimney and helps the OBS heat up better by helping keep the temp right outside the vent hole warmer thus the cabinet stays warmer as well.  I mainly do brisket which is fine in this mode (hard to over cook it).  Yes it takes a few hours to get back to 200 degrees after putting the meat in but its probably running at 170+.  I use a cast iron muffin pan as a heat sink in my OBS.  I preheat the cast iron muffin pan in my oven set at 400 degrees.  I then transfer it to my OBS right before I put the meat in.  Anyhow the meat is obviously cooking so the meat is just absorbing a lot of heat.  Once it gets to certain point in cooking the smoker then will get to 200+ degrees, usually after say 3 hours (that's a wild guess time wise but I smoke my briskets for 5 hours and transfer to my oven where I can really control the temp).  I've seen it climb to about 250 as I get close to 5h ours in the smoker.  Now normally I would never want the meat smoking at such a high temp but it is just so hard to control the temp on an OBS that I just leave it at max.  I gave up on salmon though because I just cannot figure out low temps on the OBS.  Perhaps the digital units work better for controlling low temps.  Is it better to buy the digital controls from Bradley and add them to my OBS?  Or does that require modifying the electronics inside the cabinet as well?  I've been using my smoker for 3 years now I think.  I use it a lot.  I've thought about buying another smoker but hate to spend the money.  I have a friend who uses the Cook Shack brand.  I've been tempted to get one of those as well.  Though it has the same power heating element as the OBS.  Though its cabinet looks to have a smaller volume which would help it heat better, in theory at least.  My buddy loves his cook shack.  He moved back east so I cannot go over and play with his smoker to see how it works regarding temp controlling.

[Mr Walleye]

kiyotei

If you look back one page on this thread you will see a post by Habs doing this mod to his 4 rack OBS. Also if you look back to the first page you will see that mine is a 4 rack DBS which I control with a PID and not the DBS's own controls.

As far as temp control on your OBS goes the best thing to do is to add a PID and certainly if you are going to do this mod some sort of temp control is a "must". With this mod the unit will be capable of gaining temps fast so you need to have control.

I too have added a circulation fan a couple of years ago. Originally when I installed it I had it running CCW (pulling the air to the back of the cabinet). I found this was not as effective as running it CW (blowing towards the door). I did add a half shield above it to prevent it from blowing on the lowest rack. Here's a link to the bracket I made http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=6843.0  I find it works more effectively this way and if I remember correctly your's is installed the same way (blowing towards the door).

I certainly believe if you mounted the circulation fan below the V-pan you would have problems with the pucks burning up too rapidly and therefore don't think that is the place to put it. If you are having heat problems you may also want to open up your vents in the V-pan somewhat. I use a large screwdiver on a regular basis to keep my vents open as much as possible to allow more effective heat flow.

Mike

[Habanero Smoker]

As Mike stated, I did the mod and I would highly recommend that you have a PID or other temperature control device to control the temperatures. I control mine with the DigiQ II, during my first empty cabinet pretrial, and it reached 275°F within 15 minutes. The other day I smoke/cooked a 15 pound Tur-Duc-Hen, preheated to 290°F and easily cooked at 275°F.

PS.
It may be my old age. I do have a good monitor, but never liked reading from the screen. It makes it harder to read post if not enough white space is used. Could I suggest that you break your post into paragraphs, and leave an extra line in between paragraphs. It would make it easier for an old man like me to get through the day.

[Rtasma]

Well... I came across this brain wave... 

You know me... just can't leave things alone! 

Anyway, I've always wanted to add something to provide additional heat. With the PID controlling things it's more for getting up to temp and recovering temp faster, especially when doing large loads. Last summer when I was ordering a number of things from Bryan at Yard & Pool I also ordered an additional heater element and reflector. So here is my plan...

In this photo you can see how I ground a notch in the ceramic cap for the existing heater element. My plan is to run high temp wire directly from the element to the plug on the back of the DBS. The wire will be run parallel to the original wiring and come out the notch I created in the cap for the original heater, then connected to the 2nd heater.  You can also see where I drilled a hole through the reflector to mount the 2nd heating element. The hole is 5/8", just large enough for the insulator on the end of the heating element to fit into, it sits nicely up against lip of the insulator.

Click to enlarge...



Here's another picture of the reflector with the 2nd heating element mounted into it.




I will post updates to this thread once I have it finished and once I've done some testing. Providing this works, which I don't see why it won't, it is a very economical heating mod. The heater element was $12.00 and the new reflector was $4.00

Mike

I need help! Are you available?

[TedEbear]

I need help! Are you available?

What do you need help with?  Many of us have done that mod.

[Rtasma]

I need help! Are you available?

What do you need help with?  Many of us have done that mod.

Well, I was having trouble getting element into holes of reflector. I couldn’t spread the ends far enough apart. I tried making hole a little bigger. But the end snapped off when I tried the next time! I was just about to order a new one and then saw another solution. The break was clean, so I just drilled 2 holes and reattached with bolts. It’s stronger than it was before, haha! I just got done making notches in ceramic. The quickest thing I found was a diamond saw blade on a grinder. It notched all 4 in less than a minute.

Anyway, TedEbear, thanks for the quick response! The amount of support on this page is incredible.

[TedEbear]

Well, I was having trouble getting element into holes of reflector. I couldn’t spread the ends far enough apart. I tried making hole a little bigger. But the end snapped off when I tried the next time! I was just about to order a new one and then saw another solution. The break was clean, so I just drilled 2 holes and reattached with bolts. It’s stronger than it was before, haha! I just got done making notches in ceramic. The quickest thing I found was a diamond saw blade on a grinder. It notched all 4 in less than a minute.

Anyway, TedEbear, thanks for the quick response! The amount of support on this page is incredible.

Glad you got it working.  When I made the holes in the reflector for mine I found that the thin metal tears easily with a large drill bit.  Thus, I drilled each hole out to around 3/8" and then used a grinding tip on a hand drill to enlarge each hole for the end of the element to fit.

[ghosttown]

Any difference if one runs the second element in parallel to the first vs running the wires for the second one all the way to the back?

I heard in the digital version the PID might beep on you so some people disable or bypass I think they said the sensor? Not sure if anybody had this issue.

Thanks

Sent from my SM-G935W8 using Tapatalk

[Habanero Smoker]

I don't have a digital, so I can't answer the question on the sensor.

I may be wrong, but I believe running the wires from the second element back to he source of the power is a parallel circuit. Connecting both elements together with a short wire (piggybacking) is a series circuit. The main difference, in this case, is that in a series circuit, if one element fails, both will not work. In a parallel circuit, if one element fails the other will still work.