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BBQ Guru PartyQ

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bluegrasstiger
bluegrasstiger Posts: 145
edited December 2011 in EggHead Forum
Good morning and hello to all.  First post for me.

I was fortunate to get one of the PartyQs before they went on backorder.  It is an awesome little tool.  And, they have incredible customer service...I actually ordered the wrong adapter and they sent a replacement immediately when I emailed.  Great customer service like this is hard to find now.

The PartyQ worked exactly as advertised for me.  Very easy set up and removal.  I set the temp and it held the temp perfectly so far...through 6 hour ribs and 12 hour boston butt.  Same batteries through 18 hours and battery level still indicates battery remaining.

If temp is lower than desired the unit will run continuously until temp reaches about 10-15 degrees below target.  It will then begin cycling on and off...until the desired temp is reached.  Thereafter it continuously cycles as needed to keep temp as desired.  If temp goes higher it discontinues the puffing.

The probe on my unit plugged into the PartyQ.  I read some previous questions about serviceability.  It would appear that if I have a problem I can simply get a new probe from the company.

Bottom line...it was perfect for what I wanted.  It is a simple and cost effective way to maintain a desired temperature over longer cooks where I don't want to stay close by the Egg all of the time.

Have a Merry Christmas.
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Comments

  • joe@bge
    joe@bge Posts: 394
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    Glad to hear about the service you received.  I just ordered a CyberQ II and they shipped it without the fan.  I called them this morning and they are shipping one out today - absolutely no hassles.  They offered to overnight ship it, but I don't need it till after xmas - so I let them ship it ground.
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  • bluegrasstiger
    bluegrasstiger Posts: 145
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    Update on battery usage. 12 hours boston butt last weekend, some 5 hour ribs during the week, 9 hours of boston butt today...low battery indicator came on so I replaced the batteries.  I would say that the fan ran more than usual on the butts because of some big temperature swings due to operator impatience with the cook.

    So I would estimate 20 hours easy, maybe 30 hours with the fan running normally.

    I'm still very pleased.  It works like a charm for me, and exactly what I wanted when I purchased.
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  • Austex_Egger
    Austex_Egger Posts: 153
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    Good information!  I've done a few overnight cooks with my Egg.  Never had a problem except for the time before last when my fire went out for some reason.  A temp controller would be nice,  but I don't want to shell out $300.  Been thinking of the PartyQ but want to see more live reports before I take the plunge.
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  • 3littleribs
    3littleribs Posts: 14
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    bluegrasstiger,

    Have you tried to cold smoke anything or do a jerky cook say around 150 deg. with the PartyQ. I ask because I'm looking at the PartyQ pretty hard, it's cheaper than the DIGI-Q,there are no power cords,and it's just simple pit temp control. What concerns me is the ability to hold very low temps.There is no adjustable damper on the PartyQ so there is nothing that would restrict the natural airflow through the fan with it not running like on the DIGI-Q. I'm guessing that natural flow would be enough to prohibit real low temp control and was hoping you or someone else might have tried it.  

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  • 3littleribs
    3littleribs Posts: 14
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    Just read alot of good info on Jerky and Cold smoking on the Naked Whiz's site, won't really need the PartyQ for that, so if it will hold 225 for low and slow without the damper I think I'm sold on one. Anyone have any problem with too much airflow on a low and slow cook with a PartyQ.
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  • bluegrasstiger
    bluegrasstiger Posts: 145
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    Sorry, but I have not tried it at very low temps.  It holds temp for butts at 225 degrees for hours just fine, but I can't say one way or the other about 150.

    Interesting question about the natural air flow.  It would seem to defeat the purpose of a controller if there was any natural airflow at all.  The folks at BBQ Guru are super to work with.  I would give them a call to see what they say about really low temps.
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  • 3littleribs
    3littleribs Posts: 14
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    Thanks, Have an E-mail conversation with Lisa at BBQ Guru going on now (several back and forths) and she will probably reply tommorow. Plenty of info here on the forum about the natural airflow though the fans when not running. The Stokers answer is gravity damper that closes when the fan is not running, Guru's answer is an adjustable damper that closes off the feed hole,but that damper is missing on the PartyQ thus my concern on too much airflow at a low temp. But hey if it holds 225 with out an over shoot from too much air thats the answer I'm looking for and will jump on the waiting list.
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  • bluegrasstiger
    bluegrasstiger Posts: 145
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    Lisa's great to work with.  I do close the top damper to about 1/8 or less, similar to what I would without the controller and let it do it's thing.
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  • 3littleribs
    3littleribs Posts: 14
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    Could be that the DIGI-Q uses a 10 cfm fan and the PartyQ uses a 5 cfm fan. The feed hole could be smaller on the 5 cfm thus restricting airflow for better control without the damper, I'll see what Lisa has to say, anyway Thanks for the info.
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  • bluegrasstiger
    bluegrasstiger Posts: 145
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    Some have questioned the serviceability of the probe if it were damaged.  Below is a photo of my unit and the connection for the probe.  The probe could easily be replace if damaged.

    image
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  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
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    That's new since the beta version I tested.
    The Naked Whiz
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  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,674
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    My BBQ Guru is still in the box from Christmas before last. This looks like something I would use: EASY......
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

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  • drbbq
    drbbq Posts: 1,152
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    I beta tested this thing too and loved it. I can't wait to get it back!
    Ray Lampe Dr. BBQ
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  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
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    I mean, you can put that thing in your pocket, almost, and carry it around, lol! 
    The Naked Whiz
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  • bluegrasstiger
    bluegrasstiger Posts: 145
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    Mine was shipped on December 7.  It looks like they have made some changes.
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  • bluegrasstiger
    bluegrasstiger Posts: 145
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    On longer cooks I have noticed that some moisture accumulates where the fan attaches to the adapter, and that it drips onto the ground as it accumulates.  It's not much, but enough that I need to take a towel to dry off at the adapter when I remove it.

    Has anyone else with a PartyQ or other controller noticed this issue?
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  • fairchase
    fairchase Posts: 312
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    Neat looking little unit. I kinda like the batteries. Electricity goes out , no problem. I'm glad they put a lcd display on this one.

    What range does the temperature adjust in  ( + or - 1 deg , 5 deg. etc ) ?
    What do you think of the 5 cfm blower on an XL ? They recommend 10's on their other controllers.
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  • bluegrasstiger
    bluegrasstiger Posts: 145
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    Temp adjusts in 1 degree increments up and down.  The smaller fan works fine on my Large Egg but I can't comment on the fan for the XL....maybe someone else can.
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  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
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    I've seen moisture condense inside the blower tube on the blowers used for the other BBQ Guru Models also.  Just wipe it out.
    The Naked Whiz
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  • skotdee
    skotdee Posts: 17
    edited February 2012
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    Another positive review for the party q here, just got mine now that they've started shipping again and this thing is a total game changer. Set it and forget it, I've used it twice now on my large BGE, once for a four hour slow & low and yesterday ran 8 hours, both times it worked flawlessly. A couple observations so far:

    1. I have found it easier to get the temp stabilized in the neighborhood of where your target is before attaching the party q. The first time I used it to start the fire and with the constant fan on at the beginning of a fresh fire, it blew right past my target and took a little while to come back down.

    2. If you open the lid during the cook once temps are stable, turn the party q OFF. If not, the unit thinks you're losing temp the whole time the lid is up and runs the fan, providing unecessary oxygen to the fire. Once you've closed the lid and the temps settle back down, turn the unit back on and let it regain control. It has a memory so it will still be on the temp you set before you turned it off.

    Thats really the only couple issues I've encountered, just wanted to give my two cents. Again, LOVE this thing so far, a much more affordable solution than a stoker or more expensive guru, if all you're after is temp control, without all the extra bells and whistles like meat temp. I use it with a Maverick 732 and have found only a few degrees difference in the two.

    One more thing: anyone concerned about battery life, don't be. I've now run a total of 12 hours on the first set of batteries that came with the unit, and I'm only down to 82% battery life. I'd say thats pretty efficient. And they now have a detachable temp probe so if you ever need to replace it you're good there too.

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