BBQ Guru fan froze

kimopilot

I set up my XL with my BBQ Guru last night for a low and slow.  All was well when I went to bed, but this morning I found that condensation had dripped into the fan on my BBQ Guru and it froze (Minnesota is cold this time of year)  Anyone else had this problem, and have a solution?  I'm still fairly new on the egg, so I don't have the experience to set up the damper and daisy wheel to hold a consistent temp.

pgprescott

This has happened to me once. I removed the fan took it inside and used a toothpick to manually turn the fan. this dislodged the ice bead and I had no further issues. Not sure there is a fail-safe answer. Possibly the way we had the fan oriented was a factor? Was yours vertical or horizontal? I honestly can't remember how mine was setting.  Maybe before you turn in for the night, remove the fan and give it the once over? Someone should have a nugget of genius to help, just isn't me.

kimopilot

After thawing, the fan is working fine.  The fan orientation might be a factor.  I had it horizontal with the fan inlet facing down.  There was ice in the tube, and ice had frozen the fan. I guess I need to perfect the manual way of setting the temp;-)

RRP

kimopilot said:

 I found that condensation had dripped into the fan on my BBQ Guru and it froze

How did drips get in? Did you have it vertical? I always position my fan so the body of the fan is horizontal. And when it rains or snows I take a small piece of foil and drape it over the fan leaving the bottom open and the foil edges hanging below. That way gravity provides run off. Also the foil edges are hanging so even on high speed the fan won't pull in any moisture. At least this has worked for me for years and I've never had a freeze up.

Eggscuses

Mine did that too. I took a piece of aluminum flashing and cut and bent it to cover/overhang the hole inside. No problems since.
Will try to remember to take a picture when I get home. 

ChokeOnSmoke

Yup, has happened to me.  Turn it so the fan is on top, instead of the natural way, which would be fan underneath.  I also made a "cover" for mine out of a old tupperware container.  I cut a hole in the lid for the fan insert to fit into and a small slit for the power cord.  Works well when there's going to be sleet/ snow/rain anywhere near freezing temps.

jonnymack

Move to Georgia, it's what I did and presto! No more frozen anything really.

GregW

The Guru I had years ago didn't like cold weather. The fan would seize up if the outdoor temperature was cold. It was not related to water. Apparently the bearing in the fan was not designed to operate in cold weather. I could work around the issue by keeping a towel over the fan (leaving the fan intake open)

Jeepster47

The blower fan is an inexpensive computer type fan, so factory differences are probably to be expected.  Mine has worked well in zero degree (F) temps, so will say a word of thanks to the distribution gods.



Since the outlet is aimed upward at the egg, any moisture in the adapter tube will run back towards the fan unit.  And, there is moisture in and around the adapter tube ... look inside after the next cook. Here's the result of the moisture from one of last winter's Guru cooks:



You might try positioning it so that the motor is vertical and above the tube ... that's the default position of the Flameboss blower.  And, don't let @RRP talk you into using aluminum foil as a cover ... build a more permanent, high-tech one like mine:

MichaelCollins

I suspect that a cover like Jeepster47's may help trap some heat from the BGE. That could help with the freezing condensation. I would even try to position the cover even closer to the heat source.

I am just speculating. I never have a problem with freezing condensation in central Florida.

Eggscuses

Well doing a brisket tonight, and remembered I was gonna post these pics for you.

Hope it helps.

westernbbq

What is this freezing phenomenon you all speak of?   I got a lot of sun this week at the Phoenix Open, and saw a lot of <ahem> scenery up there.  Heard there was some golfing going on too...

Tomorrow itll be outside, with the tv on back patio next to BGE super bowl sunday with minimax and the Large fired up.   Sausages and Burgers.   Ill take picts

Jeepster47

@westernbbq ... crow all you want and enjoy it while it lasts.  Report back in the last half of July and tell us how comfortable it is.

@eggscuses ... is that a shield to keep moisture from dripping into the adapter tube?  If so, please post what your results are.  My supposition has been that by throttling the top vents down, the blower slightly pressurizes the air inside the egg.  When the fan shuts off, the pressure releases backwards through the blower.  Thus there is a slight back flow of very humid air back into the adapter tube ... not much, just a little ... once every 10 seconds with the Guru.  That back flow also contributes to the moist air hitting the stainless door, condensing out because of the cold air outside of the egg, and running down the inside into the door into the guide channel.

If my supposition is true, then you should still have condensation inside the adapter tube ... if it's wrong, then I'd like to see better pictures of your fix!

Eggscuses

t

Jeepster47 said:

@eggscuses ... is that a shield to keep moisture from dripping into the adapter tube?  If so, please post what your results are.

Thats exactly what its for. Then you come along with your logic and facts and break it on me. Lol. Put a brisket on last night at 11 ,  225 grate temp, outside temp- cold enough. Just took  brisket off. Checked  tube and sure enough there was moisture in there. I never thought of back pressure causing the moisture. Just coincidence it never froze again on me, i  guess. Oh well now i know.  Thanks for edjamacting me. 

Jeepster47

@Eggscuses ... thanks for following up.  That's just a supposition. 

Your shield ruled out moisture dripping into the tube though ... so I'm still golden.  Did you have the cover over the blower when it last froze?

Eggscuses

No , I put the cover on same time I made the shield. Use every low n slow now.

Jeepster47

@Eggscuses ... maybe Michael was right that a cover provides just enough wind protection and warmth to keep the fan from freezing.  I've only used the Flame Boss this winter.  The cover for it is so easy to install that it gets used every time.

westernbbq

Hey jeepster.  I lived in siberia, er wisconsin for 16 years and hated it.  I live in AZ because i dont do rusty cars, mosquito bites, humidity or winter.  And if i want snow it is 2 hours by car north of me in mountains.  

It is hotter than hades here in summer but then the upside of that is that we dont get california affordability issues for real estate.  The heat is an effective deterrent to population overcrowding.  As long as you have ac, cold beer and pool access, summer is super easy to handle here. 

Ill take it any time over bitter cold and snow add if you watched the open this week youd really appreciate the greatest show on grass.  Lotsa chickens to look at up there and i aint talking about the spatchcocked kind....

Jeepster47

@westerbbq ... you forgot to mention the black flies and noseeums.

But, lets see about Arizona ... dust everywhere; the monsoon season brings in moisture with the heat ... in the North you can put on more clothes, but, take everything off in July and August and you're still hot; got to remember to put a towel on the steering wheel when parking in the sun ... or wear gloves 'cuz it's too hot; everything in the desert pokes, scratches or bites ... rattlesnakes on the back porch and black widows in the garage ... oh yes, and the Mohave rattler is an aggressive little sh*t; the population doubles in the winter with all the snowbirds ... and only 3/4 of them go back home in the spring ... talk about population growth; everyone crowded into the three main cities in Arizona ... what's with that ... great highways, but it still takes 45 minutes to go anyplace; your auto insurance doubles 'cuz you've got the driving habits of all 50 states, plus Mexico and Canada crowded into those two cities; oh yes, and the spread of driving ages from 16 to 106 ... you don't know if grandma is going to wait for a couple of green lights before moving or if she's going to beat your sorry a** off the light.

Oh yes, and we love it too.

Edit:  Wisconsin?  Heck that's south of where I lived for six years.

bigalsworth

Eggscuses said:

t

Jeepster47 said:

@eggscuses ... is that a shield to keep moisture from dripping into the adapter tube?  If so, please post what your results are.

Thats exactly what its for. Then you come along with your logic and facts and break it on me. Lol. Put a brisket on last night at 11 ,  225 grate temp, outside temp- cold enough. Just took  brisket off. Checked  tube and sure enough there was moisture in there. I never thought of back pressure causing the moisture. Just coincidence it never froze again on me, i  guess. Oh well now i know.  Thanks for edjamacting me. 

so who is going to design the next one with a swing check valve in it?

Jeepster47

@bigalsworth ... need to get @Eggscuses going on that.  The stoker (only one I know about that has a check valve) has the flapper inside of a rectangular adapter tube.  The Guru has a round tube, so it would be rather difficult.  But, it looks like it could go on fire side of the Guru's adapter plate.  Get eggscuses to remove the shield and add a hinged flap that completely covers the opening. Wouldn't need a spring ... the downward angle of the tube would serve to hold the flapper over the hole.

Nothing pretty for now ... just a proof of concept.  Maybe incorporate the shield as a part of the hinge 'cuz it's already in place. Hmmm.

Or, maybe a sub-assembly that consists of a tube that fits inside the adapter tube from the fire side and a hinged cover plate, attached to the outside end of the tube, that prevents back drafts.

I'd be interesting to know if the Guru's algorithms can handle a flapper.  And, you would loose the ability for the fire to limp along if electrical power went out.

Eggscuses

I'm on it. But do you think the flapper would  close fast enough to not let any moisture back in ? And if it didn't would that insulate the moisture, from the heat, causing it to freeze quicker?

Jeepster47

Eggscuses said:

I'm on it. But do you think the flapper would  close fast enough to not let any moisture back in ? And if it didn't would that insulate the moisture, from the heat, causing it to freeze quicker?

That's the fun of testing ... you never know what the final answer will be!  Most good solutions depend on serendipitous discoveries.

RRP

Know what's really funny guys? Shotgun Fred - the inventor of the BBQ Guru was a talented engineer with a ton of patents for his inventions. He would have embraced that challenge but also participated in the testing with/for you. For those who don't know when Fred died he left $25 million to the University of Texas as scholarships for engineering students. That is the largest donation the school has ever received from one individual.

Jeepster47

Here's a picture of the moisture that dripped from the bottom door on my egg during the last cook.  17 hours at 250 degrees.

RRP

Jeepster47 said:

Here's a picture of the moisture that dripped from the bottom door on my egg during the last cook.  17 hours at 250 degrees.

I have yet to ever experience that issue, Tom. It still amazes me! Even the trajectory of the drips which froze to make that mountain! This picture let alone the other one you post which looks like an egg yoke under your egg! Are you sure you don't have a cracked bottom?...other than the one you were born with.

Jeepster47

@RRP ... geez Ron, you must have been the straight man at the bank.  Without even thinking, I came up with three smart a$$ remarks.  You do drive one to distraction.

Nope, I've watched it drip off the bottom slide.  In fact, the door is now frozen shut 'cuz I forgot to dry it out.  Will have to hit it with the torch tomorrow to open it and then dry it out.  I've been contemplating drilling a small hole in the very bottom of the slide to allow all of the moisture to run out and prevent the door from being frozen shut.

So, does anyone else have moisture dripping from the door slide during the cold season ... or am I the only one?

RRP

Jeepster47 said:

whatever  - and I even thought "trajectory" might perk up the engineer's ears. I still say I have never experienced this problem so I'm glad you have raised the question for others. Maybe you ought to make it a whole new thread.

Jeepster47

@RRP ... folks already think I'm weird ... why help them along! 

RRP

Jeepster47 said:

@RRP ... folks already think I'm weird ... why help them along! 

I never have said you were weird! You obviously have an inquisitive engineering mind. At one time my tight neighborhood association consisted of 96 homes of which 2/3rd were CAT engineers. Trust me - we have a pretty good mind of how your minds work. It was a standing joke amongst the rest of us of "don't ask X what time it is as he will build you a watch and your afternoon is wasted."

bigalsworth

Jeepster47 said:

@bigalsworth ... need to get @Eggscuses going on that.  The stoker (only one I know about that has a check valve) has the flapper inside of a rectangular adapter tube.  The Guru has a round tube, so it would be rather difficult.  But, it looks like it could go on fire side of the Guru's adapter plate.  Get eggscuses to remove the shield and add a hinged flap that completely covers the opening. Wouldn't need a spring ... the downward angle of the tube would serve to hold the flapper over the hole.

Nothing pretty for now ... just a proof of concept.  Maybe incorporate the shield as a part of the hinge 'cuz it's already in place. Hmmm.

Or, maybe a sub-assembly that consists of a tube that fits inside the adapter tube from the fire side and a hinged cover plate, attached to the outside end of the tube, that prevents back drafts.

I'd be interesting to know if the Guru's algorithms can handle a flapper.  And, you would loose the ability for the fire to limp along if electrical power went out.

I think part of the problem will be using a flapper light enough to open (may need to adjust the guru fan gate a little wider open) but also be strong enough to take the heat inside the egg.  Will the flapper open all the way or will it matter if it doesn't?  I would think that the algorithms should be able to compensate based on the fact that it just turns a fan on and off based on temperature rising and falling.

It would be hard to say if the egg can limp along with a power outage.  With the right flapper (weight) it might, the natural draft may have just enough oomph to slightly open the flapper, especially if you need to open the guru gate a little more to get desired results.

edit: maybe with the downward leaning of the adapter the flapper will hang slightly open when there is no positive pressure in the egg