Flameboss and pit temp on long cooks

nostradamus

Good morning all.  I'm new to the forum but have searched all the posts and can't find a related topic.  I recently got a Flameboss 500 in December.  I've done 5 cooks so far.  4 have been long (8+ hours).  In 3 out of those 4 I reach a point somewhere between 8-12 hours where my fan gradually starts to rise.  Before this it has been up and down between 20-40ish %.  It creeps up and eventually gets to 100%, stays at 100%, and the pit temp starts to drop.  All of these smokes have been at 225.  I have to pull the fan and open up the vents to get the temp back up, and that works, so it's not a question of running out of fuel.  I live in Minneapolis and it's been colder than sh*t the times i've done these smokes (in the negatives, or a bit above 0 - definitely below freezing.  

My theory was that I'm getting too much ash and it's blocking the holes in the grate thing above the ash box and preventing air flow, because opening the vents (daisy wheel) which would not be impacted by that allows temp to go back up.

I called Flameboss and their customer service was very helpful but their theory was the air is so cold that the Flameboss is blowing in that that is what is causing it and I should just do higher temp shorter cooks.  Well that might work for some things but I really enjoy 225 long cooks.  

I guess come summertime I will obviously be able to prove or disprove their theory, but I'm wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences or issues with this.  

Thanks in advance.

lkapigian

The “ I” in the PID is hitting the accelerator as it is not seeing an advance towards its destination , air flow over the coal would be the culprit….

it’s not time related as I’m to long of cook…I’ve run my FB500 for days 

Ozzie_Isaac

If there is any humidity or moisture I have seen the fans ice up and restrict airflow on cold damp days.  You can get enough moisture "back wash" from the egg to cause this.

Sounds like you are doing everything right, aim for fan duty cycle of 15-20%.  My one suggestion would be to set your temp around 240.  I have better luck around that.  225 and lower is were 99% of my controller issues occur.  I personally do not notice a quality difference in finished product between 225 and 240.

BigreenGreg

Kick ash basket will help with air flow as well.

stlcharcoal

Where is the pit probe?  Remember, that's only measuring 1 cubic inch of air in the entire kamado.

But, I also agree with the theory of the ice build up from the fan as the backfed moisture with freeze on it.

Kick Ash Basket is the way to go in any weather.  Give it a shot.  It may not fix this exact problem, but it's going to make life easier and help in other ways.

nostradamus

Thanks for the thoughts guys.  I will try a Kick Ash Basket.  Just ordered one.  Seems like a good idea.  The pit probe is on the grate right next to the meat.  There has definitely been some moisture build up on some of those days due to snow etc...

Photo Egg

Assuming you have some gasket on your Egg between base and dome, raise the dome 2-3 inches and thump it closed. Do this a couple times. This will help clear the ash in the lump grate holes. Really helps when using the stock lump grate in combo with a vent controller where you can’t easily use a wiggle rod through the lower vent to poke the lump around.

Miked125

I have the original FB, I think its the 200? I live in Saskatchewan and don't have issues with the cold. I would guess that your not putting enough lump in or its burn down in certain spots. Try moving it with the ash tool. I also run a KAB with a replacement charcoal grate at the bottom. With the new Kab's you wouldn't need the grate but mine is one of the first ones. So I would get better airflow. 

wps456

This happens to me too. The fire likely isn't spreading laterally so just take the ash tool through the openings on the grate and push the lump around the sides to the middle where the fire is.
I don't have a Kick Ash Basket but I always have more trouble keeping the temps low enough (they always want to climb too high, even with FB 500) and I'm afraid having more air circulation will make it worse.

Miked125

wps456 said:

This happens to me too. The fire likely isn't spreading laterally so just take the ash tool through the openings on the grate and push the lump around the sides to the middle where the fire is.
I don't have a Kick Ash Basket but I always have more trouble keeping the temps low enough (they always want to climb too high, even with FB 500) and I'm afraid having more air circulation will make it worse.

Maybe the top vent is open to much? Mine is steady at any temp.

littlerascal56

Ran my XL with a FB300.  That setup hated 225 cooks.  Was all over the place, overshot, shut down, lost fire, etc.  I started running at 250-260, and it ran perfect.  8-12 hour cooks were straight line graphs! 

Yno

My FB500 handles 225 just fine. I only had one fire go out in all the cooks I have done. I have never had a fire go out of control. 

Money_Hillbilly

I have smoked tuna at 185 for 4 hours with my Flameboss 500 without any problems

calracefan

Miked125 said:

wps456 said:

This happens to me too. The fire likely isn't spreading laterally so just take the ash tool through the openings on the grate and push the lump around the sides to the middle where the fire is.
I don't have a Kick Ash Basket but I always have more trouble keeping the temps low enough (they always want to climb too high, even with FB 500) and I'm afraid having more air circulation will make it worse.

Maybe the top vent is open to much? Mine is steady at any temp.

I have to run my top vent closed with my Flameboss or it doesn't control !