BBQ Guru observation/question?

msloan · June 2014

hey guys! i got my BBQ guru in last week and have done a couple of cooks with it already. so far i love the device and i'm happy that I purchased it. however, one thing I have noticed on my first couple of cooks is that when i set the pit temp to be say 235 i will notice it creeping up throughout the cook and many times it will stay in the 245-255 range.....even if I have the daisy wheel openings almost closed and if i have the guru fan opening barely open. is this just a normal by-product of the device?

it never runs away from me.....it will stay really close to what I have set it at but it does stray on a regular basis.....any thoughts ideas or tips?

RRP · June 2014

have you calibrated your dome thermometer lately? Personally I trust my Guru since it is calling the shots telling the fan what to do!

msloan · June 2014

the issue is not with the dome thermometer.....I understand that is the cooking grid is 235 that the dome will be higher in temperature usually ranging from 15-25 degrees higher.

the issue i have mentioned above relates to setting the pit temp on the guru to be 235 which it will do for the majority of the time and then from time to time the pit temp on the guru will start to drift up....and that reading is coming from the grid probe on the guru. so the actual temp at the cooking level will drift up even though i have the guru set to run at 235.

fence0407 · June 2014

I started to notice the same thing happening on my last cook with my cyberq. Made sure the chimney cap was barely open and the guru fan opening was mostly closed. Set at 250 and the guru was telling me the temp was 265+.

bettysnephew · June 2014

I would try closing the daisy wheel and/or flow control even further. If the fire is too hot, it is simply getting too much air. Is your gasket good? Dollar bill test? I have actually run my Flame Boss with the daisy wheel completely shut on low temps and it will still keep the fire going as it just pressurizes the Egg and powers through the DFMT. The FB has a gate on the fan that shuts when the fan is off preventing airflow, but the physics is till the same - too much air = hotter fire.

r8rs4lf · June 2014

I never get my temps creeping up with my Guru. I have noticed that the temp fluctuates when it's close to the target temp. Like if I set the Guru to 270*, it will jump from 265* to 270*. No biggie to me because the controller has not given me one problem. Thing is bullet proof. Even if it over shoots, it brings itself back to where it was set. I usually open the fan door and the daisy wheel all the way until the temp gets close. Then I shut the door to 1/4 and the wheel just a butthair open.

Charlesmaneri · June 2014

what kind of shape is you gasket in if it's not in good shape it is letting in air which will make it hard to control the temp I have a BBQ Guru that holds temp exactly what I set it for for hours at a time I would check your gasket

TheShaytoon · June 2014

I hate to use the word normal, but this is "Normal". Maybe a better term would be Nature of the Beast.

A 20 degree fluctuation is about 8.5%. I guarantee that a home oven can not keep temp that accurately, and we are talking about a device being able to keep burning lump within that range.

Keep in mind that the Guru can only heat the egg, and it has no way of "cooling" it if some extra lump ignites during a heating cycle.

Finally, I would also like to point out that over a 12 hour cook, a 20 degree influx for an hour or so will not have any noticeable effect on the food.

msloan · June 2014

thanks guys! and im not upset at all....i love the guru but just wondering if the fluctuations were normal and it appears that some of you see it and some a little less.

so it appears that everything is close to being what is expected.

the gasket is in great shape......no issues there.

Rusty Rooster · June 2014

Like others have stated that difference is insignificant. However, you likely do have a small air leak somewhere. First check your gasket. If it is good, it could be your lower vent. Get a roll of aluminum furnace tape and seal over the edges of the lower vent adaptor. Then just peal and toss after your cook.

msloan · June 2014

ok thanks!

tjv · June 2014

might check the pit probe location in reference to the lump burn. best to keep the pit probe over the ceramic plate and couple inches or so from the meat or clipped to the dome thermometer. don't expect the dome thermometer and guru pit probe to match......

t

Carolina Q · June 2014

I haven't noticed much of a variance. I clip the pit probe to the dome thermo probe, set it for 250° and every time I look at it, it says 250°, +/- 5° or so. It's even fairly close to the dome thermo temp, though they never match.

Maybe it would be a different story if I tried a lower temp like 225-230°. Have never done that.

msloan · June 2014

i have no idea on that as well......but for me the issue isnt matching the temps from the guru with the egg's thermometer.....it's getting the guru's temp to stay where i have programmed it stay based on what the guru says the temp is. but like what has been mentioned above it appears that the slight variance in what I have programmed versus what I am getting is no big deal.

KSwoll · June 2014

I shut all my vents down when using my CyberQ WiFi. This way most of the air is blown in by the fan. I notice little fluctuations here and there, but nothing to alarm me. That is unless I forget that I set my pit temp to 400 from my last cook and i go to throw some ribs on for a slow and low. lol That happened last weekend.

KSwoll · June 2014

On another note, what is the temp when you start the guru? It might be possible that your coals got a little too hot and the guru isn't able to compensate. I start my guru about 50 to 75 degrees under what my set pit temp is. For example, if I am cooking at 250 will plug my fan in when the fire reaches 185 to 200. Then I let the guru bring it up the rest of the way. just a thought

pescadorzih · June 2014

You're not using RO are you

Just kidding. Maybe the lump may have something to do with it. Maybe the size of the lump?

I have the Guru and mine stays right on the set temp.
I use Humphries Hardwood charcoal in my XL.
Gate on the Guru I run 1/2 closed. Top damper all but closed.

nolaegghead · June 2014

I've run the DigiQ with the DFMT completely closed. There are enough leaks in it the stoker fan can still push enough air through the egg to maintain low temperatures, in the sub-250F range. If you didn't overshoot and you still can't get it down, just keep closing the daisy wheel.

scooter759 · June 2014

I've had temps creep on me. I've found if I close down the damper on the lower vent adapter it usually corrects the problem. Usually keep it about 1/3 open. Also make sure you have as snug a fit as you can between the egg vents and the guru adapter. Last low and slow stayed rock solid at 230 for 16 hrs. Smokeware cap about 1/4 inch open.

nolaegghead · June 2014

^^ yeah, I usually run the damper on the fan between 1/4 and 1/3 open. I found the screws that attach the damper to the fan were loose and I had some leaks there, so I tightened them up. You want to adjust that damper down to 1/4 before you start closing the daisy wheel.

msloan · June 2014

excellent tips guys thanks!

SkinnyV · June 2014

Yeah great thread as I am using mine for the first time soon

nolaegghead · June 2014

Here's another way to look at it: With the power to the stoker fan off, and a stable fire, adjust the stoker fan damper and daisy wheel so your temp stabilizes at 10 F lower than your desired (set point) grill temp. If the power went out, that's around where you expect your temp to be. The closer you have the bypass air flow to your temp (but not above it), the less the fan will run.

The fan give it enough extra air to hit your setpoint temp.

tgkleman · June 2014

I adjust the fan damper to half way open. I find that even when the fan is off, too much air can be pulled by the fire and raise temps. I use a 4 CFM fan for my large.

BBQ Guru observation/question?

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