dstearn said:

Photo Egg said:

Smokeware caps are great. But even with a fresh gasket, it’s still a 2 piece unit, and air will leak between the 2 pieces. This, in combination with you leaving it open a crack, will cause a small draft to be drawn. For a low temp cook, with temp control unit, there is little reason to leave top vent open at all. The fan will push air out of the small air leaks around vent cap.
It’s obvious you are frustrated. True, the FB is not the same as Guru or Stoker. FB does not have a flap or adjustment on fan. Looking at the chart you posted above. You can see that the fan is shutting down to stabilize temp, but temp continues to rise. So yes, there is air continuing to flow through your Egg to allow temp to continue to rise and it takes a little time for it back down. If this extra time really bothers you that much, you can close down your smokeware cap completely. This will greatly help. I close mine completely when using my FB. I also have slower response after I throughly clean my Smokeware cap. After a couple cooks it gunks up a little and I get less air leak and response time is quicker with FB.
Using my Guru or Stoker, I can leave the top vent open a little. FB uses a multi speed fan and will not over stoke a fire. But you also need a tighter air control at top vent to run low temps.
All I can say is it’s great to have choices buddy. 

Great advice, I may test it out using my original daisy wheel or close the cap completely. . My Smokeware Cap has a lot of build up. I was using the Smokeware with the CyberQ so having a controller with a fan damper could make a difference. 

I have also used several different Smokeware caps over the years. Both older style and newer style with tapered vent hole. With the lower base of the cap sealed nice with a gasket, there has been a noticeable difference on how well the top mates to the base piece. Some fit tight and some move and spin with no resistance and wobble a little. But I also have same issue with original BGE cast iron daisy. Some fit and are finished smoother than others. 
Here’s something to try.
Get you Egg up to and stabilized at 250-300. No plate setter or cooking grate. With your FB in place, toss in something that will cause lots of smoke. Some wood chips or smaller pieces of cardboard. Close the dome and bump your pit temperature up to 400.
With your top vent completely closed, watch and see where the fan pushes the smoke out of your Egg.

stlcharcoal said:

dstearn said:

Photo Egg said:

Smokeware caps are great. But even with a fresh gasket, it’s still a 2 piece unit, and air will leak between the 2 pieces. This, in combination with you leaving it open a crack, will cause a small draft to be drawn. For a low temp cook, with temp control unit, there is little reason to leave top vent open at all. The fan will push air out of the small air leaks around vent cap.
It’s obvious you are frustrated. True, the FB is not the same as Guru or Stoker. FB does not have a flap or adjustment on fan. Looking at the chart you posted above. You can see that the fan is shutting down to stabilize temp, but temp continues to rise. So yes, there is air continuing to flow through your Egg to allow temp to continue to rise and it takes a little time for it back down. If this extra time really bothers you that much, you can close down your smokeware cap completely. This will greatly help. I close mine completely when using my FB. I also have slower response after I throughly clean my Smokeware cap. After a couple cooks it gunks up a little and I get less air leak and response time is quicker with FB.
Using my Guru or Stoker, I can leave the top vent open a little. FB uses a multi speed fan and will not over stoke a fire. But you also need a tighter air control at top vent to run low temps.
All I can say is it’s great to have choices buddy. 

Great advice, I may test it out using my original daisy wheel or close the cap completely. . My Smokeware Cap has a lot of build up. I was using the Smokeware with the CyberQ so having a controller with a fan damper could make a difference. 

An on/off 10 CFM fan needs a damper.......a variable speed 7 CFM fan does not.  If you want to test that yourself, swap fans or put some aluminum tape over the fan exhaust.  But all you're going to do is confuse the unit, so it will increase the fan speed and/or response.  The variable speed fan eliminates the need for the damper.

Have you ever called FB and had them remote in or walk you through the sub-menu adjustments?  

I don't think the single/variable speed has been the issue. It's the fact that the FB has no way to adjust the amount of air coming through the fan assembly even if it's not spinning. So if you have an Egg that does not seal tight at the felt line or top cap, it can be harder to hold lower temp cooks because the Egg is still pulling a draft. Also tougher to initially slow down your start up temp from over shooting.  Using a controller that pushes air trough the lower vent and has no damper control will allow more air to be drawn into the Egg if you leave the top vent open even a little. Combined with other small areas this is all that is needed to cause the issue above.
Using a controller like the Guru, You can still leave the top vent open a little to let a small amount of air and moisture exit the Egg during the whole cook by setting the lower adjustable slider to only 20-25% open. This slows down the natural draft sliding through the fan unit at all times. And doing this does not confuse the unit and it will hold steady temps just like the FB and the multi speed fan.

Photo Egg said:

stlcharcoal said:

dstearn said:

Photo Egg said:

Smokeware caps are great. But even with a fresh gasket, it’s still a 2 piece unit, and air will leak between the 2 pieces. This, in combination with you leaving it open a crack, will cause a small draft to be drawn. For a low temp cook, with temp control unit, there is little reason to leave top vent open at all. The fan will push air out of the small air leaks around vent cap.
It’s obvious you are frustrated. True, the FB is not the same as Guru or Stoker. FB does not have a flap or adjustment on fan. Looking at the chart you posted above. You can see that the fan is shutting down to stabilize temp, but temp continues to rise. So yes, there is air continuing to flow through your Egg to allow temp to continue to rise and it takes a little time for it back down. If this extra time really bothers you that much, you can close down your smokeware cap completely. This will greatly help. I close mine completely when using my FB. I also have slower response after I throughly clean my Smokeware cap. After a couple cooks it gunks up a little and I get less air leak and response time is quicker with FB.
Using my Guru or Stoker, I can leave the top vent open a little. FB uses a multi speed fan and will not over stoke a fire. But you also need a tighter air control at top vent to run low temps.
All I can say is it’s great to have choices buddy. 

Great advice, I may test it out using my original daisy wheel or close the cap completely. . My Smokeware Cap has a lot of build up. I was using the Smokeware with the CyberQ so having a controller with a fan damper could make a difference. 

An on/off 10 CFM fan needs a damper.......a variable speed 7 CFM fan does not.  If you want to test that yourself, swap fans or put some aluminum tape over the fan exhaust.  But all you're going to do is confuse the unit, so it will increase the fan speed and/or response.  The variable speed fan eliminates the need for the damper.

Have you ever called FB and had them remote in or walk you through the sub-menu adjustments?  

I don't think the single/variable speed has been the issue. It's the fact that the FB has no way to adjust the amount of air coming through the fan assembly even if it's not spinning. So if you have an Egg that does not seal tight at the felt line or top cap, it can be harder to hold lower temp cooks because the Egg is still pulling a draft. Also tougher to initially slow down your start up temp from over shooting.  Using a controller that pushes air trough the lower vent and has no damper control will allow more air to be drawn into the Egg if you leave the top vent open even a little. Combined with other small areas this is all that is needed to cause the issue above.
Using a controller like the Guru, You can still leave the top vent open a little to let a small amount of air and moisture exit the Egg during the whole cook by setting the lower adjustable slider to only 20-25% open. This slows down the natural draft sliding through the fan unit at all times. And doing this does not confuse the unit and it will hold steady temps just like the FB and the multi speed fan.

The opening for the fan on FB is approximately 1x1".....the same area as a 2.5" draft door open less than 0.40" when not using a blower.  So, that opening is not letting much air through.  The damper is not going to seal it up (air can get pulled from around the draft door just as easy as through it.)  

Additionally, you can also choke the exhaust.  There are people here that run the draft door wide open and just control the exhaust.  I've done it, and it works.  A damper a fan controller is to limit the airflow from a fixed speed fan (to prevent it from blowing ash everywhere, and overshooting).  You don't need it on a variable speed fan.

The FB1 had a flapper door in it to shut off the airflow if the fan wasn't blowing.  But fan had to be blowing fast enough to lift the door.  All it did was cause problems, so they took it off when they came up with the FB100.  Like I said, try a piece of aluminum tape over the fan output and see if you notice the difference.

Photo Egg said:

But when you start adding stamped metal fan adapters on the lower vent that leak plus the natural amount of air that can flow through the fan, you must have a decent seal at base and dome as well as around your cap if you expect to hold low temps at 250 or lower. You must shut it down and trust that the FB WILL push the needed air through the Egg to keep and hold a low and slow cook.

Exactly.....when the fan kicks on, you'll see smoke pour out around the draft door, gasket, cap, etc (and unfortunately base cracks if you have any.)  I'm just saying that because of all this, a little metal damper in the fan shroud is not going to make a difference in the long run unless you have everything sealed up tight--and it especially won't if you have the chimney/exhaust restricted.

dstearn said:

stlcharcoal said:

Photo Egg said:

But when you start adding stamped metal fan adapters on the lower vent that leak plus the natural amount of air that can flow through the fan, you must have a decent seal at base and dome as well as around your cap if you expect to hold low temps at 250 or lower. You must shut it down and trust that the FB WILL push the needed air through the Egg to keep and hold a low and slow cook.

Exactly.....when the fan kicks on, you'll see smoke pour out around the draft door, gasket, cap, etc (and unfortunately base cracks if you have any.)  I'm just saying that because of all this, a little metal damper in the fan shroud is not going to make a difference in the long run unless you have everything sealed up tight--and it especially won't if you have the chimney/exhaust restricted.

I spoke with one of the support reps at BBQ Guru today. They said the reason there was a metal damper on the fan was to restrict air flow due to incoming air from the lower vent. It will be interesting to see how the UltraQ performs compared to my FB 300. 

The metal, adjustable slider on the intake adapter, can help with 3 major things.
First, it can slow the natural draft flowing through the fan area while the fan is NOT running. This will allow you to keep top vent open a tiny amount and help compensate for other small air leaks.
Second, regulate the amount of fan air to make the fan more effective on different sized cookers.
Third, allows you to buy/use a larger fan to better run your larger cooker and then scale it down to also use it on your smaller cookers.

I prefer my FB controller over my Guru controllers I have owned in the past. But I’m sure the newer Guru controllers are much improved over the older units I have used. I’m also hearing that the Guru CS is much better than it was in the past.
But I definitely prefer the Guru fan mounts and I like having the advantage of using a vent adjustable slider. It hurts nothing being there, but it’s there if you need it.
My Stoker used a flap to shut down draft. In concept, I liked this the best. It allowed me to run low temps and keep the daisy pedals pretty much wide open. This cut down moisture build up and helped get an easier crust and better skin on chicken. But I did have a few issues with the flap jamming/sticking. But these are just based on my experiences. I have not used the newest models from all the contenders.

dstearn said:

Photo Egg said:

dstearn said:

stlcharcoal said:

Photo Egg said:

But when you start adding stamped metal fan adapters on the lower vent that leak plus the natural amount of air that can flow through the fan, you must have a decent seal at base and dome as well as around your cap if you expect to hold low temps at 250 or lower. You must shut it down and trust that the FB WILL push the needed air through the Egg to keep and hold a low and slow cook.

Exactly.....when the fan kicks on, you'll see smoke pour out around the draft door, gasket, cap, etc (and unfortunately base cracks if you have any.)  I'm just saying that because of all this, a little metal damper in the fan shroud is not going to make a difference in the long run unless you have everything sealed up tight--and it especially won't if you have the chimney/exhaust restricted.

I spoke with one of the support reps at BBQ Guru today. They said the reason there was a metal damper on the fan was to restrict air flow due to incoming air from the lower vent. It will be interesting to see how the UltraQ performs compared to my FB 300. 

The metal, adjustable slider on the intake adapter, can help with 3 major things.
First, it can slow the natural draft flowing through the fan area while the fan is NOT running. This will allow you to keep top vent open a tiny amount and help compensate for other small air leaks.
Second, regulate the amount of fan air to make the fan more effective on different sized cookers.
Third, allows you to buy/use a larger fan to better run your larger cooker and then scale it down to also use it on your smaller cookers.

I prefer my FB controller over my Guru controllers I have owned in the past. But I’m sure the newer Guru controllers are much improved over the older units I have used. I’m also hearing that the Guru CS is much better than it was in the past.
But I definitely prefer the Guru fan mounts and I like having the advantage of using a vent adjustable slider. It hurts nothing being there, but it’s there if you need it.
My Stoker used a flap to shut down draft. In concept, I liked this the best. It allowed me to run low temps and keep the daisy pedals pretty much wide open. This cut down moisture build up and helped get an easier crust and better skin on chicken. But I did have a few issues with the flap jamming/sticking. But these are just based on my experiences. I have not used the newest models from all the contenders.

According to BBQ Guru support they have made improvements in the algorithm.
The new Ultra is easier to set up than the older models and from what I have seen easier than the FB unit. Once you connect via Bluetooth you can easily set up Wi-Fi in the app.

I’m running the FB 500 now. It handles my XL, Large and Small really well. 

I have been using the UltraQ for about a year now and I have to say it is far more reliable than the FB300 (FB was originally purchased to the replace DigiQ for the ability to use wifi) which I then replaced because of the many network issues (loosing connection) on the holidays. I am using the Ultra Q with my DigiQ fan at the recommendation of the folks at BBQ Guru and have had several (all) flawless overnight cooks.

i'd just drop a note to the flameboss folks.  been awhile since i talked to them but they were about the nicest people to deal with.  i'd ask if that amount of overshoot is expected.  

but it wouldn't bother me.  i think that plot looks fine. once it hits your requested temp it's holding very stable.

if you're bored, light a small fire in a cold egg and use the controller to bring it up to temp, without opening the egg or making any adjustments at all.  i'd be interested to see the curve.  

dstearn said:

Just tried the UltraQ last night. Posted a review. Very pleased with it thus far. The fan damper made a huge difference in minimizing overshooting the target temp. 

Glad you found a unit that works for you.

@Photo Egg - my understanding is that you can connect directly to the FB when it is in Access Point mode. That's a local connection only. To monitor/control the cook from afar, the FB has to connect to your home wifi.