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Have To Use Your Imagination!!!!

WeberWho
WeberWho Posts: 11,524
edited November -0001 in EggHead Forum
The last few days I have tried to come up with some images and materials for a homemade blower fan for a guru/stoker in my head. Auber Instruments has teamperature controller for charcoal grills. It has the option for a blower fan like the guru/stoker. I'm just cheap and don't want to buy a guru/stoker blower fan for eighty dollars. I have a old 12v internal computer fan what would work as the fan. Now your imagination has to come into play! I was thinking of using a (6x6x4")junction box for the housing for the fan. I would cut a hole in the junction box and use some type of piping from the junction box to the faceplate on the bottom draft door. The fan would would force the air from the housing into the piping then into the bottom of the eggs vent. I would assume this would work for a homemade blower. Don't know how nice a junction box will look in front of my egg. So my second idea was screwing the junction box under the table and out of sight. I then could run some type of bendable tubing from the junction box to the faceplate? Would a 12v fan be enough power to blow through a few feet of tubing into the egg and raise the eggs temp? I know this is a stretch and lots of your imagination. Just wondering what your thoughts are. Thanks!
"The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

Minnesota
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Comments

  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
    My only thought is that a 4 CFM blower is only $57, :laugh:

    But seriously, the capability of the blower is not based on it being 12V, but rather on it's CFM rating. BBQ Guru makes a 12V 25CFM blower that I'm sure could blow through anything. So, it really depends on the capacity of the blower you have.
    The Naked Whiz
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  • Village Idiot
    Village Idiot Posts: 6,959
    The 5 c.f.m. blower for the stoker costs $60 and is more than enough for my Large Egg.

    I'm not rich, but that seems like a deal instead of gerryrigging something that won't even look very good when finished. Besides, how are you going to make the circuitry that is part of the connection to tell the blower to turn on and off?
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


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  • kmellecker
    kmellecker Posts: 332
    Are you going to have the unit heat sensitive so it will automatically turn on and off to maintain an even temperature? If you just want air, I use a hand me down hair dryer from my daughter. Didn't cost me a thing. Sounds like an interesting project though. Good Luck.
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  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    TNW

    And to add to add to that a computer fan is bladed and the Guru is a squirrel cage. The blade fan will allow more airflow when the fan is off.

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

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  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    Now that's a mental picture...

    GG
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  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    Yes you could use a computer bladed fan, however, to get pressure/force you would be much better off with a squirrel cadge type fan. In the posts a few days a go there were links on ebay to several squirrel cadge fans for about $10 shipped.

    You are going to have more issues with restricting the air flow than you will with producing the air flow. Think about the vent settings to maintain 250° for a low and slow cook.

    I shut down the slider on the 10cfm guru blower to about 1/4 open.
    Personally I would opt for a more compact unit. However, the tubing idea is interesting. You could use the smaller diameter shop vac tubing which would work very well.

    Sure would like to see some pictures as you progress and when you are done.

    GG
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  • RU Eggsperienced
    RU Eggsperienced Posts: 1,527
    Hi WeberWho,

    For info on Automatic Temp Controllers I have found the Virtual Weber Bulletin Board is really helpful. There are a couple of active threads right now about how people have built their own controllers. Here is a link:

    Automatic Temperature Control Systems

    Best of luck!!
    Cheers.....Jerry


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  • FlaPoolman
    FlaPoolman Posts: 11,677
    My guess is that you have probably spent $100 in time (time is money) in design, factor in another $100 in time to round up $15 in parts so if it works you have a $60 fan for $215 with no warranty. If you love to tinker then go for it but if you want to save money in the long run just by the fan and get the warranty. :whistle:
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  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
    He might be able to put some sort of damper on his contraption to accomplish the same thing as the guru.
    The Naked Whiz
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  • PhilsGrill
    PhilsGrill Posts: 2,256
    That circuity is included in the controller.
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  • Village Idiot
    Village Idiot Posts: 6,959
    OK, but when you plug it in, how does it know that you plugged in a blower, a meat probe, or a temperature probe? Also, once you name it, it remembers it's name. (I'm talking about the Stoker).

    There is some intelligence in the plug of the device.
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


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  • Jeffersonian
    Jeffersonian Posts: 4,244
    Not just that, but you have to take into account the head pressure that the fan has to overcome. I'm not an ME, but my understanding is that blade fans don't typically have the same head capability as cage blowers. This will make a big difference with an Egg, since the blower has to push the air through both the lump and a DFMT that will be, presumably, mostly closed.
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  • Jeffersonian
    Jeffersonian Posts: 4,244
    This is a "dumb" controller, like a Guru. It has dedicated receptacles for the pit probe and blower.
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,568
    Cars run on gas and electric, not your grill!

    ;) you could always hook the hose up to the blower in the car and run it all night. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: sorry, just saw your sig line, then thought of red green :laugh:
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    That is true but the egg should not create back pressure, it should create draw. The point about the squirrel cage fan is right too. My point was only that a bladed fan, by it's nature, requires a larger orfice and would allow greater airflow in static condition.

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

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  • Village Idiot
    Village Idiot Posts: 6,959
    Jeffersonian wrote:
    It has dedicated receptacles for the pit probe and blower.

    I may be misunderstanding you, but I can plug any device into any receptacle and Stoker will know what I plugged in. So, the "intelligence" must be in the plug.

    ¿ sí ?
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


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  • Jeffersonian
    Jeffersonian Posts: 4,244
    That's a good point, and one reason I'm not an ME :P
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  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    It would have to be a pretty light damper for a computer fan to open :)

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

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  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    WeberWho?

    If you are talking about a NEMA 4 or 12 box, you would have thirty bucks right there no?

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

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  • Jeffersonian
    Jeffersonian Posts: 4,244
    I think in the Stoker it's in both the receptacle and device. The devices have some sort of identifying chip onboard that allows the base to recognize what it is (but I imagine you still need to tell the base if a thermocouple is for the pit or food), whereas the Guru and this unit have receptacles that are dedicated to pit probe, food probe and blower. It's the difference between hardware addressing and software addressing of devices.
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  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Brad,

    Me niether,

    That was a SOHK lesson I learned.

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

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  • Village Idiot
    Village Idiot Posts: 6,959
    Jeffersonian wrote:
    (but I imagine you still need to tell the base if a thermocouple is for the pit or food)

    No, it knows the difference already. When shipped, each device has a serial number for a name, and the buttons on the Stoker let you change it to whatever name you want, but it already knows if it's a meat probe or pit probe.
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


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  • Jeffersonian
    Jeffersonian Posts: 4,244
    SOHK?

    Thinking about it, the fan does need some head capability or Rock's/BBQ Guru could have just used a damper to control the pit. I think you're right that it's more of an assist to the natural draw of the Egg, though.
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  • Jeffersonian
    Jeffersonian Posts: 4,244
    Well there ya go. I learn something every day. Thanks.
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  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Brad,

    School of Hard Knocks. I put some fans in the back of that stainless piece I have and connected them to a Guru. I was chasing my tail through the test run a bit because of the static opening in the fan. I do, sometimes run a floor fan in front of the egg for an unattended overnight cook just to reduce the possibility of ash clogging the fire. Dampers may be required on the table though.

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

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  • Jeffersonian
    Jeffersonian Posts: 4,244
    I remember several comments on the board about the static draft through the fans before I got my Guru. I've been careful to keep my daisy closed or almost closed to minimize that effect. I let me Guru push the air out the gasket-free cracks of my Egg, and I've never had a problem with it running away.
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