Trailblazer Chamber temp vs set / measured temp.

[NU2SMOKE]

My package came with it so I got it...I didn't think i would use it but sure enough on day one sure came in handy when I had the whole grill stuffed ...lol
When you a chance could you take a pic of the seal on your lid for me to see?
Thank you!

 

[ifican]

Well I ordered a 6 probe thermometer.

I think you got the fireboard, give it some time them let me know what you think. I have heard nothing but good reviews. I looked hard at fireboard when it came out as i like gadgets but already being knee deep in flameboss and thermoworks with extra probes I couldnt talk myself into it.

 

[NU2SMOKE]

I think you got the fireboard, give it some time them let me know what you think. I have heard nothing but good reviews. I looked hard at fireboard when it came out as i like gadgets but already being knee deep in flameboss and thermoworks with extra probes I couldnt talk myself into it.

Yes I am looking into a fireboard system but haven't pulled that trigger just yet....have to recover from this outing first...lol On another forum I was able to get in on a group buy discount for an Inkbird IBT-6XS 6 Probes Wireless Grill Thermometer. Normally 60.00 but was able to get one for 25.00. Might be a huge pile of crap but for 25 thru amazon I can always sent it back.
My bday is coming soon and I already planted the seed in my wifes head....

 

[ifican]

 

[ifican]

I added the second layer at the bottom because many have complained about grease build up. Its a simply test to see how it works overtime.

 

[NU2SMOKE]

I had a feeling that's what that second layer was for....looks good. Which seal material did you go with?

 

[ifican]

I dont honestly remember, i purchased a bunch to reseal the kamado a couple years ago thats from the left over roll i had. If you really want to know i can dig through amazon and figure it out.

 

[NU2SMOKE]

I dont honestly remember, i purchased a bunch to reseal the kamado a couple years ago thats from the left over roll i had. If you really want to know i can dig through amazon and figure it out.

No no...thats ok...like I said I already ordered it I was just wondering if it was the same stuff...LOL
What I ordered was 1" wide by 1/4" thick and 15 feet long.

 

[ifican]

this stuff is about 3/4 x 1/8

 

[NU2SMOKE]

That sounds like alot of the stuff I was seeing before I found the one I got.

 

[jeff7117]

I finally had a chance to do some testing today, but I ran into issues with the RecTec app displaying all of the temps on the temperature chart. About 4 hours in, it stopped letting me access the data, so a lot of the RecTec "actual temp" data is not available. I have all of the data on my fireboard and I'll test again later in the week to try and replicate some of my issues I had today. The full fireboard data can be viewed with this link: Fireboard session

The spread of temps across the grill surface would vary from 10 to almost 20 degrees, with the ambient probe closest to the RecTec probe recording the lowest temperature on the graph. Here's the setup with the two RecTec probes thrown in as well. The 4 meat probes were placed on a brick in the middle of the grill, and the two ambient probes are at almost grill level on either side of the grill.

I'll post the chart of todays test for what it's worth. Started it at 8am and ran it till 10am. The temperature offset was already at -4 and it was still reading about 20-25 degrees low on average in the chamber compared to the "actual temp" on the RecTec which never changed from the set temp of 225. During the short section where the grill settled down just before 10:45, the set temp and "actual temp" on the RecTec were both 225 and never changed.

At 11am I set the offset to -7 and waited about an hour for everything to level out. As you can see, I was getting much higher swings in measured temp, even though sometimes the "actual temp" was only 3 or 4 degrees above the set temp at 225. Towards the end of the test, (around 2pm) I had a huge spike in temps with the "actual temp" on the RecTec at 340 degrees, while the fireboard was at the mid to low 190's. This was accompanied by the grill really trying to bring the temps back down which resulted in the temp in the grill running all the way down to 180 degrees (the low at around 2:10). I then shut it off and started it back up, which recovered the temps for a little while before I had to turn it off for the day.

I wonder if the higher temperature swings, say after 12pm are a result of the ambient temp being in the mid 90's here in the south? It was much cooler this morning and the temps were really steady after the grill initially came down to the correct temp.


Without the "actual temp" data from the rectec, this test was not as complete as I would have liked. I don't have any data from the RecTec "actual temp" reading during the spikes in temperature to try and draw any conclusions at this point. I'll have to record screenshots of the next test while I'm looking at the main page on the controller app to save the data. I don't know if it's a server issue on RecTec's end, or if the app can't handle the data for longer cook sessions, but this is twice that the app has stopped recording the temp data during a 8 hour grilling session.

Hopefully later this week I can run it again to get a complete test.

 

[NU2SMOKE]

@jeff7117 Wow that is a lot of great data. I agree completely that it would have been great to see the data from the Rec Tec chart as well but looking at what you have above really has got me thinking.
I think between you, me and @ifican we are going to be able to compile some really useful data about how well these grills work, their quirks and hopefully some good work around's.

 

[Buckeye smoker]

I did calibrate the meat probes after the burn in the next day using ice water. First I wanted to see if it was a probe problem or a controller reading problem. I did this by putting both probes in the ice water and let them settle into their temps. Probe (A) read 32...Probe (B) read 36
Once I had that done...before I adjusted anything I unplugged the probes and switched inputs. If the bad reading followed the probe then Probe (A) would have read 36 and so forth...If it did then you would not be able to just re calibrate and go unless you designated that probe to be port A only and used it as such. Well it did not! Probe A still read 32 deg with the other probe. So that confirmed that the controller was reading a different resistance and calibration would work.
So I calibrated the 2 probes to read 32 deg. Checked by switching the probes back and fourth and they still read the same so as far as the probes go .... im good.

My next course of action I am thinking is to have both probes installed one on each side of the grill at 2" above grate level. Bring the pit up to 250 (according to the controller) let it sit for 30 min ...see what both probes read (hopefully the same) and then adjust the pit temp probe to match.
How does that sound to you?

That's how I did it... Waiting on my new probe to arrive to recalibrate... Mine was off 7° but also the reading changed when the smoker was powered on...I'll let ya know my results when the probes get here...

 

[NU2SMOKE]

Well I just got my new Thermometer with the 6 probes. Ill check calibration of all 6 probes when I get home and then tomorrow I will hopefully have the chance to run some temp tests.

 

[jeff7117]

I just spoke to RecTec about the app not recording and crashing after long cook sessions. They said it was a known issue and to set the recording interval to a longer duration (15 minutes). Even with the longer duration you could still run into issues with the app crashing due to the amount of data recorded on the longer cook times but it should help at least track most of the cook time.

I suggested they make the data available for offline viewing similar to what fireboard does for those of us who go overboard on the details. Hopefully they will integrate that access in the future.

Weather permitting, I'll run another session before the weekend to try and get this thing dialed in.

 

[NU2SMOKE]

I just spoke to RecTec about the app not recording and crashing after long cook sessions. They said it was a known issue and to set the recording interval to a longer duration (15 minutes). Even with the longer duration you could still run into issues with the app crashing due to the amount of data recorded on the longer cook times but it should help at least track most of the cook time.

I suggested they make the data available for offline viewing similar to what fireboard does for those of us who go overboard on the details. Hopefully they will integrate that access in the future.

Weather permitting, I'll run another session before the weekend to try and get this thing dialed in.

Sounds like we both have some work ahead of us....LOL I do hope they get the app temp chart fixed. I like that feature.
I am looking at your Fireboard data (I really want one of those) and have to admit...it has me befuddled. Its like its hunting all over the place.

 

[jeff7117]

Yeah, I just don’t get the temp swings either. But, this is my first pellet smoker so it may be normal. If you just looked the RecTec “actual temp” you’d never see these spikes and fluctuations.

 

[NU2SMOKE]

Ok Guys....Yesterday was very productive in the grill temp mapping arena. I spent 6+ hours with 9 temp probes in the grill.

1 rec tec actual (on left of grill)
1 checking the Rec Tec actual right next to it
1 on the oppsite side of grill near the exhaust to measure the temp at that end
3 1 inch off the grate surface...left...middle....right
3 1 inch of the surface of the large rack in the grill ...left....middle....right.

I ran the test as follows....ran the grill at multiple temps (225,250,275,350) all 90 min each taking readings every 15 min. Never opening any lids or anything and writing down temps from each probe at each 15 min interval.

I will be putting all of the data into a spreadsheet and will post it ASAP. Very interesting results indeed. Until I compile all of the data I will reserve any judgements.
I'll let you interpret it

 

[jeff7117]

I just finished another grilling session yesterday and while I did gain some insight as to how this grill performs at given ambient temperatures, I never really could get the grill to stay at a set temp when measured with my fireboard compared to the RecTec "Actual Temp". The full chart from yesterdays grilling session can be viewed here.

For this test run, the grill was again set at 225 and ambient temps ranged from 75 in the morning to 94 in the afternoon with heat index readings at or over 100 for most of the afternoon.

Here is a full chart of the RecTec app recording the Set Temp and "Actual Temp". These were just screenshots that I put together in Photoshop. For all intensive purposes, this chart is not worth anything other to see that as far as the RecTec was concerned, everything was good and temps were correct. According to the RecTec, temps were in the correct range of 225 for most of the day till the end which I will elaborate on later.

I started the session at 8 and let it run for an hour. My temp offset was -7 on the RecTec and it was running consistent but about 20 degrees hot compared to the Set Temp, so I changed the offset to -5 and let it run for another hour. As you can see, the temps really settled down and it ran great for almost an hour.with the "Actual Temp" matching the fireboard temp. Around 11 it started to run hot, and the peaks would hit 250 and the lows would come back down into the 220's. Running a tad hot but not too bad.

Keep in mind, this whole time, the RecTec registered a Set Temp of 225 with an "Actual Temp" of 225 for the entire session other than during startup. Even on the 1 minute chart, there was virtually no change in the number, and it wasn't enough to register when zoomed out at higher time frames.

Then, around 12:45 the grill kind of lost it's mind. I have attempted to overlay the Fireboard chart with the RecTec chart for that time frame to make it easier to see the change in temps. The RecTec data is darker while the Fireboard chart is the same orange color.

You can see that the RecTec and the Fireboard both recorded the spike in temps correctly. Then, the grill tried to settle back down and it went right back to the "Actual Temp" of 225 while it was often 30 degrees hotter at times. Then there was a sudden drop in temps actually recorded by the RecTec which caused it to try and recover, and this made the temp jump almost 100 degrees in about 10 minutes. It took almost an hour for the temps to come back down to the low 220's. At this point the RecTec recorded a spike in temps that wasn't actually there (small peak on the right). The RecTec thought the grill was 275 degrees when it was actually at the right temp (225). The RecTec controller tried to bring the temps down and this caused a flameout. I had to re-start the grill and that's why there's another startup spike in the temps in the Fireboard chart close to the end of the session. I suspect there might have been a clog or maybe a gap in the pellets in the hopper that caused the huge crash and then temp spike. The hopper was running low. It still had pellets in it but maybe not enough to keep it fed consistently even though I couldn't see the auger when I lifted the lid.

This is two tests in almost the same weather conditions. Based on the data, I would say that at least for this grill, ambient temperatures create way more temperature swings that the grill cannot account for. That's probably why even with the offset changing from -7 to -5, I still had overall higher temps once the ambient temperature peaked during mid-day.

I prefer to cook at what the Set Temp needs to be, not what the "Actual Temp" says it is. So to counter that, I guess I'll be riding the temp dial just a tad if temps get out of hand. To the grills credit, it does mostly stay in the temperature range, and that range is only about 25-30 degrees except for the wild swings. Maybe this is just normal for a pellet smoker, I dunno. But what I do know is that "Actual Temp" at least on my grill, is not really worth looking at for monitoring real world temps inside the chamber.

(Edit: Also, it appears that the forum is auto-linking to fireboard.com anytime I use the word fireboard in the post. I'm not trying to shill for them, and I'm not affiliated with fireboard.com in any way. While I do like their product, I'm not posting all of this to sell wireless thermometers. I just want to know what the grill temp is so I can tell the wife when dinner will be ready... )

 

[Mike]

@jeff7117 I'm LOVING the info man, please keep it up.

I'm likely going to be purchasing a fireboard controller myself.