Digital Display and Cold Outside Temps

trucky1008Member

I just went outside to fire up the FEC100 for a babyback smoke and the display wouldn't show anything. The backlight was working and it was making it's normal sounds so I figured it may have something to do with the outside temp of 7* and winchills well below zero! Not giving up I grabbed the wife's hair dryer and gave the display area a warming up. The display came back but man is it choppy looking and slow to make changes.

With the display not working like normal will the IQ4 controller still operate as long as I can get my settings entered? I have 80 pounds of pork butt to smoke Monday night into Tuesday and I'm worried that the outside temps may wreak havoc on this cook. Any ideas? Thanks
Don

12/14/082:52 PM

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trucky1008Member

My babybacks cooked in the normal 3 hours @ 275. There's no way anyone with a stick burner could have kept a fire going in these conditions. We've got 40+ mph winds and temps at 0* (-30 windchill)and the FEC got up to temp as if it were 70 outside.

12/14/086:35 PM

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Former Member

Wow Don that says a lot for the ol' FEC-100. Glad to hear everything worked out for you.

Stu
Stu's Q BBQ

12/14/088:13 PM

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smokeniceMember

Went out and looked at my display and it is a segmented LCD. The key is "Liquid" crystal display. They do freeze and get extremely slow in cold weather. Lap top display do the same thing.

12/14/088:54 PM

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trucky1008Member

Will I damage the LCD by running the FEC in temps cold enough to freeze the display?

12/14/0811:13 PM

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tomMember

Probably a question to ask of Tony,or Stuart at Cookshack service as they don't often monitor these forums.

12/15/087:44 AM

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trucky1008Member

I spoke with Bill at Cookshack this morning and he recommended using a hair dryer to warm up the display. So it looks like I did okay.

12/15/0811:34 AM

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Former Member

I have been cooking for the last two weeks in a blistering -25c or -18f and a wind chill of about -35c to 40c. My FEC100 has had no problem cooking mind you I have used more pellets than normal but have had happy coustomers.

12/23/087:34 AM

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Former Member

quote:
Originally posted by Smoke'n Ice:
Went out and looked at my display and it is a segmented LCD. The key is "Liquid" crystal display. They do freeze and get extremely slow in cold weather. Lap top display do the same thing.

This is correct the display can freeze up at low temperatures we recommend using a hairdryer to warm up the display so that you can enter your time/temp. Once you have enter the time and temp the smoker will function properly even if the display re-freezes. If you have any other questions call customer service 800.423.0698

12/23/088:48 AM

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Former Member

I used both of my cookers last year at our Winter Burn that we have up here in Chicagoland... I believe the temp was -5º, with a windchill around -30º... I had a problem reading my board on my IQ4... But got it dialed in on a temp. The board worked fine last year during my comp season, without anything being damaged...

12/23/0810:14 AM

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larryjacobsMember

The January issue of trailer life carries a letter from a reader who lost both his laptop computer display and an LCD TV to freezing temps in his motor home. When queried by the magazines staff, the manufactures confirmed that LCDs can indeed be destroyed when the liquid crystal freezes.

12/23/0810:35 AM

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boberinoMember

Their is no liquid in your LCD panel. They call it liquid because when a current is applied the crystals react like liquid.

12/23/081:12 PM

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larryjacobsMember

The statement should read: When queried by the magazines staff, the manufactures confirmed that LCDs can indeed be destroyed when the liquid crystal "DISPLAY" freezes. Sorry I left off the word.

12/23/081:18 PM

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