Temp is bouncing 30 degrees

Mine have the old Traeger controllers, but I had about twenty or more cooks in before my temp swings settled down.

Thanks EZ that's encouraging....and I need that right now. I think I would have been better off NOT hooking up the Mav. no wonder it's taking longer than usual to cook meat!

I just can't help but think that it's something more. I'm watching it go from 214 to 262 back down to 206! It will not stay anywhere just huge bounces.

It's normal to get a heat spike when you initially start the FEC. Once established you should be holding heat +/- 10o What are you set for?

I'm set for 240. It bounced all day but I gotta tell you the ribs and chicken were great! The flat (still on) will be the true test. I guess I will just be patient and see if it levels out. I have heard before that you need to cook on it 15-20 times ( as mentioned above) before it levels out. Does anyone know why this is??

I'd love to give it a guess. I'm thinking that the IQ4's program takes in the effect of black walls on the cooker...so when it is new and the SHINY walls reflect it probably intensifies the heat, so the IQ4 shuts down more pellets then it normally would and then has to add more a little later only to have the same thing happen again...long story short, get the walls black and then the IQ4 will work the way it was designed.I'm just guessing at this, oh well!

Texan,

Keep an eye on it and if it does not settle down, talk with CS. It might be the temp probe in my mind. One other thing, is the exhaust turned away from any wind?

It was my exhaust. Talked to Tony from CS and he said to take my furnace cap off and BINGO that was it! Set it for 240 and she held steady around 247. That I can deal with
Thanks for the help.

Sounds like you might have something touching the temp probe. Also check your electric, with all the computer on these with a low currant it won't read correct and will bounce around like that.

My FEC100 bounces around as well. I have a stoker running on mine just to monitor temps and both the fec and stoker temp probe are within an inch of each other and they are within 1/2 degree as well and both register the swings. However, when I look at my stoker log even though there are these 25-40 degree swings the median average temp is essentially what the FEC100 was set at. 225 averages 225 as does 250. I don't think the intelligence of the IQ4 is the best but it works and makes good food! I wish they would either create a interface for the stoker to actually control the cooker or build their own remotely managed/monitored temp control meat monitoring system.

I can also see some type of steam injection port on it where you could give it a pump of extra moisture is desired as well.

Please understand that I'm more of a gadget man than master chef! That's why I bought the FEC100. Its a cool gadget that makes me look like a master BBQ Chef!

David has a good point. There can be a lot of variations. Did the door open? Is it trying to get the temp back up? Is there wind that's changing the airflow into the smoker itself.

When I close the door on my briskets and let them run, there isn't much variation until I open the door.

David points out a good thing. I always like to say to monitor the average temp, not the minute by minute. Briskets don't have a watch and honestly, until electronics came along pitmasters didn't worry.

Good question, did we answer it okay?

One more Stoker observation is when the pit temp is fluctuating so is the meat temp but only to a range of about 1-2 degrees early in the cook and 1/2 to 1 degree midway and even less later.

Personally from a physical standpoint I like the fluctuation because it is exercising the meat thus tenderizing.

I'd like to hear if anyone has any thoughts on this.

That was our early discussions about the good and bad things about having therms.

Yes,that could be a light that showed the cooker was running-or notrunning

They could show a grease fire if they spiked,or a dead/cold fire if we lost electric.An offset stickburner might not notify us.

They were handy,unless cooks started thinking a set temp was THE IMPORTANT thing and forgot to go ahead and cook.

To tag onto Smokin's brisket comment,a great pork shoulder cook remarked to me that he had met very few market hawgs that could even read a thermometer.

Some of the classically trained chefs on here might comment that at our worst-the CS swings less than their very expensive professional ovens.

Just a couple of thoughts.

It would be a pretty hard sell to me to make me think that a dead tuff piece of meat was being tenderized by laying in a cooker and exercising, oh well.

Honestly, as long as their wasn't excessive spikes in the temp...say 75-100*, I would just enjoy the fine product that a good cook could produce without much effort. Like someone use to say,"it's just BBQ don't over think it".

I thought I'd jump in here and bring up a point that hardly ever gets talked about. Pellets are made in a process that doesn't get them all exact in length. If you could put a camera in and video the fire in the FEC it really uses very little fuel in these low low temps. We are trying to control the BTU out put of the mini sticks that have random size there for a random output of the amount of heat they produce. there is a certian amount of reaction time that does take place with the leval of air being induced to them. It doesn't take much in airflow or a small thing as a buildup of sawdust in the hopper to affect feed rates and temp sensing. A lot more varibles to this then most other types of cookers. I'm very happy CS was able to help you figure it out and the cap removal took care of your issue.

quote:

Originally posted by Tom:
Some of the classically trained chefs on here might comment that at our worst-the CS swings less than their very expensive professional ovens.

Barely potty trained, and in no way classically trained but both my FEC and FEPG will hold a more accurate temp than my wife's oven will

And which cooks better meat, smoker or your wife's oven?

Any way you look at it 100 degree swings is to much.