Party Q for both my 14.5 and 22.5?


 

Dan A

TVWBB Member
Hi, I'm just about ready to buy a Party Q for both of my wsm's. I've kind of decided to go with the party q because it runs on batteries for my camping trips and I already have nice thermoworks thermometers for monitoring my meat temps. I have a 14.5 that I use for small meals and camping, and a 22.5 for large get togethers. My plan is to purchase the party q and an additional small universal weber adapter so I can use it with both smokers. But the one question that keeps bugging me is, will it work equally well for both units or is 14.5 to small?
 
I know another Forum member that uses the party Q on his mini-wsm and It seems to work just fine. I have looked at it but I haven't really found the need as my mini is pretty much set and forget.
 
So I tried to call bbq guru today quite a few times throughout the day. I was hoping to get some info on their products. I tried both tech support and sales / customer service and left a message, but wasn't ever able to reach anyone. Now I'm kind of worried that bbq guru might have bad customer service if I can't even reach a human, and I'm wondering what happens if I need warranty help. Oh well, maybe it's weather related. Does anyone know of other atc companies that are good other than the iq's? Also, how has bbq guru customer service been to you guru owners?
 
I use the iq110 on my 18 and 22 and it's fantastic. Never tried it on my 14. It seems like you would want to restrict the flow a little tho with some tape over part of the air inlet by the fan. or like people do on the bubba keg where you put a restricting washer in the tube (I use this method on bubba).
 
So I tried to call bbq guru today quite a few times throughout the day. I was hoping to get some info on their products. I tried both tech support and sales / customer service and left a message, but wasn't ever able to reach anyone. Now I'm kind of worried that bbq guru might have bad customer service if I can't even reach a human, and I'm wondering what happens if I need warranty help. Oh well, maybe it's weather related. Does anyone know of other atc companies that are good other than the iq's? Also, how has bbq guru customer service been to you guru owners?

I live a couple miles from them and we had some nasty weather Sunday afternoon into Monday morning that caused a few school closings and lots of delays. That might have impacted their staffing situation yesterday. FWIW, I've never called them, but did email and found them to be very responsive and helpful.

Also, I use a PartyQ on my 18.5 and it works great. Battery life isn't exactly what I was hoping for, but I tend to buy cheap batteries. I'm going to try some good quality rechargeables (Sanyo eneloops) the next time around to see if they hold up better than Walgreens branded alkalines. I really wish they'd make an "official" AC adapter for it...batteries are great if you're going to be away from AC power, but since most folks are going to use it within range of an outlet, it would save a lot of batteries.

I'm sure it'll work well for your 14.5, and I've heard of others using it on a 22.5, but from the research I did, it's right on the edge of it's airflow capabilities. At a minimum, it'll probably burn through batteries a bit quicker.
 
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I actually own 3 of the new style Party Q's, one for each size of WSM. It works just as well on the 14, 18 and 22 WSMs. The older Party Q, the black one, has a smaller fan than the new one I think. I can't find the CFM of the new fan but it sure seems to work better than the old one did. I think you will be happy with the Party Q since it is so easy to use and the battery power makes it so nice and portable.
 
Ok so I did finally receive a call back from them and they explained everything. He said the new party q has a 6.5 cfm fan. He also told me some pretty good things about the digi q dx2 so now I'm kind of questioning my choice a bit. Most of my long cooks will be done at home, so maybe a unit with an Ac adapter would be best. But will that pit viper fan be too much for the little 14.5? Man I wish the party q had an Ac adapter option.
 
Ok so I did finally receive a call back from them and they explained everything. He said the new party q has a 6.5 cfm fan. He also told me some pretty good things about the digi q dx2 so now I'm kind of questioning my choice a bit. Most of my long cooks will be done at home, so maybe a unit with an Ac adapter would be best. But will that pit viper fan be too much for the little 14.5? Man I wish the party q had an Ac adapter option.

I waffled a bit, but in the end couldn't justify paying almost twice as much for the dx2. I've used the PartyQ about 6 times now, 2 overnight cooks and 4 shorter (2-4 hour) cooks. Each of the overnights chewed through a fresh set of batteries, but I was able to get two shorter cooks on one set. I understand that AAs were chosen for their ubiquity, but having another option (high-capacity Li-Ion rechargeable or AC adapter) would be awesome. Apparently you can get AA-sized Li-Ion rechargeables (14500s, I think?) that put out 3.7 V. I have some on the way with a set of flashlights that use them. In theory, two of those in series could replace the 4 AAs in the PartyQ and fit inside the existing battery compartment; I'd just need to insert dummy cells into the remaining slots.

My own plan is to keep using the PartyQ and feeding it batteries, but eventually build a HeaterMeter once I get around to buying the components. I've already got a spare Raspberry Pi, but haven't even really shopped for the other bits.
 
Okay, so I went ahead and pulled the plug on ordering a single party q for my WSM 14.5 and 22.5. I purchased an additional weber adapter and a couple plugs. I plan on drilling a hole to mount each, since I don't like the idea of taping the vents. I plan on doing several cooks on both wsm's and I will post how happy I am with the party Q and it's performance on handling both sizes. I sure hope it works equally well for both sizes, agonized for weeks between the digi Q dx2 and party Q. My main reasons for the party Q was the battery power for camping, and to be honest I don't trust any meat thermometer other than my Thermoworks.
 
I would suggest investing in a couple sets of good rechargeable batteries (e.g.: Sanyo eneloops or similar low-static-discharge type) and a good charger. I've been using throwaway alkalines and getting about 12 hours cook time out of a set. I'm 14 hours into my first cook with the rechargeables and they're still going strong. If you'll use it more than a few times a year, the rechargeables will save a lot of money and waste in the long run.
 
I actually own 3 of the new style Party Q's, one for each size of WSM. It works just as well on the 14, 18 and 22 WSMs. The older Party Q, the black one, has a smaller fan than the new one I think. I can't find the CFM of the new fan but it sure seems to work better than the old one did. I think you will be happy with the Party Q since it is so easy to use and the battery power makes it so nice and portable.

Which vent hole did you choose to install the weber adapter on the 14.5? High or low? Does it blow dust around and which way did you point the vent?
 
Ok, so I did my first test smoke on my 14.5 last night. WOW, the party q is amazing. It held the 225 for 6 hours and the battery meter still says 100%. Kind of questioning that though. It didn't run much, in fact barely at all. I checked the temp against my trusted Thermoworks DOT with the ambient probe and it was generally off by a few degrees. There was no dust being blown around. The coal bed had way more charcoal left after the 6 hours than ever before. It was at least 3/4 full still. I suspect I can cut down on charcoal now for shorter cooks. I'm glad I went the battery route for now, no wires to worry about. So anyone questioning how the party q works on the small 14.5 wsm, it's awesome. Now for 22.5 test this weekend.
 
Ok so I cooked a slab of spare ribs on my 22.5 today using my new party q. It held 225 to 250 no problem, but struggled to go above 266 with water. I think the fan is just a little underpowered for 22.5. For the 14.5 though it's more than enough. Having said that, almost all my cooks /smokes are low and slow so I'm happy. I will probably end up getting a digi q anyways, just because I would kind of like both.
 
I just invested in a partyq. I am new to the auto controllers and have basic questions.

When do you turn on the PartyQ?
Do I start my WSM minion method as normal and get the smoker to around my target temp and then shut all dampers and turn on the partyQ?
Or do I just fire it up as soon as I dump in my charcoal?

I installed a gasket kit on my WSM. I assume that will help the partyQ maintain a constant temp.
 
I start my PartyQ when I add the lit charcoal to the unlit in the basket. All my vents are closed, except for the vent opening with the PartyQ installed. Then I assemble my 18.5, add the meat, put the lid on with vent wide open, and let 'er rip.
 
I start my PartyQ when I add the lit charcoal to the unlit in the basket. All my vents are closed, except for the vent opening with the PartyQ installed. Then I assemble my 18.5, add the meat, put the lid on with vent wide open, and let 'er rip.

I hear everyone complain about the battery life. Does turning it on when WSM is still basically cold suck a ton of batteries getting cooker to temp?
If I light too much charcoal and cooker is running hot does the partyQ do a good job of getting temps down?
What is the highest temp the partyQ will maintain?
 
I have no complaints about battery life with my PartyQ. I use rechargable batteries (Eneloop type) and have used the same set for my past three cooks (ribs). I think I put too many briqs in last week's rib cook and the temp got away from me. As far as I can tell, all the PartyQ can do to bring down the temp is not engage the fan. My temp came down, but not as much as I wanted. Usually, it helps hold the temp rock solid. Still a good cook and my friends were all happy!

I don't know the max the PartyQ can maintain, but I'm guesssing it can get pretty up there if you want it to as the fan would just keep running.
 

 

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