New Stoker Owner...


 
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Eric G

TVWBB Fan
I just order a Stoker from Rocks this week looking forward to this units features and expandability. I ordered it with the 10CFM fan cause at some point Id like to pickup the 22in WSM. I also have the Stacker on my 18in WSM. I downloaded the newest version of Stokerlog, cant wait to fire this up.
 
a 10 CFM fan is really overkill on even a 22 inch WSM. Stoker will adapt to it but a 10 CFM fan is really for bigger units like a Stumps or Backwoods.

-rob
 
Rob, what about for high heat cooks? My 5 CFM fan has a very difficult time maintaining higher temps on my 18", would imagine it would be nearly impossible on that big 22". For high heat cooks I wish I had the 10 CFM for my 18".
 
Ok got it haven't fired it up yet for a cook, but I did calibrate my temp probes. Now I got two stereo headphone 1/4in cable and a Y splitter. So if I am reading the other posts right the Blower "Can Not" be used on a splitter that it needs to be directly connected to the stoker and straight to the fan.

The other thing is what are the precautions and steps you guys take to keep the connections and blower dry and clean from the elements. Thanks again...
 
It rains a lot in Seattle but I just put the stoker under a table so that no water is dripping on it and she works fine that way. I know others who put it in a ziploc bag.

If you are concerned about the cold, just put it closer to the smoker so that it is warmer. I have cooked with it with a pile of snow around and again, it all worked well.

By the way, feel free to play with the unit indoor. You don't need to be cooking to become familiar with the box. Use my program, set the target to ambiant, and then up and down it and see what happens. No sense in learning this stuff in the middle of trying to feed hungry people
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Hahaha Thanks Amir. Oh so its perfectly ok to have a 100ft cat6 patch cable strung through the house. So I could look at the unit on the network and adjust the temps and blower while calibrating the temp probes. That were on teh kitchen stove in boiling water. Good to know now I dont feel so bad.
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Just an FYI, they come calibrated (so rock told me). Also, I got a medium sized platic box from Target and drilled holes in the sides. It holds my equipment when not in use and doubles as protection during the rainy/snowy times. When it gets down to around 0 to 20 below I throw a small handwarmer in there for a bit of heat. works like a charm!
 
mine didn't come calibrated and was WAY off - like +- 15 degrees or so. It screwed up my butts and brisket for the 2008 season. My second places were on a Guru unit and my 5th and 6th were from natural draft.

I have everything in check now and will have StokerLog on board at the comps networked to the max.

I like the handwarmer trick though - nice idea and perfect for Vermont!

-rob
 
I also use a small plastic box, both as a storage for the Stoker and all of the cables/wires as well as to keep the unit dry when it's rainy. The lid snaps onto each end, but still allows room for the cables to come out from under the lid on the sides.

I've never had a problem with the Stoker working in cold temps -- even down to 10 degrees. But my wireless router starts losing connection when it drops below 32. So I just put an electric heating pad set to LOW in the plastic box under the Stoker and router -- works great on those cold overnight cooks to keep the electronics warm.
 
Nice.. Ipicked up the 20ft 1/4 stereo cables do you guys wrap them in aluminum foil and the blower to keep them from getting wet? I have a big cook happening tonight. Im cooking 4 Butts and 2 picnics.
 
Prior to mounting my smoker on a trailer and now adding a roof over it, I used to just take HD foil and make a little cover that was fanned out to keep rain off the fan. You just don't want to fully enclose the fan or you won't get much air into it -- you just need to protect it from above with a canopy.

Yep, I use 2 of the 20' stereo cables too. I use one dedicated to the fan and then use another one that is then split with 2 sets of 3' Y splitters (giving me 4 connections -- 1 for a pit probe and 3 for meat probes). But I don't wrap any of the cables in foil.
 
Here's a quick and dirty way to create a rain shield for the Stoker blower.
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Putting the foil between the "doggie water bowl" and the WSM will keep it from blowing away. And pinching it around the cable will help keep it in place.
 
Well doing my first cook with th stoker and only had one roadblock. Stoker/probes/blower/connection/stokerlog all working great. My problem lies with the stereo 20ft extension cables I picked up at Radio Shack. The Stoker unit could not locate the probes when I had the extension cables connected but when connected directly it worked great! Any ideas? Right now chugging along at 233*F and meat temps are 151*F
 
My guess would be the extension cables were only mono and not stereo. But it could just be a bad cable. I'd return it and try another one. Just verify it says "stereo".

Disregard -- I see your issues were answered in the other post.
 
The 10 CFM fan will not run using radio shack extension cables. You either have to make your own or purchase from Rock. I have mixed results using cat 5, one twisted pair for each contact, when I use the 10 CFM fan. I can run my 4 CFM fan all day on with the Radio Shack extension cables however.
 
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