Anyone have a trick to bring temps down?

[Glenn W]

Just a tip on the loose vents:

Got my new 18.5 WSM several weeks ago and 2 of my bottom vents were loose so I used some of my metal working background to fix.

Take 2 ball peen hammers (use only the round ball end on the female side) hold one on the inside rivet of the loose vent and firmly tap the other side of the rivet until the vent is snug!

Only tap one time and check and so on.....

 

[Dave Russell]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Glenn W:
Just a tip on the loose vents:

Got my new 18.5 WSM several weeks ago and 2 of my bottom vents were loose so I used some of my metal working background to fix.

Take 2 ball peen hammers (use only the round ball end on the female side) hold one on the inside rivet of the loose vent and firmly tap the other side of the rivet until the vent is snug!

Only tap one time and check and so on..... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Now that's one tip that we'll all be able to use!

 

[Russ Sylvester]

Before I had my temperature controller, I would close up all the vents and hold my breath. I remember one time that the temp was going up really fast as I had to have the lid open for a couple of minutes and I got scared that it would char the outside of the meat and ruin things. So I grabbed the hose and VERY lightly spritzed the outside of the WSM. It dropped the temp dramatically.

Now that I've built the controller, I've closed of the two vents pretty tightly and took the round plate off of the third. The fan now resides there.

To answer the earlier question, I don't have any delay for changing the fan percentage. I've found that if the fan turns off the temp will start falling fairly soon. The upside is that the controller now has full control of the temp. The downside is that the controller now has full control. It takes a leap of faith.

Russ

 

[Michael G. (Canada Mike)]

I ca never figure it out. Some cooks you put the coals on and go for 5 hour cruise and nothing changes. Other cooks, every half hour there's a major change up - down - sideways. Beats heck outta me.

 

[R. Hanson ("Rondo")]

Hey Canada Mike!

I use <span class="ev_code_BLUE">K</span> and ...whatcha puttin in the water pan? An empty pan, as some are using, works okay in steady weather conditions ...but without a heat sink of some kind, temps can swing some as the weather and wind fluctuate

I've experimented with it a lot and I find that I still prefer water in the pan.... A) water doesn't get hotter than 212*...so your wsm will settle in to 225-230* easily & hold it for hours on end

B) I have two WSMs and have run them side by side, one with water and one without .... my friends and family will attest that in 3 separate blind tests they picked the ribs (both St Louis & Baby back) cooked with water in the pan

C) cleanup is fairly efficient... I dump the ashes and water in a tall kitchen trash bag and wipe the pan with paper towels

...just my 2 cents worth

 

[Bill S.]

No idea what's going on. Darn thing has run like a top the past five years. All of the sudden the last two smokes the temps have been screwed up. Having the same problem again today. Started like I always do, full pan, and minion. Got to 200, shut all vents. Slowly rose to 230 and stayed there quite a while. Opened 1 vent half way, hit 250 and closed the vent. Didn't hold at 250, it has continued to climb. I am now at 285. And I am using a windscreen. This is nuts. By the way I have a 6 pound bone in butt (after trimming) in the WSM today. So at least it wasn't too expensive. A little over 9 bucks

 

[R. Hanson ("Rondo")]

Sounds like the only thing you're doing different is using the wind-break......sooo, maybe try it without

You must have an air leak somewhere though

I have the installed dome therm in both of my WSMs...which will read lower than your vent temps...however, I've never seen temps that high with water in the pan and if I close my bottom vents it'll strangle the coals

 

[Bill S.]

I think I solved the problem. I have flat going today and temps held good. It was/is one of three things. 1.) The door was bent a bit, fixed that and got it to sit flat. 2.)When temp hit 200 closed all vents and left them closed, crept up to 240-250 and stayed. Or 3.) It was the wind. The previous two smokes it was really windy, today it's relatively calm.

 

[Dave Russell]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bill S.:
I think I solved the problem. I have flat going today and temps held good. It was/is one of three things. 1.) The door was bent a bit, fixed that and got it to sit flat. 2.)When temp hit 200 closed all vents and left them closed, crept up to 240-250 and stayed. Or 3.) It was the wind. The previous two smokes it was really windy, today it's relatively calm. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks for the update, Bill. Since you were using a wind break, I suspect it was the door fit, or lack thereof. My drum smoker is MUCH more responsive to vent changes than my wsm, but it has NO door, and just one vent on the bottom. Yep, it's "tight as a drum", and it DOES make a difference!