Need Stoker help - temp spikes


 
Tim,
I will let you know what they say. Sorry to hear that you have the temp swings as well but on the other hand, glad to know that I am not the only one. Seems like every post I read, mine was the only one not holding steady temps. The only thing I haven't tried was to compeletely wrap the WSM with high heat tape to make certain there wasn't any air getting in other than from the Stoker.

I sent it 3 day shipping so Rocks should get it on Thursday. Hopefully they will have a quick turn around.

Dave
 
Any updates on this...the last couple of smokes I've had with my Stoker have had some peaks and valleys that are more than I'd like...

I would expect better performance from something I dumped $700 on...
 
ok I talked to Rocks and he said that I needed to start my fires smaller and that I needed to not start my fires right by the fan...I had read somewhere that someone did that way so I was doing it that one...

Don't start your fire right by the fan...it needs to be started in the center or just outside of center on the other side of the basket from the fan...

Also, don't start your fire very big at all...Rocks said with his 18.5 WSM he fills the charcoal basket and then sets 2 charcoal starts on top of the charcoal just opposite of center from the fan and once the top coals under the starters has ashed over and the white smoke from the starters is gone, he closes up the WSM and starts the Stoker...he said it should take about 30-40 minutes to get up to temp...then he puts his meat on...

One other thing that he said was that when it starts fluctuating and spiking and dipping later in the cook that it usually means you're running out of fuel...

I know that this might not pertain to what's going on with some people's WSMs or the OP WSM, but maybe someone might be able to try these little things and get their stoker running correctly
 
Chuck,
Once I get my Stoker back from Rocks, I will try some of those. I have tried with putting the lit coals in the center and by the side with the fan, still same spikes. Even went from 15 lit coals to 8 lit coals. Same spikes. The only thing I haven't done was to put the charcoal starters on the actual coals...seems like there are a lot of folks that use the minion methods and have great success. I've only had my Stoker since Jan of this year and used it about 13 times or so.

Even with using lump charcoal, I was still getting spikes.

Not gonna give up trying and letting everyone know what I did and the results...may just be that I haven't 'seasoned' the smoker enough.

Dave
 
Looking at your temps in another post I would be beyond pleased if I could get temps 220-245. To me that's good enough. I have problems with mine running away to 270+. I don't have those problems when starting the smoker the same way but controller the bottom damps manually. I have learned the hard way to leave that top vent open fully or you'll get some nasty carbon buildup and over smoked meat.
 
Just providing an update. Rocks BBQ received my Stoker about 2 weeks ago and they are just now testing it. Probabaly will be another 1-2 weeks before I get it back. :(

Dave
 
Update...Rocks BBQ has had my Stoker for a month. I emailed them back on July 8th and was told by Kevin, he or John would test is either that day or the 9th. They were recovering from a July 4th weekend. I called them yesterday and talked with Kevin, he still didn't do any testing until I called. We talked a little about the issues I was having and he proceeded to use the oven he had there to test the probe and didn't see the Stoker do a 'warm reset' even though I have a video of it on photobucket and had sent him the link back in June. He was going to do more testing and call me back yesterday but didn't get a return call. He did state that the Stoker currently ships with a 6 CFM fan but he still had some 4 CFM fans and he would switch them out if I wanted. I told him that I'm not certain if that would fix the temp issues since I don't know what is causing them or how to trouble shoot them. My pit is sealed up, smoke only comes out top vent when the fan is on. Main issue (other than the warm reset which Harry Soo stated was a power supply issue) is that when the pit reached the set temp (let's say 225), the fan does shut off but the pit temp continues to climb, sometimes 30+ degrees higher. He stated he would do more testing and get back to me.



Dave
 
Talked to Kevin today, in his testing, he stated he couldn't get my Stoker to 'warm reset'. He talked with me about the temp swings and stated it was normal and that my pit may not be seasoned yet. He is sending it back. I am going to keep him informed if i see any 'warm resets' again. Will also try a couple of other suggestions to see if I can figure out the temp swings...forgot he also mentioned that I may not have enough meat in the smoker and thus there was a lot of air so the coals kept heating after the fan cut out....

Dave
 
Received the Stoker last Wednesday and did a packer and a butt cook this weekend. Started pit at 10:45, at 11:30, it was up to temp of 225 and ready for the packer. It held 225 +/-1 degree for about 8 hours then the temp spikes started once I put the butt on and control was lost until I set the Stoker up 1 degree to 226. It then held temps sorta steady for a couple hours.

I used Kingsford Comp Charcoal and applied 'stretch and seal' silicone tape around the connection between lower bowl and middle section once pit was lit. I also put HVAC tape over the 2 vents the Stoker isn't connected to. Not certain if the different charcoal or taping those sections helped with keeping the temp solid for the first 9 hours. My 'warm reset' is still happening on the Stoker.

Kingsford Comp Charcoal, foiled Clay saucer, starting temp at 225 and later (around Noon) I moved the temp up to 250.

Dave
 
I go empty pan with lump, lid @ 25% and get spikes well into the 300's. I now start with only 2 - 2" X 2" pieces of lump. WSM still overshoots right away. I've checked for leakage by closing down all vents after a short cook and the fire dies pretty quick (I use my ET73 to monitor temps as well). I'm dong a 7lb butt Saturday using Kingsford briqs and a clay pan in the water pan foiled. I'll see how it goes.

If I run the WSM without the Stoker I get much more controlled temps. I guess that tells me something.
 
I have had my Stoker for a year running on the WSM18 and on a BGE. On the WSM I always used the Kingsford Competition with a full bowl and I light a healthy chimney to get it all started. 2 bottom vents closed and top vent fully open. For what it's worth I have not experienced any issues and in fact I've been amazed at the temp stability on both cookers which I've run concurrently on occasion. I literally just hung up the phone with Rock's and just ordered a 10cfm fan for my new WSM22. I hope it works as well on that cooker!
 
So I have a 18.5" WSM and am considering either the CyberQ or Stoker. I mostly cook at 225 or 250 and have been able to get great, stable temps with a foiled pan filled with boiling water for several years now. An ATC will help me save some sleep for overnight smokes, plus help free up my day and allow me to use the smoker more now that I have a toddler running around.

After reading this thread, I'm very hesitant on getting a Stoker. The temp spikes seem to have been confirmed by a few different people and really no resolution even working with the manufacturer. +/-25 degree swings are just not acceptable at a $400 price range.

Has anyone that purchased a CyberQ or Stoker now regretted their purchase or are unhappy with the performance? Is there anyone who purchased one unit, that now wishes they had purchased the other (networking/setup issues aside)?
 
David P. said:
So I have a 18.5" WSM and am considering either the CyberQ or Stoker. I mostly cook at 225 or 250 and have been able to get great, stable temps with a foiled pan filled with boiling water for several years now. An ATC will help me save some sleep for overnight smokes, plus help free up my day and allow me to use the smoker more now that I have a toddler running around.

After reading this thread, I'm very hesitant on getting a Stoker. The temp spikes seem to have been confirmed by a few different people and really no resolution even working with the manufacturer. +/-25 degree swings are just not acceptable at a $400 price range.

Has anyone that purchased a CyberQ or Stoker now regretted their purchase or are unhappy with the performance? Is there anyone who purchased one unit, that now wishes they had purchased the other (networking/setup issues aside)?
Click to expand...

I know you're asking people about regrets, but I'm the opposite.

I bought a Stoker and I haven't looked back once. It gives me peace of mind to be able to sleep on overnight cooks - that alone to me is worth the $400.

Full disclosure: I cook on a BGE, but I will be adding a 22.5" WSM here shortly (a benefit of the stoker is you can have multiple pits on the same unit - just need fans/probes).
 
AlexFeig said:
I know you're asking people about regrets, but I'm the opposite.

I bought a Stoker and I haven't looked back once. It gives me peace of mind to be able to sleep on overnight cooks - that alone to me is worth the $400.

Full disclosure: I cook on a BGE, but I will be adding a 22.5" WSM here shortly (a benefit of the stoker is you can have multiple pits on the same unit - just need fans/probes).
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback Alex. Have you been able to keep very stable temps with the Stoker?

I'm set on an ATC being worth the money to save some sleep and open up my schedule a bit, but reading the stories of large temp swings is what scares me about making the plunge.
 
Here is my latest:



I started the fire around 6:30 AM, by 7:00 AM, it was at the set temp of 225. Outside temp was 55 degrees so I lit 12 briquettes. I let the Stoker 'manage' the fire for a little while before putting the meat on and at 7:30 AM, I put on the boston butt. The temps weren't rock solid but stayed +/- 10 degrees until about 10AM when they spiked to 237. I was at my son's little league baseball game so I wasn't too worried. I was monitoring it remotely using pitpal software. After the game was over (Noon time), the food temp was about 136 so I remotely kicked the pit temp from 225 to 250. The Stoker quickly took the temp up and kept it about +/- 10 degrees. At about 1:30 PM, I wrapped the pork butt, so you see the odd temp spike. Pit went from 267 -> 216 -> 293. To avoid getting more spikes, I did a power reset on the Stoker and you see it gained control again and kept it pretty steady around 250 +/- 2 degrees for the next 2.5 hours.
I'm not certain if Kevin did anything with my Stoker while he had it but it is keeping temps a lot better now.
 
Dave R said:
Here is my latest:



I started the fire around 6:30 AM, by 7:00 AM, it was at the set temp of 225. Outside temp was 55 degrees so I lit 12 briquettes. I let the Stoker 'manage' the fire for a little while before putting the meat on and at 7:30 AM, I put on the boston butt. The temps weren't rock solid but stayed +/- 10 degrees until about 10AM when they spiked to 237. I was at my son's little league baseball game so I wasn't too worried. I was monitoring it remotely using pitpal software. After the game was over (Noon time), the food temp was about 136 so I remotely kicked the pit temp from 225 to 250. The Stoker quickly took the temp up and kept it about +/- 10 degrees. At about 1:30 PM, I wrapped the pork butt, so you see the odd temp spike. Pit went from 267 -> 216 -> 293. To avoid getting more spikes, I did a power reset on the Stoker and you see it gained control again and kept it pretty steady around 250 +/- 2 degrees for the next 2.5 hours.
I'm not certain if Kevin did anything with my Stoker while he had it but it is keeping temps a lot better now.
Click to expand...

Dave, What's your current setup for water pan, top vent and fuel?
 
David P. said:
Thanks for the feedback Alex. Have you been able to keep very stable temps with the Stoker?

I'm set on an ATC being worth the money to save some sleep and open up my schedule a bit, but reading the stories of large temp swings is what scares me about making the plunge.
Click to expand...

It's pretty damn stable. The only time it can get out of control is if wood starts to combust (not fire, but if more starts to light up). You will notice those swings as larger variances, and once you get used to it it's not as big of a deal. It's much more stable than the graph that Dave R posted though. Usually when things settle down for me (meaning I don't open it or don't fuss), my graphs look like 15:00 on his chart.

To give a real world example, I just put on 2 pork shoulders 2.5 hours ago with a set pit temp of 250. There was about a 45 minute period where it was hanging around 260 before it dropped down to 250 and it's been like that for well over an hour. +- MAYBE 3-4 degrees. My oven can't do that.

That said, I don't have a WSM, and the Big Green Eggs are very well insulated. YMMV.

I know that Harry Soo uses a stoker with his WSM's and he seems to do very well with them.
 
On the question about regrets - I have a Stoker and I don't have them. I actually have both a WSM and a BGE and I've run them both at the same time with the Stoker running fans in each. I've experienced very stable temps occasionally +/- 10 degrees from the settings, but +/- 3 degrees is more common. When I see the larger variances it's usually deeper into a cook (e.g. 12 or more hours overnight) where there might be ash buildup and the pit needs a stir or more fuel or it is just very windy. I sleep much better now!
 
David P. said:
Dave, What's your current setup for water pan, top vent and fuel?
Click to expand...

My top vent is only open about 1/8. I don't have a water pan but a double foiled clay saucer instead. Used a full ring of Kingsford Blue Bag charcoal. The temp swings at the beginning may have been caused by one of the bottom vents getting opened slightly...not certain how that happened but I closed it later in the cook. Bottom vents were closed and the vent the Stoker is attached to was open all the way.

Dave
 
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