New DigiQ DX


 
Rich G

Rich G

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Well, I've been accused of being impulsive on occasion, so I took the plunge, and ordered a DigiQ from BBQ Guru on Friday. Lo and behold, it showed up on my doorstep today. So, even though I have nothing to cook, I couldn't resist setting it up and taking it for a spin (waste of fuel, I know!!!!!)

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I'm a bit surprised that the pit temp is set to 245, and my lid therm is reading lower (about 15 degrees.) Normally, with my set up, my lid reads about 10 degrees higher...... Oh, by the way, the display actually reads 245 (pit set temp), not sure why it didn't show up in the photo......

A new toy, which I will give another run with bacon when I cook some up this weekend....should be nice to control the temp more easily on the low end.

Rich
 
James-

Not yet, after I posted that, I came back to check things after dinner and my therm and DigiQ were both happily displaying the same temperature. It's not scientific, but close enough for me to call it good for now!

Thanks for the suggestion!

R
 
Rich;

I got a little toy made by Guru called a probe tree. ($17.95) It is a pit temperature probe holder that allows two pit probes to be pushed into the holder. No metal to metal contact since the base and the two probe holders are made of high temp silicone.
Since I began using this probe tree, my Guru and Maverick ET-73 have been in total agreement. Last weekend the pit temps were exact at 230. Solved my temp disparity issues. Happy now!
 
I was ready to purchase a probe tree because I didn't like the BBQ Guru's way of securing the pit probe which is to use a metal alligator clip to clamp it to the grate.

I solved my problem by using a bamboo skewer and putting that into my meat and then I can clamp the probe to the skewer and get it into about any position I desire.
 
Got my DigiQ today. Already tested the probes in boiling water and both read 210... close enough for me!

I already have a 5.5 lb pork butt in a brine for the night. I'll remove it in the morning and rub it for a night cook.

All I can say is.. giddyup!
 
Nice to read the reviews as this is the product that I am leaning towards. It looks east enough to operate for a novice smoker, like myself. Keep the reviews coming cause they are a great read for those of us that have yet to order a temperature control system.
 
I just placed my order for my new DigiQ DX with a Pit Viper 10 CFM Fan and a WSM Adapter. Am I excited? YUH!!! My question is this. What should I do with it when I get it? I see that some people here are checking thier probes. How are you going about this and is it necessary?

This Weekend CAN NOT Get here quick enough now as I am really looking forward to this weeknd's Q as I will have my new Digi Q DX, and I will be using my first Home Made Dry Rub.
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Bill;

I got a good one for you. I cant figure this for the life of me, so give it a go and see what you come up with.

Got a DigiQ-DX with 10 cfm fan and run it on my WSM 22.5. Have eyelet grommets by Guru for the probe leads so they wont be pinched.

Also use a Maverick Redi-check ET-73 for remote monitoring so I can watch everything from the house.

When doing the ice slurry test, then boiling test Guru is nailig the numbers on the nose. So is the Maverick. They are both right together and perfect.....33 degrees in the ice and 211 in the water.

However, when I set them up in the smoker, the Maverick stays up to 50 degrees ahead of the Guru. I have both pit probes in a probe tree so they are insulated and reading the same placement.

I cant figure out why this is happening but it drives me crazy. The food probes read identical but the pit probe is the problem. In fact, Maverick sent me a new pit probe and darn it does the same thing too!

Why does the ice/boiling water test work perfectly, yet the two devices are so far apart in application? Scratching head here????
 
Morrey,

I'm having an issue with one of my thermocouples as well. I've resolved mine but could be similar to yours.

My thermocouple for my temp controller is bolted through the side of the smoker body and extends about five inches into the smoker. I get a reading about 20 degress higher than my et-73 probe which is almost touching the other TC. In boiling water they read 210 and 211.

What i found is that the TC for my controller picks up heat from the body of the smoker because the mounting contacts the metal of the middle section of my WSM. This heat transfers to the probe and causes the higher reading.

I wonder, does the probe you're having trouble with extend farther into the smoker. Meaning, do the probes enter the smoker at the same point and same amount of wire sheathing is exposed to the smoker heat? If one enters from a different location and has more sheathing exposed to the heat, maybe it's picking up the heat and transferring it to the probe.

Just a thought.
 
If the cause is that you are getting residual temp increase from the probe wires contacting the WSM mid section, then if you have room in your grommet, then wrap the wire in some plastic or even foil to help create a boundary and small air gap. I have put some high temp heat shrink on mine to help with this as well.

I know the grommet holes are small, but even a small thin sheet of plastic or even paper may help. May be worth it to try it both ways to see if that is your problem.

Good luck,
Kg
 
Thanks for the suggestions which gives me food for thought. Guru makes grommet eyelets that are used for probes to pass inside the smoker. I installed one set (2 eyelets) which allows room for two probe wires to pass thru one grommet opening. The grommets come in sets, so I always pass both pit probes (Guru and Maverick) thru one grommet hole, then pass both food probes thru the other eyelet.
I suppose in theory, only the tip of the thermocouple should sense temps. But as you both suggest, SOMETHING is not right here! IMHO, the ice/boiling water test proves both devices are true and accurate. So it makes sense that heat conductivity is coming into play from the contact with the midsection of the unit where the probes enter. Thats actually the only place where they touch any metal at all since I use a silicon probe tree for the probe tips.
My next step will be to try to isolate the probe lead from the metal contact when it enters the unit. Maybe get both probes in place, then pull out slightly and wrap individually with electrical tape and see if insulating from metal contact could work.
I think you guys are on the right track. On my next cook I will evaluate and let you know.
Thanks much for the suggestions!
 
I've exp. sme pit temps swings over the years starting witht the original Competitor. The main constant issue was the wire from the Comp. and it failing internally. They said that it would only go up to 375 max withut potential damage. What I found and still do with the probe wires is that after many smokes they become brittle and wonder about the conditions of the wire internally. With the newer stainless covering it's hard to tell, but I feel that it is what causes some mystery reading by picking up the heat near tha area where the wire is potentially exposed to greater heat near a foiled pan or a metal shelf. beacause of this, I have back-up probes when I exp. these swings. The wires also become weak near the end of the probe near the clip. Just my thoughts.
 
There are several problem with lower end thermocouples. There are very prone to any electrical noise, they are slow to react, and metal touching the probe can throw the readins way off. If these companies used platinum RTD type sensors most of your sensor problems would go away, but they are very expensive, especially when you start looking for sensors with such a large temperature range. If they started using sensors like this designed to be within a tenth of a degree, you probably could not afford to buy one.
 
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