Hello all. I just got my stoker about two weeks ago. I am having a real hard time getting it to hold the target temp I have set. It seams to be all over the board +/- 10 to 15 degrees. I have put BGE gasket seal on the wsm adapter, wsm door , and the joint between the middle and lid to try and seal it up a little better. I have also tried to light 5-6 charcoal and let the stoker get it up to temp. I have played with the top vent position also with no luck. I have burned through a few bags of charcoal trying to get it figured out. I also did calibrate all of the probes. Any suggestions? One more thing, i am using water in the water pan.
Stoker flucuating temps
- Thread starter Wade Timm
- Start date
One thing to check for is to make sure the blower is not upside down. If it is, on windy days air goes in that way and messes things up.
On my ceramic smoker my top vent is barely open. Maybe quarter of an inch. So start with something like that.
If you run stokerlog on it and post the graph we may be able to diagnose it better.
Finally, test it indoor. Get a glass of water and fill it with ice. Put the probe in there and set the target to something like 70 degrees. Then take out the probe and hold it between your fingers and make sure it triggers at the right temp. Doubtful it is a hardware problem but this is one way to check it.
On my ceramic smoker my top vent is barely open. Maybe quarter of an inch. So start with something like that.
If you run stokerlog on it and post the graph we may be able to diagnose it better.
Finally, test it indoor. Get a glass of water and fill it with ice. Put the probe in there and set the target to something like 70 degrees. Then take out the probe and hold it between your fingers and make sure it triggers at the right temp. Doubtful it is a hardware problem but this is one way to check it.
Larry D.
TVWBB Emerald Member
In my experience there is no need to use water in the pan with a Stoker. You don't need the thermal mass to help control the temperature. Try a cook without water (using one of the various other methods) and see if that helps. Also, in my opinion, there's no need to try to create an air-tight WSM with gaskets and sealants. Just make sure the body isn't out-of-round, and tweak the fit of the door if it's really off. Finally, I always cook with the top vent wide open.
1) Don't use Water
2) Run the stoker probe in your oven for a few hours and graph the results on Stokerlog to see just how much fluctuation is in that controlled environment as a compare point. You may be suprised.
3) Is the WSM seasoned by several cooks?
4) I never use gasket material etc on a WSM. Simply not needed in my experience. If you have leaks that big, components are out of round.
5) Every time you open the lid, expect a disruption that will oscillate for some time
6) +- 10 degrees is pretty tight
7) Use Kingsford Blue
8) Leave the top vent alone, may as well leave it wide open
9) Ensure the blower is mounted properly.
2) Run the stoker probe in your oven for a few hours and graph the results on Stokerlog to see just how much fluctuation is in that controlled environment as a compare point. You may be suprised.
3) Is the WSM seasoned by several cooks?
4) I never use gasket material etc on a WSM. Simply not needed in my experience. If you have leaks that big, components are out of round.
5) Every time you open the lid, expect a disruption that will oscillate for some time
6) +- 10 degrees is pretty tight
7) Use Kingsford Blue
8) Leave the top vent alone, may as well leave it wide open
9) Ensure the blower is mounted properly.