Stoker - Long periods of blower running

[James Harvey]

I'm doing a foul weather cook right now (rain, cool but mostly a wind problem). The blower is running longer than usual. I'm not too worried about it but thought I'd ask about the longevity of the blower when required to run for long periods to hold temps. Given the rain, the unit is under plastic and the blower is loosely wrapped in foil to repel moisture. Can anyone offer their thoughts on the general longevity of the blower (5 cfm)? I expect that those in comps or challenging weather areas have seen them run much longer than my backyard cooks.

 

[Steve Story]

I've had my Stoker for over 4 years and I have the 5 cfm fan as well. We cook 3-4 comps per year and a lot of backyard cooking. So the fan is built to last.

Are you sure you are getting enough air to the fan? You mentioned it is wrapped in foil -- is there an opening for air to get into the wrap?

 

[Amir]

I have cooked under blanket of snow many times

. No issue with longevity. I believe the blower is made by Panasonic so it is a good quality product.

 

[James Harvey]

Thanks guys.

Steve - I covered the fan loosely in foil and didn't think about airflow but that might have been somewhat of a factor thinking about it now.

Overall, the cook turned out well with pit temps stabilizing later in the cook. I do think the wind was a factor. Also to note, after 10hrs of cooking at 250F, I still had at least 25% of my initial fuel left.