UDS temp control Cant get it below 250

Sound like you have an air leak somewhere. What is the temp rating on that red RTV?  Those joints are pretty close to the fire basket. Once charcoal is lit, it does not take much air to keep it going steady.  This is why UDS and WSM smokers work so great.

Try starting the capping about 10 to 20* earlier on each of the other two inlets and crank the ball valve down to 1/4 open.  As you found out it takes a while for a fire to be choked down once it's up and running.  If it stalls, just crack the ball valve open slightly a little at a time.  It's easier to creep up on a temperature than it is to choke it down.

Ghilljr as was stated you may have a leak at your air inlet, however looking at your drum you have a lot of leakage from grease or tar from heavy smoke. Whatever the case is, it is a sign that you lid does not have a tight fit. For a UDS to perform at its peak it must be air tight. Some builders cut the rim off the drum head to make the weber or a clone lid fit. To each his own but I feel this destroys the integrity of the drum. Most drums are 23" and the Weber lid is 22.5"; you only need 1/4" to make the lid fit. I feel it is easier for me to rework the lid than cut the barrel an weaken its form.

This is how I rework the Weber lid to get a tight fit. I hold the lid with the edge against a hard surface and using a hammer on the inside rim, I start to flattened it out. Once I have the rim flattened, I put it back on the durm and center it. It is sometimes good to have an extra hand when you start to bend the edge back down. I align the vent on the lid with the ball valve as a point of reference so that when the lid is replaced in future use, it is always in the same position.

I begin by crimping the lid's edge back down with the hammer. I bend it enough so that it will hold as I go to the oposite side and do the same. I do this all the way around the the drum, crimping the lid on oposite sides until the whole lid is crimped with a snug fit. If you make it to tight it may be difficult to remove when the metal expands. If this happens just tap the edge of the lid back out until it is a snug fit.

Once I close the ball valve and the lid vent, the fire is usually out in about 20 minutes and the drum is cold. My drums are so tight that the slightest movement of the lever (open or close) on the ball valve will raise or lower the temperature of the drum by single degrees. I believe the more drums you build, the better your construction will become and the better your UDS will perform. I hope this helps.  

Ghilljr said:

  sorry DWARD51 i missed the question about the RTV ,600 degrees continuous. IS that temp ok?

Click to expand...

 I would expect the heat that close to your charcoal basket to be higher than that.  Especially when the charcoal is freshly lit.  Do a good close inspection and see if it has gotten hard, brittle or burned in any areas.   Most UDS builders weld the pipe nipples on the drum.

Sam, morning.....  On the next smoke, try capping the 2 inlets at 150 and closing the valve down to 1/2 open... be sure the lid vent is wide open when you start up and leave it open during the cook....   add the meat...   without meat in the UDS, there is little to absorb the heat.... meat should help cool the temps...   sounds like the lid fits well.... some folks have rtv'd stove gasket rope to the inside of the lid groove to help seal it.... Like others have said, a small air leak will keep a UDS cooking right along...  If you close the air exhaust on the lid, there should be no smoke escaping around the lid, or maybe a very, very small amount.... that is a good check....  by the way the UDS holds temp for a long time, I think the temps just got too high at the start.....  

BTW, an excellent description of what you were doing, and how the smoker was started, to help us, help you, in trying to figure out stuff..

Dave

I would also add that 250 is really not that high, I cook everything at 250.  You won't notice much if any difference in your product at 250 as opposed to 225.  I'm with Dave, maybe the temp got too high before you started capping the inlets off.

  Good job Ghilljr ! Now looking for the q-view!

   Mike

Besides the air thing....a water pan will keep the temp stable.