$100 steal. Is it worth upgrading the controller to a PID?

[smokingpigfoods]

Picked up this Pit Boss 820 for $100 off Facebook. Has a hole in the heat defused and the drip tray, pit a piece if steel on top of the heat defused and foil around the drip tray and works just fine. Is it worth upgrading the controller to a PID controller? Seems like the temperature swing is getting less the more I used it.

 

[Little-m]

Looks like a well used unit, but for $100 I would have snagged it too. If there is one thing I learned about these, its if it isn't broke, don't fix it. I swapped out the stock controller in my new PB smoker with a PID thinking I didn't want to deal with the issues other people had. A short time later, I swapped back because I found the PID wasn't generating enough smoke to my liking.

So my suggestion is to run it for awhile and see how it works for you.

 

[RCAlan]

Great advice...

PB Austin Austin XL in SoCal and Always... Semper Fi

 

[mike243]

Looks like it has had some grease fires,I'd spend $ on a new defusser plate and some paint, then use it for a lot of years lol

 

[smokingpigfoods]

Thanks all.
I was thinking about using it in this stainless fridge I picked up a few years ago.
I was going to make it electric but now I’m not sure. I have all the parts just never got around to it.

 

[Little-m]

If I had that I would go the cheap route by snagging a used stove element and manual temp control. Throw in a wired temperature monitor and you're done.

 

[Little-m]

Like you, I am a firm believer in the KISS method. Not so sure I'd go electric though. I do like a wood fire even if these days it's wood pellets. I think there bolt on pellet units out there that include everything including hopper, auger, fire pot, igniter and controller etc. but I dont know the costs or if it's worth the trouble and aggravation once you figure the cost of just buying a good pellet grill. Like I said, KISS.

$$$. Think Big Chief. Basic design and gets the job done, provided the plan is cold smoking. I'd probably throw in a small muffin fan to circulate the smoke a bit and regulate the exhaust.