First of all this website is really cool. Ive done a lot of reading here and I just finished my homemade wood built smoker. I have a yoder ys640 pellet smoker i use for pork butts, ribs, chicken etc, but i needed one just for summer sausage. My pellet grill had to many temperature swings inside the unit causing over cook to under cooked summer sausage from one side to other and from top rack to bottom rack. Any way i built this wooden smoker with inside dimensions of 36 x 24 x 64, approx 32 cubic feet. Insulated 3 1/2 inch walls, bottom and top. I did check on the plywood, and the stuff I used does not contain formaldehyde, and I think after a initial 8-10 hr smoke with no meat in it ought to pre-season the inside good enough to get started. So i am heating the unit with a 120 vac 1500 watt electric element, and am using the amazen smoker tubes for smoke on the inside. I have not bought my temp controller yet because i am unsure at this point what to do. Upon firing up the unit for the first time here are my results. Outside temp was 36 degrees, within first 30 minutes smoker came up to 133 degrees, after 1 hr 158 degrees and after second hour internal smoker temp was 183 degrees. This was with heating element on 100 percent of the time. So my question is---what will happen when its 20 degrees outside and I have 50 lbs of cold summer sausage hanging in the smoker, will this heating element work???? Should I add a second 1500 watt element and power it on a dedicated outlet to take care of the current draw issues, then would i have to buy two temp controllers?? Or should I go with a 220 vac heating element. Only one of these that i could find was 2100 watts, i dont think that would be a big enough increase. And my other concern was, i was planning on using the auberins ws-1500 dpms thermo couple controller, but this unit only controls 120vac, i dont think they make one like this unit for 220 vac. Any input would be very helpful. I have attached some pics of my build.
