More Pix of Temp Control

[pg]

Sorry, all of the pix did not get attached on 1st attempt

 

[Dutch]

Thanks for posting the pictures PG! The mailman tried to deliver my unit yesterday but the wife and I had just left and the son didn't hear the door bell. Now I gotta go to the Post Office to pick it up on Monday.

 

[bluefrog]

Now that you have had you temp. control for a few days and I assume that you have used it, what do you think? I am considering buying one and would like input from anyone who has installed or used one.

 

[Dutch]

Bluefrog, I'm having problems with mine. I find that with the TCV in place my flame on the "High" setting is only half as high as the original flame and the temp. in the smoker doesn't go above 200 deg. I had the same issues last weekend with the TCV and thought that the low pressure in the propane bottle was the culprit. I'm going to call the company tomorrow and see if I can't get a replacement sent out.

 

[bbqblitz]

Keep us updated, earl. I was thinking of buying a unit like that myself.

 

[Dutch]

Hey PG, have you noticed any differences in your burner flame since you installed your TCV? I could really use your feedback here. I'm thinking now that there might be an obstruction in the valve.

 

[pg]

Hey Earl, Sorry to you are having problems with your TCV. I haven't really tested the unit under a full day of smoking. I did try it over a three hour period with my smoker empty and had no problem between the 200-250 degree range with a full bottle. Like you I am experiment ing with the unit.

I plan a smoke this weekend and will get back with you on the results.

 

[brandx]

Earl, by any chance did you use teflon tape to make the brass connections like the poster did? Normally you don't use tape for this kind of gas connections. Small pieces of tape could break off while screwing connections together and lodge in the small openings. Just a thought, but you may want to undo all your connections and check them. Even if you use pipe dope you may have partially blocked a fitting.

 

[Dutch]

brandx, I did use the teflon tape and the GOSM works fine. When I insert the TCV in-line the flame drops to 1/2 the size when on the 'high' setting.

 

[smokin_all_night]

Earl, I did this mod two years ago. It was not perfect but sorta works. I had to drill out the orifice on the end of the temperature controller in order to get enough heat. Same symptoms that you are having. I can now get enough heat but the control is soft and not precise. It works though better than without the controller.

Just get a good drill index and find a drill bit larger than the opening that is now in the tip and drill it out. Go slow, go one size drill at a time until you get enough heat. Unfortunately, the bit I used was not marked and I do not have a micrometer. I probably doubled the hole size though. If you goof and go too large, you can always JB Weld it and try again.

Regards,
Aubrey Page
---------------

OTBS 007

 

[pg]

Hey Aubrey, Thanks for the tip......I will try that if I experience the same problem. I've not had a chance to do any real smoking since I installed the unit on my smoker.

 

[Dutch]

Thanks for the the tip Aubrey, I'll have to give it a try.

 

[brandx]

I got my valve in the mail, and attempted to install it in line between the tank regulater and the manual gas control valve thats on the smoker. Like Earls, mine didn't work. All I could get was a half inch flame and very little temperature. Then it dawned on me theat I now had 2 gas orifaces in there and that wouldn't work. I wanted to keep the manual valve in place just incase I wasn't satisfied with the TCV. What I did was to remove the burner assembly then turn the smoker upside down. I set the burner over the opening but turned it 90 degrees so the burner tube would be pointing towards the side then marked and drilled new holes so the burner would mount this way. I turned it right side up and remounted the burner using the new holes. By using a conduit clamp like in a few other installations and making a mounting brackett by bending a piece of half inch stock I was able to mount the TCV with its oriface in the burner tube opening by screwing the conduit clamp to my brackett then fastening the brackett to the smoker cabinet with sheet metal screws. Here's a little trick. If you put this together and the 45 degree fitting doesn't line up where you can see the temperature indicator line on the valve use a 1/8 brass nut of the kind used to put lamp hardware together, but make sure you pipe dope the fitting or it'll leak. I screwed a 1/8" 90 degree elbow to the TCV then screwed a 1/8 by 5/16 hose barb fitting onto that. Then I cut the rubber gas line from the regulator and inserted the barb fitting into the hose and tightened it with a hose clamp. By rerouting the wire from the piezzo ignitor through the burner body you can re hook up the ignitor. The nice thing about this set up is I can change it back to how it was originally buy inserting the barb fitting into the small lenght of hose I left attached to the manual valve if I want to run the smoker at higher temperatures.

 

[brandx]

Forgot to add the pic. :roll: