Anyone using a controller on the upper vent on a kettle?

[Mosca]

I did the search with several different combinations of terms, but couldn't come up with anything relevant.

I just got a Performer, and the reason I bought new rather than used off CL is for the warranty... which, of course, is voided as soon as I drill a hole in that bowl. So, no hole.

I have a Digiq DX2 that I use for a different smoker, and I looked at BBQ Guru's website where they offer the option of connecting the device through the upper vent.

On the one hand, it makes sense to blow the air from under the fire; after all, that is the natural progression when everything is left alone. Air is drawn from the bottom and flows out the top.

On the other hand, controlling the flow of air is just a secondary way of controlling what we really want to keep constant, which is temperature. If the temperature stays at 250*, who cares which way it flows? Get the vents set close to where you want them, and the fan only kicks in to control runaways and black holes.

BBQ Guru recommends drilling the hole, but didn't give any good reason why using the top vent doesn't work. So, does anyone have any experience they can share?

Thanks!

[Troy]

i think using the top vent as a forced air intake would ill effects on the convection cooking.
it's going to introduce a lot of new variables and make everything a lot more inconsistent.

the guru and other ATCs function by blowing short bursts of air to maintain or increase temps to the desired level.
so its already going to be less efficient blowing in from the top vent.
the air around the food is going to be rich in smoke and heat
The fan will have to blow MORE just to get air to the coals
blowing cool fresh air in from the top is going to cool your food and have other ill effects (uneven cooking, stale smoke)

These are just my educated guesses based on experience and knowledge.
I've never hooked up a fan to the top vent.

I HAVE had plenty of uneven cooks that were the result of wind blowing in my top vent though

[THUNDERDOME]

I haven't seen one in person but I agree w/ Troy regarding the stale smoke issue. At least that's what I picture but I think it's a cool idea.

[Remmy700P]

Any reason why the vent-mounted fan couldn't suck the air OUT?

[Troy]

Any reason why the vent-mounted fan couldn't suck the air OUT?

in theory, if the remaining top vent holes are plugged - a suction fan could stoke the fuel.
seems like the fan itself would need to be redesigned or re-engineered quite a bit to make it work

probably not worth it.

I would just drill the hole and not worry about the warranty.
when bowls get replaced, you don't send the old bowl back - they just send you a new one.
And they don't ask for pics of every surface of the bowl

[Tommy B]

So the idea would be to turn the fan around and have the device turn on and off based on temp but instead of blow air in it would suck it out?
I don't think blowing air into the top would work.
Does the blower take up the entire vent or just one of the 3 vent holes? If it blocks all 3 air couldn't escape.

I am a little concerned on top of the grill your blower might melt. All that hot air will directly hit it. Outside of the bottom bowl direct heat isnt blasting on it.

It may work but I feel pulling air out/sucking air into bottom vents will be less responsive then blowing air into the fire.
Maybe it will work but I think it will take longer to combat temp spikes/drops.

I want you to buy and try now!

[Mosca]

Thanks. Troy, I like that answer!

Since I haven't used the kettle at all yet (it is still in the box, I'm debating putting it together by the porch light right now), I do think it is important to learn how to regulate temperature without any assistance first, rather than rely on electronics. So I have some time right now.

[Big Dawg]

I would just drill the hole and not worry about the warranty.
when bowls get replaced, you don't send the old bowl back - they just send you a new one.
And they don't ask for pics of every surface of the bowl

Never thought about it that way.  May reconsider the Guru . . . .





BD

[ramsfan]

It's funny you should ask this very question. I had a conversation with the folks at BBQ Guru on Wed. afternoon this week about mounting a PartyQ ATC to the top vent of my kettle because I didn't want to drill a hole either. They assured me that it will work just fine so long as you mount it through one of the 3 vent holes in the lid damper and leave the remaining two holes open for exhaust. They said that if you don't see stable temperatures that you could use the tape they provide to block one of the two remaining vent holes, thereby leaving just one remaining hole open for exhaust. You are supposed to completely shut the bottom vent so that the ATC is the only air source for more precise temperature control.

I haven't tried it yet, but I would say that before drilling the hole, try the lid damper method first. It certainly can't hurt anything? Try it on an empty cooker with just a thermometer inside and see what sort of results you get. See if it works? I would at least try it once just to see what happens before drilling a hole. You never know. It might just work? The pamphlet that came with my PartyQ showed a picture of a top lid vent mount and it said that it was an alternate method for mounting the ATC device. I too, would have a hard time drilling a hole into a brand new shiny cooker.

[Wahoo95]

I'm probably in the minority but screw the warranty and drill the bowl for a proper air intake considering these grills are so easy to come by used. I literally just threw one away because I couldn't fid anyone who could use it and I had way took many.  Ironically,  I was drilled our for a DigiQ.

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[eyevandy]

Would the burner hole on the Performer work for the fan mount, rather than actually installing the burner there? I don't have mine yet but looking at this: http://weberkettleclub.com/blog/2014/04/25/weber-grill-mod-adding-gas-assist/ it seems like the hole is pretty close to the size of the one they want you to drill. Maybe the location would be a problem?

[Darko]

Would something like this work?

http://www.maverickhousewares.com/bbq-accessories#/ttt-01-tip-top-temp/

It sits on the top vent and opens & closes to regulate temp.