Temperature Issues - New Heating Element?

[Carp210]

I think your heating element will check out fine.  I would have put the meat probe in one of the breast and tried not to open the door till close to the target, then add the sauce.   Trust the Auber meat probe or also add your Maverick meat probe to monitor the IT.  No need to open the door to check with the thermal pen when you have two ways to check the temp with the door closed.  Every time you open the door you let a lot of heat out of the cabinet.   It does take time to recap what you have lost.  If you must use the thermal pen use it when you pull the chicken as a final check.

Do a test smoke with a heat sink using the same Auber setting and record the results.  This is how I set up to try and nail down a my Auber problem.  Take a photo every 15minutes.  Pay particular attention 40 degrees from target when the Auber starts to cycle and when the temp hits target.  Once the Auber locks it usually stays locked.  After your done you can put the figures into a log sheet.  Also watch the power light on the Auber and what it is doing.  Hope this helps.
 

[CUTiger80]

Dave,
This helps a lot.  You must be an engineer (which is a good thing; I am too) or at least think like one.
The reason I was using the pen thermometer is that I had the breasts on separate shelves and they were cooking at different rates.  When the first got to 160 deg, I removed the probes and swapped the racks (after brushing on the BBQ sauce).  I try, at all costs, to avoid opening the door, for this reason.  I think the next time that I do this recipe, I will cook the breasts until they are 160 deg and then remove them, put on the BBQ sauce and then slap them on the grill for a few minutes.
I guess in hind-sight my original question should have been "Should I expect the SI#2 old-style heating element (I think 650 watts) to get my smoker up to 275 deg?"

[SuperDave]

Ravel, do a temperature check with the stock controller and your Maverick.  Leave the Auber out of the equation and see if it makes a difference. 

[Walt]

Ravel, i followed your lead on the rocket launcher conversion quite awhile back. Also own a #2 with the smaller element. No problem getting over 300 degrees. Thanks again for your early contributions regarding the conversion.

[DivotMaker]

Good to see you again, Ravel!  First, you'll see a big difference with the 800w element.  Second, you need to stop opening the door so much!    

[CUTiger80]

Thanks for all of the input and suggestions, guys.  This is certainly a very interactive and helpful forum and I'm thankful that you guys put up with my anal questions and comments.
Sounds like I have several tests to run this weekend to determine if my smoker and Auber are performing correctly with my stock heating element.  Then, should my new 800W element arrive by weeks end, install it and re-calibrate the Auber (assuming I determine that it is not defective).  On top of that, I plan to smoke some meat-loafs (cause a guy's got to eat eventually).
I think my first test will be to try and simulate the chicken cook from last weekend with a dummy meat load (a pan of sand dampened with ice water).  Using Dave's suggestion, I'll monitor the Auber and Maverick probes and photo/log the results every 15 minutes.
If I get similar results as I did over the weekend, I will by-pass the Auber and try the same test using the stock controller.  This should tell me if the heating element is good or not.  If it tests out good, then I will point my finger back at the Auber.  I will try running the test again with the Auber, only this time with the meat probe inserted to see if that makes a difference.  (I seem to remember seeing some comments about that on another thread that dealt with inconsistent results with the Auber.)  If I have enough time, I may also try the Auber without the ramp-up setting to see if something strange is happening when the Auber switches between steps.
I will then recalibrate the Auber (recording the PID settings before and after) and run the test again to see if the results change.
Also, during this process, if I suspect that there is an issue with the Auber, I will measure the voltage output of the unit to insure that it is 120V, especially if I determine that the heating element is fine.
If you guys can think of any other things/tests I can try/perform, then throw them at me and I will give them a shot.
Since I didn't cook the chicken with a pan of water in the bottom of the smoker, I was planning to run these tests without water as well.  (Obviously, if I recalibrate the Auber, I will put water in a pan in the bottom next to the fire box.)  Also, I was planning to run the tests without wood (smoke).

[DivotMaker]

Wow...OMG, Ravel!  Hey, you're an EE, so have fun with all that!  Personally, I'd install the new element, run an autotune, and smoke something.

[CUTiger80]

Tony, It does not appear that my new 800W element will arrive before the weekend, so that is not an option.  Plus, I really want to know if my current element is OK (so I can determine whether to keep it as a back-up or toss it) and whether my Auber is working right. 

[CUTiger80]

So, for the first test run tonight I decided to just set the Auber for 275 and let er rip. I filled a shallow half size pan about half full of sand & then poured in about a pint of ice water. I mounted the Maverick probe to the top of the top shelf that I placed as high as possible. Both the Maverick & Auber fixed probes were at almost exactly the same height (see photo).
It took the smoker almost exactly 1 hour to reach 275 and it locked on it for another 30 minutes.  The only strange thing was that the Maverick read 264 after 1 hour and it stayed locked on it for another half hour.
So it sounds like both my Auber & heating element are fine. Just curious why my Maverick reads 11 degrees lower when the probes are almost side-by-side and why I couldn't  get to 275 last week with 8 chicken breasts.
I may test the Maverick probe in some boiling water tomorrow just to see what it reads. I hate to test the Auber probe because it would require removing it which means removing the back. I may wait until my 800w element arrives and test the probe while I have the back removed to install the element.

[DivotMaker]

I hate to test the Auber probe because it would require removing it which means removing the back. I may wait until my 800w element arrives and test the probe while I have the back removed to install the element.

Make a glass of ice water, and tilt it over the probe.  Should read 32°.  Just don't fill it too full!

[elkins20]

Hey Ravel, Almost sounds like your maverick is not working properly. A couple of weeks ago I smoked a BB and had trouble with mine. As the maverick said the IT of the butt was 195. And when I checked it with my ThermoWorks RT301Wa the IT was 185. If I was you would definitely check the maverick. As I trust the Auber more so than the maverick. Good luck with your experiments.

[Carp210]

ravel,
It is not uncommon for the Auber and Mav to have anywhere from 1 to 11 degrees difference. Most of my tests have shown a diff of less than 5 degrees.  It all depends on exact probe placement and where on the temp curve you are taking your reading.  I've seen it start at the same temp then as it climbs you'll see a 2 or 3 degree diff.  Never have I seen it match exactly all the way up to target. 

[CUTiger80]

Saturday morning I followed my instincts and Tony's suggestion and tested all of my probes.  I was able to mix up some ice water in a water bottle and tilt the smoker over and insert the bottle over the fixed probe.  It read exactly 32 deg.  I tested the Auber meat and both Maverick probes and they all read 32 deg.  Just for the heck of it, I boiled some water and tested both the Maverick probes and they read 212 deg.  I tested the Auber meat probe in both inputs of the Auber and it also read 212 deg.  By deduction, I'm assuming that the Auber fixed probe is also accurate at the higher end.
I think that I have determined that both my smoker element and my Auber are working properly and that all of my temp probes are accurate. So the issue I had with smoking 8 chicken breasts must have been operator error of some type.
I did learn a lot from this process and from you guys giving me tips along the way that hopefully improves my smoking skills at least a little.
On Sunday, I smoked a meatloaf and some sausage and the Auber and smoker performed exactly as it should.  I'll post recipes and pictures in a different location later in the week.
I also received my new 800W element on Saturday and will install it and autotune in the next couple of weeks.  Hopefully, this will improve the SI#2 even more.
Thanks again to all of you for your help with sorting this out.

[elkins20]

Hey Ravel, quick question, what did you use to test the heating element? I would like to test mine as I have a problem with my wood just looking like charcoal rather than burning all and just leaving ash.

[DivotMaker]

Good to hear, Ravel!