Temp regulation and/or probe issues in 3.5

[Mnsesq]

When I seasoned my new 3.5 I did so without the convection fan running (outside temp went from 30’s in the morning to 50’s later) and the unit impressively stayed within a few degrees of 300.

The three subsequent smokes, using confection and the cold smoker attached, have shown that like today, outside temps in the 30’s, the unit was set to 125° but a meater probe showed the actual temperature inside The unit was over 180°. And the internal temperature of the sausages was 145°.

Temperature fluctuates wildly and is always much hotter than the set temp.

I reached out to Steve after the second smoke went down poorly, and he suggested the problem was a pan of water I had on a rack. I’ve reached out to him with the data on the third smoke and I’m waiting for a response.

But in the meantime, I’m hoping that someone may have some ideas on here. Does cold weather affect the functioning of this supposedly upgraded controller?

Any other ideas as to why I am having these issues?

 

[old sarge]

I have never had a problem like you describe and do not use wifi or my phone. I set the box temp and meat temp (or box temp and time) at the controller and let the smoker do its thing and walk away. I use an instant read to check the meat temp when needed but that is all. Just a question: Have you checked your meter with the ice water and boiling water test for accuracy? Keep in mind that 212 degrees for boiling water is a sea level temp and will vary by elevation.

 

[Mnsesq]

I have never had a problem like you describe and do not use wifi or my phone. I set the box temp and meat temp (or box temp and time) at the controller and let the smoker do its thing and walk away. I use an instant read to check the meat temp when needed but that is all. Just a question: Have you checked your meter with the ice water and boiling water test for accuracy? Keep in mind that 212 degrees for boiling water is a sea level temp and will vary by elevation.

I’ve been using the meater probes for years and find them pretty accurate. Notwithstanding the foregoing, I bought yet another set of probes and will be running a test using all.