Any advice on Stump's temp setting?

[JPGators17]

I refurbished an old Classic Stump's gravity fed smoker, so now I'm trying to learn how she works best. Before I buy the adapter for the Guru and call it a day, I want to learn how to run it the old fashion way first. So far it seems to run hot, 300+ even when I shut the ball valve down pretty tight. The exhaust stack doesn't have a damper, so it remains wide open.

Also, it takes a LONG time for it to get into the 200s, like well over an hour. So far I have been starting with 1 full chimney of lit charcoal, and 1 full chimney of unlit charcoal. Does anyone have any tips on getting her to settle into the 225-275 range?

[theath551]

I have a stump's XL Baby. Before I had a flame boss, I used a hair dryer to quickly raise the temperature. I think the damper is a critical component in keeping the temperature low. I would definitely look at adding a damper

[JPGators17]

I broke down and got the adapter for my pit viper/ fireboard fan. I feel lazy, but temps are dialed in.

[theath551]

Haha some call it lazy - I call it efficient. It's definitely worth not having to wake up in the middle of the night to check the temperature of the smoker. I routinely sleep a full 8 hours with a butt or a brisket going.

[Randy-Phx]

Stump looks fairly short on television. Maybe he couldn’t reach the damper anyway so he just leaves them off.