I recently installed an Auber temperature control on my PBC, and I'd like some input from those who have, I guess particularly Jerod. First, I bought the 10 cfm model, and I decided to try the simplest installation I could. So I punched a 1-3/8" diameter hole in the side, using a standard electronic chassis punch. It went through easily and left a nice clean hole. I wanted to place the Auber fan opposite the regular bottom inlet vent, between the rebar holes, but the barrel seam is there so I moved over a couple of inches. I put the center of the hole 3" from the bottom.
My thinking was that the input air would hit the side of the coal basket and be diverted around, and there would be minimum disturbance of ashes. The top of the coal basket is about 4-1/2" above the bottom. I did not use any plumbing to mount the Auber, just snapped the springs into the hole and it held fine. It is easy to take off and put on. Yes, the barrel is round, and the Auber face is flat, but there didn't seem to be a big gap, so I haven't bothered to put a gasket on it (or dent the barrel side locally). After several hours running, the Auber housing was not hot to the touch, so I think it will be fine. However, it's probably a good idea to buy their silicone foam gasket.
My question is how to set the vents on the PBC when using the Auber. My PBC tends to run hot, and it's a struggle, plugging rebar holes, etc., to get it below 300 deg, never mind the 225-250 that I would like to try. So I decided to almost completely shut the lower inlet (I have a sliding shutter on it), and go more or less normal on the upper vents. My thinking was that I should shut off most of the regular input air and let the Auber fan supply what was needed, because without shutting the input vent, the PBC temperature would probably never get low enough for the Auber to come on and take control. A general principle of control theory is that the controlling element, in this case the Auber fan, should be ON about 1/2 the time for best control. This seemed to work for my first try, but I'd like to know what others have done.
FYI, I don't hang big loads of meat, like you-know-who. Usually just a couple of racks of pork ribs or beef short ribs, or 5 lbs of chuck roast or bacon, maybe an 8 lb pork butt. So it's usually less than 10 lbs, and not enough to really cool the PBC off during the stall. As I said, I'm usually trying to get the temperature down, not up.
Thanks for any input, and I'll report back on future experience.
My thinking was that the input air would hit the side of the coal basket and be diverted around, and there would be minimum disturbance of ashes. The top of the coal basket is about 4-1/2" above the bottom. I did not use any plumbing to mount the Auber, just snapped the springs into the hole and it held fine. It is easy to take off and put on. Yes, the barrel is round, and the Auber face is flat, but there didn't seem to be a big gap, so I haven't bothered to put a gasket on it (or dent the barrel side locally). After several hours running, the Auber housing was not hot to the touch, so I think it will be fine. However, it's probably a good idea to buy their silicone foam gasket.
My question is how to set the vents on the PBC when using the Auber. My PBC tends to run hot, and it's a struggle, plugging rebar holes, etc., to get it below 300 deg, never mind the 225-250 that I would like to try. So I decided to almost completely shut the lower inlet (I have a sliding shutter on it), and go more or less normal on the upper vents. My thinking was that I should shut off most of the regular input air and let the Auber fan supply what was needed, because without shutting the input vent, the PBC temperature would probably never get low enough for the Auber to come on and take control. A general principle of control theory is that the controlling element, in this case the Auber fan, should be ON about 1/2 the time for best control. This seemed to work for my first try, but I'd like to know what others have done.
FYI, I don't hang big loads of meat, like you-know-who. Usually just a couple of racks of pork ribs or beef short ribs, or 5 lbs of chuck roast or bacon, maybe an 8 lb pork butt. So it's usually less than 10 lbs, and not enough to really cool the PBC off during the stall. As I said, I'm usually trying to get the temperature down, not up.
Thanks for any input, and I'll report back on future experience.
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