Hello, Sorry I am new here and to the world of smoking meats and I am sure there has been a thread related to what to do with the wires for my Smoke thermometers coming in the mail but I can not search and come up with that thread. Should I Drill holes vs fish the wire down the air vent vs not completely seal the lid vs ?? Please direct me. Thanks for your time.
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Not sure if I have told you yet but Welcome from Indiana...
lot of folks have drilled holes and then used some sort of grommet or other piece of hardware to make the opening less harsh.
if I remember right Jon Solberg posted a video a long time ago... but not sure where it is at. -
Some drill holes and others like me just run the cables through the top vent.Comment
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C-Mac
Good morning,
All of the ways you mentioned work well for routing cables. I drill holes. Since most probe cables are encased in stainless steel braiding I don't install any type of grommet. The air gap around the cable is pretty insignificant and does not affect temp control. Grommets themself are just pretty cool and make a nice esthetic if you choose. As a point of reference most of my kettles have a 3/4 inch hole with a fitting and fitting to accommodate a fan that I do not plug if not using the fan. I have no issues with temp control even with this very large unplugged opening.
Here's the vid Nate mentioned of me "porting" a kettle. The Smoke has a larger probe diameter so a hole for that would of course be larger.
If you drill holes I dont recommend using a center punch to start your hole. You can pop enamel off the other side. I do recommend a small bit for a pilot hole in place of a punch.
Last edited by Jon Solberg; October 26, 2017, 06:29 AM.Comment
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I used a 3/4" brass close nipple and found a cap nut that would fit when not in use. Using a step bit, I drilled the hole above the grate . When I got close to the correct size, I checked the hole size every step and was able to use the threads on the nipple to screw the nipple in place. I also added a thin nut as a stop to prevent the nipple from turning when using the cap nut.Comment
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I just run mine through the top vent with no problem. I'm not as handy as some others here and am quite sure that I would ruin my kettle if I tried drilling holes in it.Comment
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I’m a vent guy too but I have to admit it’s sometimes a pain.Comment
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Get a Meater (just don't go too far from the kettle
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I'm still thinking I'll be building in my 26" weber next year (although I'll miss my SS table) so I'm not sure how I'm going to orient it. That's the only reason I haven't done this yet.Comment
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Lol, I think I'm the only one that just goes under the lid. I even use binder clips as needed while doing so (no gasket seal) and can hold great temps. Just throwing it out there, sometimes less is more, but that's my caveman way of doing it. Certainly nothing wrong with a permanent solution.Comment
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Thank you so much for the direction you folks are giving
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I've read where some folks run the wire through the bottom vent to avoid the hassle with taking the lid off. Might need a longer wire on the probe but Thermoworks has plenty of those.
Another thing I read was just cutting a notch in the kettle: http://virtualweberbullet.com/cuttin...eter-slot.html
I've just been running them under the hood and haven't really had any issues.Comment
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