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Yet more Kettle and fan questions....(PartyQ)

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    Yet more Kettle and fan questions....(PartyQ)

    By happenstance I happened to be watching a lot of kettle mod videos this evening. Originally, I thought that I would never go the fan route on my 22" Weber kettle as I was sure I would destroy the thing trying to cut that 1" hole; however, I've watched enough of these videos and I think I can actually do this. Seems pretty straight forward....drill ever increasing pilot hole sizes until you are hit the 1" hole-saw bit's pilot size, then drill through. File down and done!

    I am still thinking about the PBC, but that is a $400 outlay and a controller plus fan can be had for around $160.

    I'm looking at the PartyQ. I like it as it is battery operated (I don't have a nearby outlet) and it's simple...it does just one thing and that is controlling the fan. I know many are fans (pun unintended) of the Fireboard controller and I may get that down the line, but right now I have a Thermoworks Smoke for remote meat and grate temp monitoring and it just works beautifully.

    So my questions....first, anyone have any overly negative experiences with the PartyQ and a kettle?

    Also, what is the Viper's "dynamic range" if you will? Let's say that with the bottom vents closed and the top vent open I'm at 210 degrees. Can it get me to 250? 300? 350?

    Additionally, I know that with 40 lit coals and my bottom and top vents at half, I'll be at 340-360 degrees. With the PartyQ, did you find that you had to "relearn" a bunch of briquette-to-temp ratios? How much of a learning curve is there with this thing?
    Last edited by Michael_in_TX; November 1, 2019, 08:04 PM.

    #2
    I can get my kettle with the DigiQ and Viper to 275 with the Q only open 1/2 and the top open 1/8. The only difference is the Party runs on batteries and the Digi has a transformer to reduce the 120 down. I have the same Viper fan, so there should be no problem with you reaching the temps you need. One of the other also uses the PartyQ exclusively.

    Comment


      #3
      Can also use a step bit or a hole saw. Both work well.

      I had a PartyQ and I could hit pretty much any temp on the 22”. On the 26” it had a harder time maintaining above 350F, but could still do it.

      my only negative on the partyQ is that it seemed to drift out of calibration, not a big deal if you check it with another thermo occasionally. I ended up just setting it to account for the 15-20F difference. Never had a failure.

      been spoiled by multiple probes on the fireboard, but that will run quite a bit more with their drive cable and a separate fan etc.

      Comment


        #4
        I start with 12 lit KBB and can easily get to 275* with the bottom vent closed and the top vent open around 1/4". For a hotter fire, either open the vent farther or start with more lit coals. You should be good to go.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Polarbear777 View Post
          my only negative on the partyQ is that it seemed to drift out of calibration, not a big deal if you check it with another thermo occasionally. I ended up just setting it to account for the 15-20F difference.
          Using my Thermoworks Smoke along with the PartyQ would give me this by default, so that may work out well (or I end up with the "a man with two watches is never sure" problem lol).

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by RonB View Post
            I start with 12 lit KBB and can easily get to 275* with the bottom vent closed and the top vent open around 1/4". For a hotter fire, either open the vent farther or start with more lit coals. You should be good to go.
            I forgot to mention that I have a SnS, so it looks like the initial setup wouldn't be too different from that. (12 lit coals and a chimney of unlit.)

            Comment


              #7
              I got a PartyQ on Cyber Monday last year for something like $110, and have been happy with it. I used a step bit to drill a 1” hole in my Performer kettle, on the front side so that I can see the PartyQ readout. I’ve enjoyed it for long overnight cooks, and am routinely getting 12 hours on a load of charcoal with the PartyQ and SnS, if I use the right charcoal. The PartyQ cured my itch for a pellet smoker this past year anyway...

              I’ve used it for cooks ranging from 225 to 350 with the SnS. For cooks ranging from 225 to 275 I still light just about 12 briquettes, and leave the top vent about 1/2 open. For 350 I’ve been opening the top vent fully, and starting with about 2 dozen briquettes lit.

              Comment


              • Michael_in_TX
                Michael_in_TX commented
                Editing a comment
                Thank you! That gets me some excellent starting points.

              #8
              Use a step bit when drilling the hole, much easier.

              Comment


              • Henrik
                Henrik commented
                Editing a comment
                40 bucks sound too expensive. Better go with the Amazon version.

              • JGo37
                JGo37 commented
                Editing a comment
                Harbor Freight, and they show no wear now that I've used them a lot.

              • Michael_in_TX
                Michael_in_TX commented
                Editing a comment
                Harbor Freight! But of course! (I always forget about that store...)

              #9
              I too have the Party Q and the Smoke. I use the SnS in my kettle and maintained 175 several hours to cook a small brisket last week. according to the smoke, the temperature in the kettle fluctuated a little but the brisket came out great and I didn't have to do anything but monitor the temperature of the meat.

              Comment


              • jfmorris
                jfmorris commented
                Editing a comment
                175?

              • SparkDog
                SparkDog commented
                Editing a comment
                Good catch jfmorris. I run 275 not 175

              #10
              I am using a SnS on the Kettle with a Signals/Billows ATC. Works well. I used this step bit for the hole and it worked great. (And cheap).

              Neiko 10194A Titanium Step Drill...



              And if you have the bit and drill out... Adding another hole for a probe port is a great addition. I put in the Weber #85037 grommet. Very happy.

              Would also recommend a quick spray of a high temp black spray paint around the holes you drilled to prevent any corrosion.

              I put that poor kettle through a lot.





              Comment


              • JGo37
                JGo37 commented
                Editing a comment
                I used a step drill for probe grommets, it still chipped, but not larger than the grommet. I've got a US performer - it'll be interesting to see how it holds up to drilling against the red china bomb Lucille.

              • Razor
                Razor commented
                Editing a comment
                Where did you put your probe hole, in the lid or in the base?

              • dpwalsh
                dpwalsh commented
                Editing a comment
                In the base, not the lid. There is just enough space above the grate and under the lip that it fits perfectly w/o installation being a high precision operation.

              #11
              Just got a PartyQ this week. Didn't have a 1" hole saw so actually ended up going the super ghetto route and just taking a small drill bit (a 9/64 in our case, it's the one that never gets used and hence would be good and sharp) and drilling like 8 little holes in a circle that we made sure was smaller than an inch, then just cutting out the spaces between the holes with a Dremel. Quick run over it with the grinder attachment to smooth it out and it was done. Our thought was that after installation, no one is gonna see this hole anyway, so as long as it's big enough to get good ventilation for the fan but also small enough that we get a good seal, it doesn't matter if it's a bit ragged. Fired up the PartyQ today and it worked pretty damn great. It was a very cold day so it struggled a bit once the sun went down and it was like -15 C but fair enough. Still kept the kettle at a useable temp the entire time. Definitely gonna look into rechargable batteries though, particularly if I'm gonna use this a lot in winter (I am).

              Comment


              • jfmorris
                jfmorris commented
                Editing a comment
                Adam if you go through a lot of batteries, a good way to go if you have AC nearby is a hack you can find online - basically find a DC "wall wort" that puts out 6V (the same as 4 AA batteries), cut the connector off the end, and use two pieces of dowel to simulate batteries. Here's a video of a guy doing it with a first generation PartyQ, which doesn't look anything like my PartyQ, but the hack would be the same:


              #12
              Yeah was thinking about something like that maybe, particularly if I know I'm gonna do something longer than 3-4 hours. Wanted the portability of no power cables but definitely for something longer then I'd be into plugging it in. Thanks!

              Comment


              • jfmorris
                jfmorris commented
                Editing a comment
                I can get two overnight cooks from one set of AA batteries, so going more than 3-4 hours is not an issue. I’ve done 16 hour brisket cooks with mine.

              • RustyHaines
                RustyHaines commented
                Editing a comment
                jfmorris thank you for that link. Been looking for that DIY mod.

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