I talked to a guy at Grilla and he said its very likely the pellets and a bad batch that run hotter than average. And the grilla grills have an algorithm they use that factors in the fuel and some sort of average BTU of pellets I guess. So next step is to get another bag of pellets. The ones I have are the Lumberjack Apple blend. He said their experience with Lumberjack is good so I'll get another bag from a different store and a different blend. Maybe hickory.
-
-
I've noticed my OG tends to run 10-15 degrees above the set point also, especially when I want to run at 225 or below. I've taken to offsetting the set point to compensate.Comment
-
Test it in PID mode and see what it does. Pro mode is likely mostly timing based, so would be dependent on pellets, weather, direct sunlight, etc. If you want it to act like an oven, you need to use the oven (PID) mode or tinker with feed rates until you get it right. Unless you’re using the same pellets and have the same conditions as whomever guessed the timing did theirs in.Comment
-
big_mack Sorry, my bad. I don’t have a Grilla, so don’t know mode 1 from two. I figured since you were adjusting feed rates it was the non-PID mode. Seems odd to have adjustments available at all in PID mode. The feedback you shared from their support makes me think I probably don’t want a Grilla.Last edited by glitchy; June 9, 2022, 07:27 PM.
-
grantgallagher doesnt look like it was the pellets. I picked up some lumberjack hickory and did more testing. Also set the feed rate to the factory setting of 9% as recommended by Grilla, up from 5% that i was running in previous tests. When running in the 350F range it was pretty good. But I want to do slow and low long smokes. Check out these results. The middle one is very odd. The whole 200F range is just messed up. This is not good at low temps and that is a disappointment to say the least. Its high and erratic. I'll be phoning them again tomorrow.
Set 250F running around 300F
Set 200F running at 320F
Set 180F running at 280Last edited by big_mack; June 9, 2022, 03:34 PM.Comment
-
Last edited by big_mack; June 9, 2022, 03:26 PM.Comment
-
if i missed this already ignore me, have you tried updating or resetting the firmware? -
grantgallagher I have not. Was thinking about it but decided to just run some more tests tonight to see if its stays consistent and talk to support tomorrow and see what they suggest.
Actually this chimp is not the wifi version. so I dont think I can update the firmware.Last edited by big_mack; June 9, 2022, 05:04 PM.
-
When I first got the Chimp, I ran it in PID mode just to see if it worked. The grill temp was higher than the set temp by about 20 degrees, if I remember correctly. Since then I have always used pro mode, and the grate temp reads 10-15 degrees above the set temp pretty consistently. Not enough to bother with. I could change the feed rate - it is still the factory set rate - but I am lazy and it isn't enough of a difference to matter. I have used lots of different pellets and I haven't seen a difference. I replaced the original controller with the Bluetooth controller awhile back and it behaves the same.
All that being said, their response is bull. I would call them back and tell them that is unacceptable, and if that is the best they can do tell them Camp Chef would welcome your business. Or Green Mountain. And demand a refund and free shipping to return the thing. I have talked to their customer service several times and they were always helpful. I had some problems with the folding legs, and after a few calls they shipped me new ones.Comment
-
I have no idea why, but the Chimp actual temps are now a lot more in line with the set temp today. I got up at 6 AM for work (from home) and fired up the Chimp and set it at 250F and tested with the 3 probes again and the temps were very close to 250F. Ran it for a bit and it stayed consistent. Turned it off, cooled it down. Set it to 350F and temps were very close again. Turned it off and set it to 225 and temps were not as good, settling in around 235 to 240F. Turned it off and cooled down and retested 225F and its very close, but right after checking it shot up to 300F, which is very weird. Its almost like Mode 1 is behaving like Mode 2. I'll phone Grilla support and see what they say.Comment
-
rickgregory I think I must have done the dance but its hazy. I woke up with an empty bottle of rum and my chimp cooker was working much better. I will try it again tonight just to make sure. Left a msg with grilla waiting to hear back. Man, asking about house voltage! Now that's real troubleshooting depth of knowledge right there! Its been a while but when I was an audiophile I was on top of that stuff, but not so much any more. -
Clearly it was the 2 dozen cooks in what…..24 hrs? 🤪.
Still can’t wrap my head around the answer. Glad it’s looking better. -
big_mack - wait, light rum or dark rum??
As one recovering audiophile to another... power conditioner
-
-
the Chimp is now the Champ, after all. I have no idea why I was getting such high temps the first two days so its a bit of a mystery. I'll chalk it up to break-in. Grilla support has been good in the end. Once I phoned them I got good support, including a call today on Saturday.
I did a lot of no cooking food test runs on Friday. I love the pellet cooker for the ability to turn it on and off like a kitchen oven. No manual loading of charcoal and lighting and extinguishing it multiple times. With pellets you just push a button. I can see why people love this type of smoker. Its so easy to use, you will use it all the time, and cook more food with it than you would a charcoal smoker, by far.
With the high temp issue out of the way, I did my first slow and low cook with a rack of ribs. its a 5-6 hour cook at 225F. And the temp consistency was very good. this was in mode 2, non PID, so there was some peaks and valleys, but a good 225F average. Feeling confident in the Chimp, I even left the house for a couple of hours.
Can't sign off without a picture of the whole point of the exercise.....
Comment
-
Nice. Glad that it worked out. I’m at my lake house doing 2 racks on my Traeger 575. Haven’t used it in a while. Compared to my Grilla it feels….light. But I still love it. My Silverbac has given me some WTF moments but I love it. It’s great. My sister in law was asking me some advice on pellet grills because she was thinking of getting one for her husband. My first question was…..How much time do you have?Comment
Comment