Well here is my take on the Savannah Stoker PID controller as a replacement controller with infinite control. I had purchased the SS 4.0 awhile back for a custom built offset I had planned to build but got side tracked. Then Along came the Oklahoma Joe Bandera deal that I decided to adapt to a pellet fired smoker for hanging sausage and ribs in the cook chamber and pizza in the firebox. The Bandera has an offset fire box separate from the vertical cook chamber and so is a bit larger than a typical pellet grill and wasn't sure how a pellet hopper would work so I added some firebrick in the lower part of the fire box and insulated the lid to help for more heat to transfer to the CC.
The Savannaha Stoker is very adjustable and has an auto tune feature for optimum performance. My experience was after bolting it on and running for a cook I was getting a flame out problem at lower temps when trying to smoke sausage. I posted on their Facebook user group my problem and Arthur Held contacted me through messenger and said when I had time to calibrate it to watch a couple videos for familiarization and message him and he would walk me through it since my pit is a bit different than the norm.
Arthur spent a good 2 1/2 hours going through each step while waiting for things to settle before trying others. With the stock settings and my custom pit, the out put for low on the auger run time was to low and the fire was going out. That is where this controller shines in adjustability. First by setting at 225 and letting it stabilize with a temp probe in the middle of the pit for an actual reading, you can calibrate so the RTD probe reads identical to actual grate temp. then by going into parameters you can adjust the percentage of the auger run time for the out low to maintain a temp of 160. I had to increase that from factory setting of 15% to 45% that night due to 25 degree temps and 15 mph winds. Later on a calm day that value was changed to 25% and maintained a temp of 170 with out flame out for my size of pit.
So the controller can be easily set for varying weather conditions to run at optimal temps , it has a food probe and a 3 phase programmable cook mode that allows you to run for a set time at let say 170 for more smoke then increase to a higher cook temp then set a holding temp of 165 when the set food probe temp is reached. It has a re lite feature if the flame goes out, It has a shut down cvcle that runs the fan until the pit drops below 120 so not to have a burn back. If temp swings are large you can run an auto tune feature that adjust factory settings to maintain a tighter swing. The newest version has a cold smoke option that only runs the convection fan for air movement when using a smoking tube.
Overall I am super impressed on this controller and recommend it as a replacement if you are not happy with your stock controller or looking to upgrade to a PID for more options.
The Savannaha Stoker is very adjustable and has an auto tune feature for optimum performance. My experience was after bolting it on and running for a cook I was getting a flame out problem at lower temps when trying to smoke sausage. I posted on their Facebook user group my problem and Arthur Held contacted me through messenger and said when I had time to calibrate it to watch a couple videos for familiarization and message him and he would walk me through it since my pit is a bit different than the norm.
Arthur spent a good 2 1/2 hours going through each step while waiting for things to settle before trying others. With the stock settings and my custom pit, the out put for low on the auger run time was to low and the fire was going out. That is where this controller shines in adjustability. First by setting at 225 and letting it stabilize with a temp probe in the middle of the pit for an actual reading, you can calibrate so the RTD probe reads identical to actual grate temp. then by going into parameters you can adjust the percentage of the auger run time for the out low to maintain a temp of 160. I had to increase that from factory setting of 15% to 45% that night due to 25 degree temps and 15 mph winds. Later on a calm day that value was changed to 25% and maintained a temp of 170 with out flame out for my size of pit.
So the controller can be easily set for varying weather conditions to run at optimal temps , it has a food probe and a 3 phase programmable cook mode that allows you to run for a set time at let say 170 for more smoke then increase to a higher cook temp then set a holding temp of 165 when the set food probe temp is reached. It has a re lite feature if the flame goes out, It has a shut down cvcle that runs the fan until the pit drops below 120 so not to have a burn back. If temp swings are large you can run an auto tune feature that adjust factory settings to maintain a tighter swing. The newest version has a cold smoke option that only runs the convection fan for air movement when using a smoking tube.
Overall I am super impressed on this controller and recommend it as a replacement if you are not happy with your stock controller or looking to upgrade to a PID for more options.
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