Auber Instruments ??

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K80Shooter

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I have decided to purchase the Auber Instruments auto temp controller for my xl-bge. (why? I dont know, it's pretty much set and forget as it is)

My question is for you folks that have them. Which blower did you get and why? They offer a 6.5cfm and a 20cfm. Again I have the xl-egg.

I'm guessing I'll only be useing it for cooks 300* and under.

Any advice is welcome. Also anyone not likeing them feel free to state your opinion also.

Thanks Guy's :thumb:
 
K80Shooter said:
I have decided to purchase the Auber Instruments auto temp controller for my xl-bge. (why? I dont know, it's pretty much set and forget as it is)

My question is for you folks that have them. Which blower did you get and why? They offer a 6.5cfm and a 20cfm. Again I have the xl-egg.

I'm guessing I'll only be useing it for cooks 300* and under.

Any advice is welcome. Also anyone not likeing them feel free to state your opinion also.

Thanks Guy's :thumb:
Click to expand...

Dont they recommend a size on their site? I have 6.5 but I dont have an egg.

I would email them, they are very responsive

I just checked, they list both, so I would ask them

I have a cheap vertical smoker, it makes it act like a top of the line model. Its great.

I have the 6.5 but my smoker is 18.5"
 
ButtBurner said:
Dont they recommend a size on their site? I have 6.5 but I dont have an egg.

I would email them, they are very responsive

I just checked, they list both, so I would ask them

I have a cheap vertical smoker, it makes it act like a top of the line model. Its great.

I have the 6.5 but my smoker is 18.5"
Click to expand...

I have sent them an email just to see what they say but, I also want to hear from the breathern that use them.
 
I got the big blower for my UDS. I did have an issue with my Auber, it got flakey, I talked with them via email, tried a few things they said to try, sent it it them when instructed to do so, and they put a new board in it and had it back to me in something like 8 days total.

I would think for anything under UDS size the 6.5 cfm would be best.

Bill
 
I am using an Auber on my BGE-XL. I got it with the 20 CFM fan option, and it works pretty well. I don't know if the smaller size would have worked also, but this does perform it's intended function, so I count it as a win. I'm amazed at how much air I feel gushing out the top vent when it kicks on.

I had one issue with a solder joint coming loose in the AC plug/transformer unit, but Auber was on the spot with replacement, and the new one looks a bit beefier. I also bought a new temp probe from thermoworks that is a bit more robust than the stock Auber one. The Auber one did work fine though, at least until I unwittingly let some flames get to it. :tsk:
 
I think blower size will be related to how you plumb things up too...I went 1.5" right into my UDS with smooth brass kitchen sink tubing and have run under 300f really easily even restricting it down to half that with a pvc washer I made up to try to tune the system. Some folks like to plumb the fan up with different types of hoses and that may restrict flow quite a bit.
 
ButtBurner said:
I punched a hole in mine and just stuck it in the side of it, no plumbing
Click to expand...

You did not have to seal the top to the body at all ?? I do have a smaller 12v fan from digikey, I was gonna mod a trash pickup saved ECB for the heck of it, but I may just try that digikey fan.

Some folks report drastic improvements in natural draft setups from making an expanded metal fire basket, they seem to feel that heat conducted right to the metal fire bowl makes the fire run away somewhat.

Bill
 
willbird said:
I think blower size will be related to how you plumb things up too...I went 1.5" right into my UDS with smooth brass kitchen sink tubing and have run under 300f really easily even restricting it down to half that with a pvc washer I made up to try to tune the system. Some folks like to plumb the fan up with different types of hoses and that may restrict flow quite a bit.
Click to expand...

They have an adapter that fits right into the vent slide on the bottom of the egg the the blower just plugs into it. No hose or tubeing involved.


SmokeFan said:
I am using an Auber on my BGE-XL. I got it with the 20 CFM fan option, and it works pretty well. I don't know if the smaller size would have worked also, but this does perform it's intended function, so I count it as a win. I'm amazed at how much air I feel gushing out the top vent when it kicks on.

I had one issue with a solder joint coming loose in the AC plug/transformer unit, but Auber was on the spot with replacement, and the new one looks a bit beefier. I also bought a new temp probe from thermoworks that is a bit more robust than the stock Auber one. The Auber one did work fine though, at least until I unwittingly let some flames get to it. :tsk:
Click to expand...

This is one of the reasons I was asking about fan size. My son has one on a akorn and it seems like a lot of air moving if youre trying to maintain 225* or so. He's not had it long enough to make a decision based on his.

I did hear back from auber and they said you could use the 6.5 on the xl-egg but did not fully answer my question on why I might would want one over the other.
 
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When you convert it over, does the vent still function ?? If so it should be easy to tune it down. I know some folks run the eggs HOT for some things and the bigger blower would help there. My UDS flat out will only hit a little over 400 so the 20 cfm is sure not OVER doing it.

Bill
 
If an ATC fan is too big for a cooker, it will have a hard time keeping a stabile target temperature.

If an ATC fan is too small for a cooker, it will have a hard time keeping the temperature up, especially during cold or windy conditions.

I have a BBQ Guru system with a 10cfm fan. It has a manual damper, which I usually set a quarter to half closed, even on my 22 1/2" WSM.

Get the 6.5cfm fan.

Good luck.
 
willbird said:
When you convert it over, does the vent still function ?? If so it should be easy to tune it down. I know some folks run the eggs HOT for some things and the bigger blower would help there. My UDS flat out will only hit a little over 400 so the 20 cfm is sure not OVER doing it.

Bill
Click to expand...

Yes the vent is still functionable if you need to use it.

One draw back that I saw on my son's akorn with the 20cfm fan was that the fan only ran for about a second at a time when it come on.

We were just playing around just to see how it worked and threw in a chunk of apple wood for some smoke. At first with plenty of air it did very well but later on we noticed a heavy yellowish smoke coming from the vent. We guessed that the smoker was starving for air thus causing the effect we were seeing. I cracked the vent just a tad (maybe 1/8" or so) so it would have constant air and the bad smoke went away.

Anyone ever see this before? This is why I was wanting feedback from the breathern.
 
K80,

I've never seen the yellowish smoke you mentioned.

One thing that does happen, is that when I open the lid during a cook, if it's going to be for more than a few seconds, I unplug the temp probe. Otherwise, the Auber pumps in way too much 20 cfm air, stoking the fire too much until I close the lid. I've learned to work around it, but it's one instance where a 6.5 cfm fan might be better. That's just conjecture on my part though.

It does work ok though, especially for all night stuff, where there's no messing with it, which is why I bought it anyway.

I'd be interested in hearing how the smaller fan works in the XL though. If I have to replace this one, and the smaller one does a good job too, I might go that route.
 
K80Shooter said:
Yes the vent is still functionable if you need to use it.

One draw back that I saw on my son's akorn with the 20cfm fan was that the fan only ran for about a second at a time when it come on.

We were just playing around just to see how it worked and threw in a chunk of apple wood for some smoke. At first with plenty of air it did very well but later on we noticed a heavy yellowish smoke coming from the vent. We guessed that the smoker was starving for air thus causing the effect we were seeing. I cracked the vent just a tad (maybe 1/8" or so) so it would have constant air and the bad smoke went away.

Anyone ever see this before? This is why I was wanting feedback from the breathern.
Click to expand...

I have the 6.5 fan and it barely runs. I do not see this as a drawback. Its like its puffing on a cigar. But that's fine, as long as it holds temp that's all that matters. It also allows the coals to burn for a long time

If you are getting yellow smoke, I think thats because you have too much air moving through and its cold. Cold smoke is white or yellow. Might be because of the 20 cfm fan, I really dont know.
 
willbird said:
You did not have to seal the top to the body at all ?? I do have a smaller 12v fan from digikey, I was gonna mod a trash pickup saved ECB for the heck of it, but I may just try that digikey fan.

Some folks report drastic improvements in natural draft setups from making an expanded metal fire basket, they seem to feel that heat conducted right to the metal fire bowl makes the fire run away somewhat.

Bill
Click to expand...

No I did not seal the top to the body. It needs airflow to work. If the top was sealed then the fire would go out. I did that so the coals would not get smothered in their own ashes.

I do have a grate that I put in the pan that I forgot to mention. Also, there is a hole in the center of the bottom section and I sealed that with the metal tape that comes with the Auber.
 
SmokeFan said:
K80,

I've never seen the yellowish smoke you mentioned.

One thing that does happen, is that when I open the lid during a cook, if it's going to be for more than a few seconds, I unplug the temp probe. Otherwise, the Auber pumps in way too much 20 cfm air, stoking the fire too much until I close the lid. I've learned to work around it, but it's one instance where a 6.5 cfm fan might be better. That's just conjecture on my part though.

It does work ok though, especially for all night stuff, where there's no messing with it, which is why I bought it anyway.

I'd be interested in hearing how the smaller fan works in the XL though. If I have to replace this one, and the smaller one does a good job too, I might go that route.
Click to expand...

I just let my fan run when I open it, unless its going to be open for a while for some reason. then I will just unplug the fan from the Auber, unplugging the probe would work too
 
ButtBurner said:
No I did not seal the top to the body. It needs airflow to work. If the top was sealed then the fire would go out. I did that so the coals would not get smothered in their own ashes.

I do have a grate that I put in the pan that I forgot to mention. Also, there is a hole in the center of the bottom section and I sealed that with the metal tape that comes with the Auber.
Click to expand...

OK I was thinking of how people mod them by putting a weber daisy wheel on the lid, then seal the lid to the body with the rope type stove gasket for better control of both intake and exhaust.

http://home.comcast.net/~day_trippr/smoker_mods.htm

if I am going to have the lid open long I unplug the fan from the auber, one of these days I will get fancy and make a control panel with a toggle switch for the fan :).
 
willbird said:
OK I was thinking of how people mod them by putting a weber daisy wheel on the lid, then seal the lid to the body with the rope type stove gasket for better control of both intake and exhaust.

http://home.comcast.net/~day_trippr/smoker_mods.htm

if I am going to have the lid open long I unplug the fan from the auber, one of these days I will get fancy and make a control panel with a toggle switch for the fan :).
Click to expand...

I have 2 of these smokers. One at my house, one at my cabin

On my first one, I did try sealing and putting a daisy wheel on top. I found out that I did not need it so I did not do it on the second one
 
I have the Auber with the smaller fan for my UDS and haven't had too much trouble. Once or twice I've had to open the other intakes to get the temps to 325 in cold weather. I even have the fan feeding the UDS through 3' of hose. I like mounting my fan under my work table out of the elements. Mounting it direct would only make it better from an airflow perspective.

Like somebody else mentioned previously, I've had a problem with the barrel connectors. They are located close together on the box so it is hard to get a good grip on them to disconnect. It is much easier to pull the cord, which breaks it because they seem to be of lesser quality. I'm more diligent about pulling on the connector body now.
 
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