LSG vertical offset temperature issues

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RussellB

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Hello all. I posted a while back about having difficulty with my LSG vertical offset smoker and being able to achieve even grate temperatures. I'm getting much higher temps on the smoke stack side and I can't figure out why or how it's performing this way. I've talked to Chris about it and he's told me to adjust my tuning plates certain ways but nothing seems to work. No matter what I've done the pit is hotter on the smoke stack side. I've even moved the two tuning plates all the way over to the stack side and it's still hotter. Anybody have any ideas or have the same type of pit and figured out how to dial in the temps evenly across the grates and want to enlighten me on how to achieve this? I would really appreciate it. Pictures of your tuning plate setup or any advice. Chris told me this was the easiest pit to dial in with even temps but I just can't seem to get it done and I would like too. Thanks all.
 
Springame, thoughts and results will be much appreciated.
Smittyjonz, the bottom of the pit is rounded and acts as a water pan which if fill on all cooks. The temperature swing is usually about 40-50 degrees hotter on the smoke stack side. I've been trying to do some reading up on it and the only thing I can come across is the thought that there's too much draw on the smoke stack side. As I mentioned I have never been able to get the firebox side hotter than the stack side. The pit has two short smokestacks and I'm guessing my next cook I will try closing one completely and see what happens.
 
Vertical chamber heat flow is very different than a horizontal. The distance from the firebox to the stack side is 24" or 30” as opposed to 36", 48",etc. The heat from the firebox has a very short distance to travel to the stack side. Thus, tuning the smoker is going be different than with a horizontal. Rather than butting up the first plate next to the downward baffle in your cooker, you need to direct heat up at the firebox end by placing the first plate 1 3/4" to 2" away from the baffle. The next plate can be placed with a 1 1/2" gap. You need to tune the smoker with no meat in it at around 250* and do not even look at the side to side temps until after a couple of hours. Got that? 2 hours. Also, make sure your exhaust stack(s) are wide open. Do not be doing something goofy with the airflow. If needed, you can then adjust the gaps and wait another 45 minutes or so before checking the side to side temps. Not every 5 minutes…45 minutes. Adjust the tuning plates again, if needed. Believe me, you will get there......... it takes time just like all cookers to get them tuned. Mine is completely even or perhaps up to 10* higher at times on the stack side depending how much and where I place the meat in the cooker. Remember, do not have any meat in the cooker during the tuning process.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the design of the cooker. DO NOT EVER SHUT DOWN EITHER OF THE EXHUAST STACKS.
 
Thanks so much for the input. Maybe I'm more frustrated with it bc I haven't had the time to cook on it enough since I got it so I hate when my temps are uneven. Are you tuning the pit with water in it? Do you leave your firebox side vent wide open as well? Chris had mentioned shutting it down to a very minimal opening and I've always left it pretty wide open so the Fire can breathe. Lastly, I was testing temps with a maverick et-733 and had drilled some holes in a couple pieces of wood to test the air temps from side to side and Chris told me to place the temp probes directly on the grate. How do you test your side to side temps? Seems like directly on the grate may give an inaccurate reading.
 
Do t want to high jack this thread. But how hot can you get a Lsg Vertical?
 
Great advise by Springram already and a few things I want to add:

I'd suggest only cooking with water if you don't have much cooking in the main chamber. I've only used water a few times and don't see real benefit.

Exhaust stack wide open and control you fire with the intake vent. You don't necessarily just open the the intake vent wide open and only when a new stick is thrown in. I usually open wide to avoid initial smoldering and then slide it back down after a few mins if that. MOST IMPORTANTLY, control your temps with the size of the fire and NOT by the intake. Small, hot fire is all you need and when I say small I mean small. Enough practice and you'll get it.

Forget the et733 for monitoring pit temps. They temp swings relayed are insane and unless you settle at constant and your desired temps it doesn't show accurate temps due to the varying draft in the smoker. I'd use oven thermometers instead. To test true temps your have to be running smooth and constant and that takes time as Springram said.

BTW I run my pit according to Chris' tuning plate instructions. I haven't ever fine tuned mine and works fine. The hottest spot in the pit is on the farthest left side of the upper two racks closest to the exhausts.

Don't get worked up and just take you time to learn the pit. Stick burners don't run precise as kettles or kamados or pellet cookers and that's perfectly fine as that's how they're supposed to be. Let her run where she like to run happy which I found to be 275 in the LSG vertical though I learned my pit enough that I can make it run 225 or 250 if I chose to. That's with the size of your fire which I indicated before.

Hope it helps.
 
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Id rather it be too hot at the stack side than too cold and not be able to get any heat there. Sounds like you have some kickass draft and just need to throttle it back some. Id also quit putting water in it.
 
Pstores said:
Do t want to high jack this thread. But how hot can you get a Lsg Vertical?
Click to expand...

Stupid hot if you want to. Wide open intake and stacks with a slightly larger fire. I've gotten to 450 effortlessly to try. More if one wants but haven't had the need to try.
 
Rockinar said:
Id rather it be too hot at the stack side than too cold and not be able to get any heat there. Sounds like you have some kickass draft and just need to throttle it back some.
Click to expand...

Draft on these is insane. With the stacks and intake wide open it howls like a furnace. Not kidding one bit. I get a kick out if it sometimes. :becky:
 
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Is having one side hotter a bad thing? My LSG also runs hotter on the smoke stack side but I haven't had any issues with cooks. I often throw wings or chicken on the left while cooking with lower temps in the center for pork or brisket.
 
My tel-tru thermos that are installed on my LSG's doors never read the same as my maverick. I don't use the maverick anymore.
 
I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing, but I like to cook most meats at 275 so the hotter side is pretty hot. I'm just trying to achieve a good even temp from side to side. I have the 24."
 
I tested my maverick in my new ovens and in boiling water and they were within a few degrees of each other. As one mentioned earlier the draft may have something to do with them not reading accurately. I have no idea if that's the case or not I just know using those to temp from side to side I could never get them within a few degrees of each other unless the fire was dying when I was waiting for it to go out.
 
I will most likely cook something in mine this weekend. I'll check the left to right and see what kind of temperature flux I have.
 
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