Guys it's been a while. I was finally able to do a test burn. Can anyone tell me why the temps on my cyberq and temps on the door thermometer are so different. The cyberq temp sensor is clipped to the middle cook tray.
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I would recommend the ice water test first to see if the Cyber Q is correct since it is easier to do it with. Put a glass of water filled with ice stir it with the probe of the CyberQ and see if it reads about 32*.
Current Smokers: Backyard RF Offset and Hybrid RF Offset trailer rig with Cowboy cooker and fish fryer, always room for more........
Most likely there are different temperature zones in the smoker. The CyberQ is more then likely to be more accurate also. The door themometer is a spring that changes to heat and sometimes needs to be calibrated, they are also not very accurate. The CyberQ uses a bi-metal Thermocouple that is very accurate to temps and you have it in the middle of the smoker most likely the exhaust is also in the middle, so the hot air and smoke take the direct path. The edges tend to be cooler.
On my UDS I had 50° difference from center rack to another rack that was 6 inches away. The gravity smoker should be have less temperature difference since it's insolated fairly well.
If you would like information about building your own heatermeter or having someone build one for you, feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Once I know the digital is correct, I place it as you did then adjust the t gauge to calibrate it with the same temp as the digital. The Lava Lock gauge is adjustable the little nut on the back is how you set it.
jm2cw
Current Smokers: Backyard RF Offset and Hybrid RF Offset trailer rig with Cowboy cooker and fish fryer, always room for more........
I have two door thermometers (mounted at grate level) and also usually use 1 to 2 grate probes. All are tested accurate. My door is always 20+ degrees (F) cooler than the grate probes. I only use the doors for reference of left to right temp as it does a great job of indicating a heating cycle (the firebox side is warmer than the gap side) or a cooling cycle (gap side is warmer than firebox side). When both are the same, my peak has been reached and the temps are going to drop soon, so it is time to add wood.
BBQChris wrote:My cyberq is reading 76F in a glass of ice water. Is there a way to calibrate it?
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Calibrate?
How do you know the water is 76°. Is the water ice water or is it boiling? Updated: oops, I was half asleep and did not see you had it in Ice water. If that's reading that high, and like the next post after this has said, you need to get a hold of CyberQ and see about getting a unit that works. But, first check at boiling point just to make sure.
The most accurate way to check your CyberQ, would be to find out your elevation and at what temperature water boils at that elevation. Boil a good size pot of water, once it's boiling, insert the Thermocouple into the water, making sure you are not touching the bottom of the pot or the sides of the pot and let the temp settle to that of the water. If it's within a degree or two of what the boiling point is, then it's good to go.
If it's really off then you may have a defective CyberQ, thermocouples don't go bad, unless the bi-metal weld breaks and it wouldn't work any ways. If the CyberQ has an offset setting, like the Heatermeter, then you could change the offset to match the correct temperature, but that's not a good solution, as the offset is a programmed setting to an unknown issue of why it's not reading correctly to begin with.
You could also use an ice water bath to check temperature, but it's not as accurate, as the water ice mixture has to continuously move to even out the temperature in a glass, and also it may not even work with the CyberQ, anyways. As it may have a minimum temperature that it could display. For instance the Heatermeters minimum is 37°, unless you happened to have one my add-on boards, then it could read temps all the way down to -69°F, not needed for most people. Also, when was the last time did you smoke at 32° or even 76°? Last time I checked it was closer to that of boiling water and that's why boiling water is much more accurate.
Last edited by Heatermeter builder on April 4th, 2018, 10:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
If you would like information about building your own heatermeter or having someone build one for you, feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Sounds like you have already identified a problem with an inaccurate read as the ice bath should be about 32f. I had an issue once where a bit of gunk had build up at the tip of the probe and caused a bad read(it was a grate probe built with an exposed wire sensor). Once cleaned with a small toothbrush, everything went back to normal.
If you have a second lead, I would check that one to maybe determine if the issue is the lead or the unit itself. But you thought of that already...lol
I did a quick search and did not find that calibration was possible but they have contact info on their website so maybe give them a call.
Still you identified the issue before giving the supplier a blast, so all good.
Learning generally boils down to "Repetition or the avoidance of pain", some people learn by doing, some by watching and some just have to pee on the electric fence.
Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right. Henry Ford
Looks good, look forward to the finished version...
Learning generally boils down to "Repetition or the avoidance of pain", some people learn by doing, some by watching and some just have to pee on the electric fence.
Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right. Henry Ford