Auber Instruments ??
 

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:

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"

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.

I punched a hole in mine and just stuck it in the side of it, no plumbing

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

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.


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.

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.

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.

This is what I'm thinking.

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.

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.