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Old 05-31-2010, 11:07 PM   #7
SmokeJumper
is One Chatty Farker
 
Join Date: 04-14-10
Location: San Francisco, CA and Phu Quoc Island Vietnam
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BBQ Grail View Post
Okay, I'm interested. So I order one of these units, pick up the fan. Now how would I adapt the fan to work on my WSM. Would I still need to order adaptors from someone else or what?
That looks like a really great deal on a control unit.

I suggest getting a metal bodied fan with better environmental sealing to resist high temps, dust, moisture etc. You also should find a unit that has an easily adjustable air output rate as the controller only designates 12v full current on or off to the fan output. If the fan you choose blows too hard when the thermostat kicks in you may get temperature overshoots. Also, an adjustable air rate allows you to shut off the inlet completely when opening the lid to prevent overheating, flying ash and burnt eyebrows. The low-cost plastic digikey model doesn't look like it would jive well in smoking/grilling conditions, would take some work to adapt and has no rate adjustment.

I ended up getting the pit viper fans for my kit. They are easily adjusted for output rate and still run quiet and smooth despite the inner chamber being coated with ash, carbon, grease etc. I have also run them outside in blizzards and rainstorms with no deleterious effects. These fans have a stainless steel cylindrical outlet that are easy to adapt to different smoker dampers. Of course the big downsides of the pit viper fan/adapter is cost. If someone has found a lower-cost unit that has similar specs I'm all ears.
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