PartyQ Reviews?

kwas68 said:

I just heard on the BBQ Central Radio Show that there is a new pit temperature control called the PartyQ. Anybody have it and like to share their thoughts?

Wondering if it's got enough oomph to power a UDS overnight in a Chicago winter.

Probaby going to ask for an Ique or PartyQ for Christmas.

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I haven't seen any reviews of it yet. My 2 biggest concerns with it are: 1. It runs on AA batteries and I would hate for the batteries to go dead in the middle of a cook and me not know it. 2. It only has a 5cfm fan.

On the weber bullet site, a person has gotten one and hooked it up to his Smokey Mountain and has pics posted.

Between the pics I have seen and what I heard when I called I have some concerns but am still considering it very much.

It sounds like it was designed for the WSM or kettles or ceramic grill so I bet the 5cfm fan would be enough for those cookers and it has a low battery indicator but I was told it should last 20+ hours on a set of batteries.

Concerns I have is it is not water proof and being as closely attached to the cooker as it is I would be worried about using normal things to protect the electronics. On other ATC's i have seen that people use as simple as a ziplock baggie but I feel that from what I see the plastic would melt. I have seen others use the plastic sterlite boxes also but I would still be worried about the plastic melting just because it is so close.

Another concern is that it is all one unit even the temp probe and I wonder what would happen or the cost to replace if the temp probe wire got messed up from either getting pinched in the lid of a WSM( I know there are other ways to run the wire but I am thinking as someone new to ATC's) or the wire just going bad.

Soon as I can afford I would still like to get one of these for my Keg and WSM.

I think a 5cfm fan is enough... even for a UDS. If it's not enough for some reason, all you would have to do is open a vent somewhere. 10cfm is 'better' only in the aspect that it doesn't have to run as much.

Is there a website? Not keen on battery operated mechanisms for temp control.

JMSetzler said:

I think a 5cfm fan is enough... even for a UDS. If it's not enough for some reason, all you would have to do is open a vent somewhere. 10cfm is 'better' only in the aspect that it doesn't have to run as much.

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I have an Auber ATC with a 5 cfm fan that I got for $140. My experience has been that you don't want to try and use an ATC and manipulate the vents. These devices "learn" what it takes to make the temps stable, and if you start helping it (opening vents) the ATC thinks it doesn't have to blow as much air. Once you get to temp and close the vents the ATC will think it doesn't need to work as hard, and your temps will drop too much. If you just leave the vent open, you might overshoot temps.

Just my personal experience with a WSM 22.5 with the Auber.

Here you go Steph.

http://www.thebbqguru.com/

Paul

Jamesj5223 said:

I have an Auber ATC with a 5 cfm fan that I got for $140. My experience has been that you don't want to try and use an ATC and manipulate the vents. These devices "learn" what it takes to make the temps stable, and if you start helping it (opening vents) the ATC thinks it doesn't have to blow as much air. Once you get to temp and close the vents the ATC will think it doesn't need to work as hard, and your temps will drop too much. If you just leave the vent open, you might overshoot temps.

Just my personal experience with a WSM 22.5 with the Auber.

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I'm not sure what kind of learning they do. My DigiQ DX doesn't learn anything other than the feedback it's getting from the temperature probes. Maybe the Auber doesn't take it's feedback on the need for fan operation from the temp probes... I have no experience with that device.

I contacted BBQ Guru's customer service via email a few weeks ago asking about their battery tests on the PartyQ, and this is what they said:

"In all over our tests, we got 24+ hours of run time with the fan blowing at 40%."

The environmentalist in me is thinking I'm going to be ripping through batteries, so I don't think it's a good buy, unless perhaps you're just planning on complementing a plug-in model you already have. So...maybe if you're going somewhere where there won't be an electric hookup and you absolutely must have a temp controller...