BriKW
Is lookin for wood to cook with.
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2012
- Location
- Dobson north Carolina
After about six cooks on my UDS, I noticed something about its characteristics that I was wondering if others have observed. I'm running a UDS with a flat lid. It has your standard large and small bung, and my original plane was to Leave those plugged, and drill the eight 3/4 inch holes in the lid, which I did.
I also have two 1 inch holes, and one 3/4 inch ball valve as drafts two inches from the bottom. In other words, a pretty standard design UDS.
On my first cook I noticed it either wanted to run at an extremely low temp with two of the 1 inch holes plugged, and the 3/4 inch ball valve wide open. So I would partially uncover a 1 inch hole about 1/3. After about 30 minutes the temp would be between 280 - 300. So I would close the 1 inch hole back up and after an hour or so the temp would fall back to 200. Well I wanted it to settle at 230 - 250. But I couldn't ever get it to do just that. It was either climbing or dropping out.
My guess was that it wasn't a draft problem, but an exhaust problem. To test this I removed the 2 inch bung and the smaller bung. With one inch holes closed and the ball valve closed about a 1/4 I can run my drum at a solid 235 - 240 and it doesn't hardly ever vary 10 degrees one way or the other which is good, great in fact.
What I find puzzling is after removing my lid to flip or spritz, the temp drops out to 195, but after putting the lid back on I expected the temp to spike high and then come back down like Ive read about here so often. For me that hasn't happend. What does happen is the temp slowly rises back to 235 - 240 and stops. No spike. Has any one else experienced this, or do I have a super special UDS? LoL
Not complaining, just wondering if the extra exhaust has anything to do with it other than just the 8 3/4 inch holes.
I also have two 1 inch holes, and one 3/4 inch ball valve as drafts two inches from the bottom. In other words, a pretty standard design UDS.
On my first cook I noticed it either wanted to run at an extremely low temp with two of the 1 inch holes plugged, and the 3/4 inch ball valve wide open. So I would partially uncover a 1 inch hole about 1/3. After about 30 minutes the temp would be between 280 - 300. So I would close the 1 inch hole back up and after an hour or so the temp would fall back to 200. Well I wanted it to settle at 230 - 250. But I couldn't ever get it to do just that. It was either climbing or dropping out.
My guess was that it wasn't a draft problem, but an exhaust problem. To test this I removed the 2 inch bung and the smaller bung. With one inch holes closed and the ball valve closed about a 1/4 I can run my drum at a solid 235 - 240 and it doesn't hardly ever vary 10 degrees one way or the other which is good, great in fact.
What I find puzzling is after removing my lid to flip or spritz, the temp drops out to 195, but after putting the lid back on I expected the temp to spike high and then come back down like Ive read about here so often. For me that hasn't happend. What does happen is the temp slowly rises back to 235 - 240 and stops. No spike. Has any one else experienced this, or do I have a super special UDS? LoL
Not complaining, just wondering if the extra exhaust has anything to do with it other than just the 8 3/4 inch holes.
