m-fine Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 I had my bottom vent between 1/32 and 1/16" open. Just a crack is all it needs to hold 225. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielc Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 I would expect the top vent to seal up with gunk after a few cooks unless you see a big gap Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDubU Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 I would expect the top vent to seal up with gunk after a few cooks unless you see a big gap Also be aware that, on the Pit Boss, the top vent sliding surfaces are held together by a phillips head screw (head is located in the center of the bottom of the vent). During repeated use. this screw can loosen, causing increased leakage between the sliding surfaces. Snugging up the screw can decrease this leak path. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virgilio Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 I have no problem keeping 225, I close the bottom vent all the way and juuuusssst crack the top. Someone on Amazon reviews suggested sealing that bottom vent with felt, I'm going to try that soon, but it'll mess up my 225 trick. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virgilio Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Btw, my OEM dome thermometer has some water intrusion and it stopped working for a while. It dried out and seems fine, but I'd like to know more yours. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattslc Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Btw, my OEM dome thermometer has some water intrusion and it stopped working for a while. It dried out and seems fine, but I'd like to know more yours. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Stock thermometer is garbage. I just replaced mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sea-Hawks Posted June 7, 2016 Author Share Posted June 7, 2016 Btw, my OEM dome thermometer has some water intrusion and it stopped working for a while. It dried out and seems fine, but I'd like to know more yours. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I bought this one from Amazon for $12 http://www.amazon.com/Teika-Temperature-Thermometer-Fahrenheit-Barbecue/dp/B016VZRMXK?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00. It was recommended on another thread here and so far is more accurate. The stock thermometer was about 50* off in my PitBoss before putting this one in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magicmanfan Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Look at the Pit Boss owners thread for details about modding the bottom vent to reduce leaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDubU Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 Btw, my OEM dome thermometer has some water intrusion and it stopped working for a while. It dried out and seems fine, but I'd like to know more yours. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Stock thermometer is garbage. I just replaced mine A few weeks ago, I did an in place test of the stock thermometer by attaching a Thermoworks Chef Alarm pit probe (http://www.thermoworks.com/ChefAlarm) to it while the Pit Boss was coming up to temperature. The stock thermometer tracked about 40 degrees lower than that of the Chef Alarm's, up to the final 400 degree temp. Assuming that the stock thermometer was inaccurate, I ordered the recommended replacement from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Teika-Temperature-Thermometer-Fahrenheit-Barbecue/dp/B016VZRMXK?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00). Today I did a simmering water test of the stock one, the replacement, and my known accurate Thermoworks Thermapen. All three matched to within a few degrees: Although some may have received defective stock thermometers, mine seems to be fairly accurate, at least at 210 degrees (differences in the picture above are more the result of not waiting quite long enough for temp to stabilize. Another, longer test showed nearly identical readings). I think what may have happened in the first test, was that the cooler lid ceramic was lowering the temperature of the upper part of the in-place stock probe while the reference Chef Alarm probe was only measuring the air temperature without the influence of the lid ceramic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattslc Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 Btw, my OEM dome thermometer has some water intrusion and it stopped working for a while. It dried out and seems fine, but I'd like to know more yours. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Stock thermometer is garbage. I just replaced mine A few weeks ago, I did an in place test of the stock thermometer by attaching a Thermoworks Chef Alarm pit probe (http://www.thermoworks.com/ChefAlarm) to it while the Pit Boss was coming up to temperature. The stock thermometer tracked about 40 degrees lower than that of the Chef Alarm's, up to the final 400 degree temp. Assuming that the stock thermometer was inaccurate, I ordered the recommended replacement from Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Teika-Temperature-Thermometer-Fahrenheit-Barbecue/dp/B016VZRMXK?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00). Today I did a simmering water test of the stock one, the replacement, and my known accurate Thermoworks Thermapen. All three matched to within a few degrees: IMG_0047.JPG IMG_0046.JPG Although some may have received defective stock thermometers, mine seems to be fairly accurate, at least at 210 degrees (differences in the picture above are more the result of not waiting quite long enough for temp to stabilize. Another, longer test showed nearly identical readings). I think what may have happened in the first test, was that the cooler lid ceramic was lowering the temperature of the upper part of the in-place stock probe while the reference Chef Alarm probe was only measuring the air temperature without the influence of the lid ceramic. I don't have the pic to prove it, but mine measured boiling water at 120 degrees F. Glad you got an accurate on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-fine Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 Mine is comically bad. I figured I could make a mental conversion chart, but it is not even consistent. The other day I was running the grill at 650 for a long time (heating a pizza stone, then cooking a couple pizza and a couple calzones) and it read 350 on the nose for almost 2 hours straight. Then I cooled things down to do some testing with a HeaterMeter and Rotodamper, and as the grill stabilized at a cooler 500, the PB thermometer went up to 400. The next day it was reading 200 before I lit the grill, then it dropped to 100 as the grill came up to 275. I still am not sure if I should replace it, or keep it around for comic entertainment. BTW, the HeaterMeter and RD3 combo can control the Pit Boss at 175* +/- 2* as long as you start with a small number of lit coals. I haven't tried any lower than that, but with good sealing it may be able to hold some pretty low temps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 A couple of things I did, and checked, on my Vision when it was new. Check the bottom vent bolts that hold on the vent to the body. Are they tight? I was surprised how loose mine were. Place a bead of silicone around the bottom bent, the crack between the metal and the ceramic. Take some canola oil cooking spray and spray around the top vent, all the sliding metal areas, this will help it gunk up faster. Also, make sure the top vent is on tight, if it has tabs to hold it on, they can expand out to give it a tighter fit. Perhaps a bead if silicone around the top vent, where it meets the ceramic will not hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nunyabiz Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 you are always better off just keeping the bottom vent wide open at all times and doing all of your temp adjustments with top vent only much easier. It allows the fire to breathe, keeps more moisture under the dome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattslc Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 Mine is comically bad. I figured I could make a mental conversion chart, but it is not even consistent. The other day I was running the grill at 650 for a long time (heating a pizza stone, then cooking a couple pizza and a couple calzones) and it read 350 on the nose for almost 2 hours straight. Then I cooled things down to do some testing with a HeaterMeter and Rotodamper, and as the grill stabilized at a cooler 500, the PB thermometer went up to 400. The next day it was reading 200 before I lit the grill, then it dropped to 100 as the grill came up to 275. I still am not sure if I should replace it, or keep it around for comic entertainment. BTW, the HeaterMeter and RD3 combo can control the Pit Boss at 175* +/- 2* as long as you start with a small number of lit coals. I haven't tried any lower than that, but with good sealing it may be able to hold some pretty low temps. Wow, I've never heard of HeaterMeter before. I was going to get a digiq but this looks like it might satisfy my inner geek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattslc Posted June 13, 2016 Share Posted June 13, 2016 you are always better off just keeping the bottom vent wide open at all times and doing all of your temp adjustments with top vent only much easier. It allows the fire to breathe, keeps more moisture under the dome. That sounds like a good way to ramp up your kamado to 450 degrees really fast Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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