EX4 Left and Right Side Temp Difference

[Brian Vallotton]

Thanks Brian! I would have to say if Weber is really working on a fix then YES it would have to be a software update to the PID controllers software. I LOVE Weber but I do not see them working on a "fix" for a grill they have engineered and sent to market that would be anything more than software or some type of baffle, diffuser, plate or extra wide flavorizer bars that the consumer can install. You can guarantee they know more than we know about any "short comings" of their product so I am sure they knew about this but had to get it to market. OH and yes....while I have not seen it, a DC motor would definitely more than likely be variable and would pair perfectly with a PID controller and temperature sensor in the grill.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on that. Just like anything that you buy in the initial launch there are bugs to work out. I have only owned a Traeger and my 2 Weber 18" Kettles that are over 20 years old. I have confidence that we will see some tweaks. It will be fun to be a part of it! God bless!

 

[ingiro22]

Well this is not good, one of the reasons I choose this pellet grill was from all the Weber testing videos about how they designed it to cook so evenly

 

[topkatt4518]

I have noticed the samething on my EX4. Right side has the flame extending out much further than the left. I agree I think it is how the fan is introducing the combustion air into the burner pot. I was almost thinking of adding a shield to the right side burner table to slightly limit the exposed flame. I am also thinking the small baking pan under the right side grate filled with water on a long slow smoke would do the trick until Weber comes up with an answer. I planned on brisket this weekend and definitely do not want to ruin an expensive piece of meat. We should all put in support tickets to Weber to get our point across. Honestly I am a little disappointed with the grille so far out of the box. I guess this is why we like being on the cutting edge of technology, so we can help make it right.

 

[CEd4jets]

Hello guys. New here. My EX4 arrived yesterday, put it together and did the first burn in. This post is interesting, I'll be following.

 

[Billybo]

My grill hasn't arrived yet but honestly, I am expecting there to be at least some hotter spots across the grilling surface. My Genisis gas grill has the same flavourizer bar system and I still get hots spots. Mind you, the hot spots on my Genesis are not nearly as bad as my previous grill, but there definitely are hotter spots. The hotter spots are easy enough to manage once I got to know the grill.

If it turns out that there are hot spots on the SmokeFire, my hope is that they are minimal.

 

[arod757]

My grill hasn't arrived yet but honestly, I am expecting there to be at least some hotter spots across the grilling surface. My Genisis gas grill has the same flavourizer bar system and I still get hots spots. Mind you, the hot spots on my Genesis are not nearly as bad as my previous grill, but there definitely are hotter spots. The hotter spots are easy enough to manage once I got to know the grill.

If it turns out that there are hot spots on the SmokeFire, my hope is that they are minimal.

What would you consider minimal? Mine has up to a 40-degree difference set at 225. Not sure if that will exponentially increase as I ramp the temp up. I'm not expecting perfection, but this seems a bit extreme, especially for a long, low-temp cook. Am I expecting too much?

 

[Billybo]

What would you consider minimal? Mine has up to a 40-degree difference set at 225. Not sure if that will exponentially increase as I ramp the temp up. I'm not expecting perfection, but this seems a bit extreme, especially for a long, low-temp cook. Am I expecting too much?

Oh no, not at all. I wasn't insinuating that you were being unreasonable. I was simply stating that regardless of what Weber claims, I am expecting there will be some hot spots solely based on my experience with my Genesis II using the same flavourerizer bars. I'm hoping that any hot spots will turn out to not be much of an issue. The hot spots that you are experiencing would be problematic in my opinion. Sorry if the wording in my original post was poor.

 

[arod757]

Oh no, not at all. I wasn't insinuating that you were being unreasonable. I was simply stating that regardless of what Weber claims, I am expecting there will be some hot spots solely based on my experience with my Genesis II using the same flavourerizer bars. I'm hoping that any hot spots will turn out to not be much of an issue. The hot spots that you are experiencing would be problematic in my opinion. Sorry if the wording in my original post was poor.

I don't believe your wording was poor, and I certainly didn't take any offense. I'm genuinely asking your -- and anyone else who cares to chime in -- opinion about whether I'm being unreasonable in my expectations.

At any rate, I'm going to expirement some this weekend and see if I can't get the pit a little more consistent throughout the chamber.

 

[Jackie Funk]

I’m getting a large temperature difference in my EX4. Probe 1 is center lower grate which is a 55* difference. Probe 2 is center top grate. I think I’m going to call Weber. The bottom line is this cooker just isn’t accurate according to a reasonable standard.

 

[arod757]

Weber emailed me today asking if I could remove and reinstall the auger tube. I contacted them and told them I'd be happy to if they'd explain to me how exactly this would mitigate the temperature variance issue. Rep told me she couldn't provide an explanation and that there was no way to get in touch with the tech who emailed me five minutes prior to ask for one.

I'm sure they have their reasons for this troubleshooting step, so if anyone wants to give that a go, have at it. I really don't have time to mess with it. So I'm returning this grill to Lowe's tomorrow and just sticking to my old Traeger for now. Maybe I'll revisit this grill in the future once all the kinks are worked out. Good luck to you all.

 

[Brian Vallotton]

Weber emailed me today asking if I could remove and reinstall the auger tube. I contacted them and told them I'd be happy to if they'd explain to me how exactly this would mitigate the temperature variance issue. Rep told me she couldn't provide an explanation and that there was no way to get in touch with the tech who emailed me five minutes prior to ask for one.

I'm sure they have their reasons for this troubleshooting step, so if anyone wants to give that a go, have at it. I really don't have time to mess with it. So I'm returning this grill to Lowe's tomorrow and just sticking to my old Traeger for now. Maybe I'll revisit this grill in the future once all the kinks are worked out. Good luck to you all.

I can appreciate how you feel about this. It does seem that Weber has felt the pressure of a release date that involves MILLIONS of dollars. In essence I do believe that we have all been made wiling or UNwilling BETA testers. I bought my Weber believing that they had been thoroughly tested. As of right now I am not sure. Mine is coming next week. I just don't know what to expect.

 

[Wadd16]

Thanks Brian! I would have to say if Weber is really working on a fix then YES it would have to be a software update to the PID controllers software. I LOVE Weber but I do not see them working on a "fix" for a grill they have engineered and sent to market that would be anything more than software or some type of baffle, diffuser, plate or extra wide flavorizer bars that the consumer can install. You can guarantee they know more than we know about any "short comings" of their product so I am sure they knew about this but had to get it to market. OH and yes....while I have not seen it, a DC motor would definitely more than likely be variable and would pair perfectly with a PID controller and temperature sensor in the grill.

I

Put some thermometers on the grill to monitor chamber temp difference. Results not good. Difference between left and right side was anywhere from 20 to 40 degrees with the pit set at 225. I used my own temp probes from a different device but also the Weber probes. I've attached some screen shots with initial startup temp and then the differences.

Weber claims they've been working on a solution for a couple of days, as they've received other complaints about the same issue. I'm supposed to get a call when they've come up with something. Between the utter crap of an android app and now this, I'm becoming less and less impressed.

Think I'm going to find some sheet metal to cut and place between the flavorizer bars to see if I can even out the heat myself. I really wanted to cook a brisket this weekend.

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I’m currently smoking 2 pork shoulders, and having the exact same issue. I really do believe it’s the fan that’s causing different temps. I’d love to see anyones mods to help level the temps!

 

[JpsBBQ]

I

I’m currently smoking 2 pork shoulders, and having the exact same issue. I really do believe it’s the fan that’s causing different temps. I’d love to see anyones mods to help level the temps!

I hate to hear it described as an “issue”. Just put the bigger one on the right side or rotate them part of the way through. Anyone who is cooking two butts and they are done at the same exact time is very lucky or skilled. Every piece of meat is different and we are bbqing and not baking. It’s an art. Apply your art. It’s actually a benefit to have areas of a pit that vary in temp for that reason. As long as you understand where they are and what’s going on, you can use it to your advantage. Enjoy!

 

[Wadd16]

I hate to hear it described as an “issue”. Just put the bigger one on the right side or rotate them part of the way through. Anyone who is cooking two butts and they are done at the same exact time is very lucky or skilled. Every piece of meat is different and we are bbqing and not baking. It’s an art. Apply your art. It’s actually a benefit to have areas of a pit that vary in temp for that reason. As long as you understand where they are and what’s going on, you can use it to your advantage. Enjoy!

 

[Wadd16]

Thanks for the input Sherlock! No brainer putting larger piece on the hotter side. My point is, small smoking area shouldn’t have that much of a difference in temps! Also with Weber your expecting a prime product!