Mods to the PBV4PS2

Dab942 said:

I just cooked ribs today. Brand new controller. There was some swing between the probe and mine in the box. However, once I left it a while, they seemed to be pretty close. I think the issue is the probe is in the top, back of the cabinet. Since the heat and smoke come from the cabinet through the walls, it might be warmer around the walls than the middle. I'm going to run a test tomorrow with my probe right next to the PB probe.

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That_guy said:

Looks like we both had the same idea.

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DanStealth said:

I ended up doing some mods to my PBV4PS2.

i added a analog thermometer to replace the useless pitboss logo. Not sure why this wasn’t like this from factory, it’s a cheap feature and in my opinion makes the smoker look way better. Plus I don’t really trust the factory thermostat after this weeks cook. I had my thermpro in there and it showed a good 10-20 degrees less than what the controller was showing. I had it set to 225 and it never went close to it. Always stayed in the mid 210’s. When I bumped it up to 250 it was at 225-230.
View attachment 1324

Also to be fair, the door wasn’t exactly the best in QA as it was a pretty big gap in the top corner. Other people have complained and there are options but trying to adjust the door didn’t really fix it. I don’t want to stick pieces of metal in different spots to get it to work correctly. The gasket that comes with it is tiny so I ended up using a roll of smoker gasket that I had to help seal it.
That and resetting the latch handle now creates a really snug and tight fit. Hopefully this helps with the temps difference. I know the controller prob is in the back, so that might be the reason why the temps showed higher, and my thermpro probe was in the middle of the cabinet.
View attachment 1325

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DanStealth said:

I ended up doing some mods to my PBV4PS2.

i added a analog thermometer to replace the useless pitboss logo. Not sure why this wasn’t like this from factory, it’s a cheap feature and in my opinion makes the smoker look way better. Plus I don’t really trust the factory thermostat after this weeks cook. I had my thermpro in there and it showed a good 10-20 degrees less than what the controller was showing. I had it set to 225 and it never went close to it. Always stayed in the mid 210’s. When I bumped it up to 250 it was at 225-230.
View attachment 1324

Also to be fair, the door wasn’t exactly the best in QA as it was a pretty big gap in the top corner. Other people have complained and there are options but trying to adjust the door didn’t really fix it. I don’t want to stick pieces of metal in different spots to get it to work correctly. The gasket that comes with it is tiny so I ended up using a roll of smoker gasket that I had to help seal it.
That and resetting the latch handle now creates a really snug and tight fit. Hopefully this helps with the temps difference. I know the controller prob is in the back, so that might be the reason why the temps showed higher, and my thermpro probe was in the middle of the cabinet.
View attachment 1325

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xjoex44 said:

I installed a Savannah Stoker. Fairly easy to do and it has endless options vs the stock controller. Wish I still had wifi control but that's no big deal when you have so many better options vs stock. Happy I can set it at any temperature I want more than anything. I did a video on YouTube if anyone is interested.

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Steve In Pa said:

Post the link here

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xjoex44 said:

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Steve In Pa said:

Thanks for posting that. Your video gives a good look into the process. I’ll save it over in my YouTube account

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Steve In Pa said:

Thanks for posting that. Your video gives a good look into the process. I’ll save it over in my YouTube account.

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