1150PS won't hold temp

[SpokaneSmoke1]

I bought my 1150PS in November 2020. It has always struggled to maintain the temp settings below 300 and It's gotten worse over time. I just ran an overnight pork butt, set to 200, and it dropped to 170 and stayed. If I want it to cook at 225 or 250, I have to set it for 300, which it shoots up to in a few minutes and it stays there. I reduce the setting to 225 or 250 and drops and stays at those temps for about 10 minutes, then goes back down to 170 and stays. So in order to accomplish an overnight low & slow setting, I'm up all night playing with the thing. That makes it less efficient than my charcoal/wood smoker. Ideas?

 

[Cowboy1955]

I bought my 1150PS in November 2020. It has always struggled to maintain the temp settings below 300 and It's gotten worse over time. I just ran an overnight pork butt, set to 200, and it dropped to 170 and stayed. If I want it to cook at 225 or 250, I have to set it for 300, which it shoots up to in a few minutes and it stays there. I reduce the setting to 225 or 250 and drops and stays at those temps for about 10 minutes, then goes back down to 170 and stays. So in order to accomplish an overnight low & slow setting, I'm up all night playing with the thing. That makes it less efficient than my charcoal/wood smoker. Ideas?

When’s the last time you cleaned the temperature sensor?

 

[Jimsmokes]

I bought my 1150PS in November 2020. It has always struggled to maintain the temp settings below 300 and It's gotten worse over time. I just ran an overnight pork butt, set to 200, and it dropped to 170 and stayed. If I want it to cook at 225 or 250, I have to set it for 300, which it shoots up to in a few minutes and it stays there. I reduce the setting to 225 or 250 and drops and stays at those temps for about 10 minutes, then goes back down to 170 and stays. So in order to accomplish an overnight low & slow setting, I'm up all night playing with the thing. That makes it less efficient than my charcoal/wood smoker. Ideas?

Bought my 1150 in 2021 and it danced around temps for the first 10-15 cooks. Then I noticed the temp probe was really smoked. Figured it was from me keeping smoked tube on that side. Started cleaning after each cook and my temps settled out.
I still use a separate temp gauge (inkbird) for grate temps. Then set grill temp to whatever I need to achieve.

 

[mixed up]

most of the time my PB 4 will swing 15 to 20 degrees so I set my temp most of the time to 225 and cook by meat temp not by time or set temp so when its done its done it may take longer or shorter

 

[SpokaneSmoke1]

I made sure the temperature was clean just before I began the cook. I have a choice - it's either 170 no matter the lower settings or I set it at 300 where it stays. If the temperature probe was obstructed in any way, I don't think it'd stay at 300.

 

[Jimsmokes]

I'd contact pitboss CS then. You're still under warranty

 

[Freedbyjc]

I bought my 1150PS in November 2020. It has always struggled to maintain the temp settings below 300 and It's gotten worse over time. I just ran an overnight pork butt, set to 200, and it dropped to 170 and stayed. If I want it to cook at 225 or 250, I have to set it for 300, which it shoots up to in a few minutes and it stays there. I reduce the setting to 225 or 250 and drops and stays at those temps for about 10 minutes, then goes back down to 170 and stays. So in order to accomplish an overnight low & slow setting, I'm up all night playing with the thing. That makes it less efficient than my charcoal/wood smoker. Ideas?

Have you checked your new smoker for the PitBoss air gap issue and done the air gap mod to fix it yet?



Air Gap Modification - Models Affected: Austin XL 1000 and Rancher XL 1000, 1000SC, 1000t2, 1000t3, 1000t4, 1000d3, ProSeries 1100, KC Combo, Charleston, PB 500, 1250 and 550 Sportsman, ProSeries 600, ProSeries 1150, 1600 Pro and Elite, and Navigator 550 & 1150 and Laredo 1000.



Unfortunately there is a well known, but easily corrected, design anomaly in some units ... a gap between the bottom of the drip tray and the top of the left side grease tray lip that allows firepot heat to blow directly on the digital temperature probe... see the photo below… it’s causes slower startups, flameouts and other low temperature related issues.



Since, due to the air gap, the firepot heat is blowing directly on the digital temperature probe, (see the other photo below)this will cause the smoker to flameout for no apparent reason. It’ll cause that flameout because the digital temperature probes temperature readings are falsely reading too high and it causes the digital temperature probe to register higher than your set temperatures and suppresses the auger runs. And that’ll cause a flameout every time by shutting down the auger runs and starving your fire of pellets



The air gap mod is a big deal on the Austin XL , the pro series 1100, PS2 1150, 1600, Laredo and basically ANY 1000 inch barrels AND the KC Combo. It takes them forever to settle down especially in the Smoke setting, and that's why, when people have them set to Smoke they're wondering why it's up around 250 or 300 degrees ... and it's all because the firepot heat is all blowing directly on that digital probe. Do the air gap mod and it will then register the temperatures correctly and it settles them right down.



Additionally, a QUICK and simple foil fix will work ...(see the photo below) Fold sufficient aluminum foil to cover the air gap from side to side and put in place on the left side of the drip tray. Try a minimum of 4-5 layers … Done right, the foil will fold over and sit on top of the drip tray and as it hangs in the gap, this quick fix blocks the firepot heat from blowing directly on the temperature probe.



A detailed Instructional Video is below ... AND the Video is also in Announcements section of this page ... and if you’re interested, the prefabricated mod plate available at https://smokeslikeaboss.com/



This video explains better ..

 

[Freedbyjc]

I bought my 1150PS in November 2020. It has always struggled to maintain the temp settings below 300 and It's gotten worse over time. I just ran an overnight pork butt, set to 200, and it dropped to 170 and stayed. If I want it to cook at 225 or 250, I have to set it for 300, which it shoots up to in a few minutes and it stays there. I reduce the setting to 225 or 250 and drops and stays at those temps for about 10 minutes, then goes back down to 170 and stays. So in order to accomplish an overnight low & slow setting, I'm up all night playing with the thing. That makes it less efficient than my charcoal/wood smoker. Ideas?

Also are you doing the recommended preheat at every startup?