Hello- Im new to the Yoder game, i purchased a YS 1500 w competition cart and it was delivered this September. Have had a ball getting to know her, and was starting to pull off some really good cooks for me and my family.
However, i am now beginning to have issues getting the cooker up to temperature in the cold weather. I live outside Pittsburgh PA, so it gets pretty cold here in the winter.
Yesterday it was bitter cold, so i decided to do an experiment. it was 13 degrees ambient temp, w 10 mph winds.
Set the temp at 350, and kicked it into H3 mode. Was using new bags of pellets, BBQR's delight, cherry and pecan.
in 3 hours, the pit never reached 350. The highest reading on the controller was 320 degrees at 3 hours. i used an external probe as well, and it tracked very accurately with the controller, its highest reading was 335 degrees.
So my questions are these:
1. is this expected?
2. Tips or tricks for cold weather cooking?
3. Is there any plans for having a thermal blanket add-on for the 1500?
Thanks in advance.
For now you could buy a Harbor Freight welding blanket and a moving blanket. Welding blanket on first. They are cheap and pretty effective.
Give our customer service department a call at 877.409.6337, option #2, or send an email to [email protected] to address your concerns.
There are no plans for a YS1500 thermal jacket.
You got a big assed chamber that needs a TON of pellets to get to heat, So I can see your issue. Get the blankets they will help a LOT!
Everyone thank you for the replies. Yoder_Herb and othes, do you think that what i am experiencing is "normal" or do you think i might have an issue with the unit itself? Thanks.
Im calling customer service now, but curious to what you guys think.
You should have received a response from Dustin via email. We will work with you to resolve your concerns.
Personally, other than the smaller cookers, I personally do not feel that there is a need for a thermal blanket. The larger cookers are made from heavier steel, and once completely heated and they have reached temperature normalization, they will maintain heat easily because of their large metal mass.
I have never had an issue with a properly maintained, clean and fully functioning cooker, using known good pellet fuel, achieving or holding temperature. We have many cookers in Canada which function properly. We have had owners store pellet incorrectly, even BBQR's Delight brand, causing the pellets to become moisture contaminated, causing the cooker to not achieve a set temperature and/or unable to maintain any set temperature.
The one and only time I have had an issue with a YS1500 not achieving or holding temperature, was when we were cooking out in an open field, where there was a 40+ MPH wind blowing directly into the hopper fan opening. Once we moved the cooker to prevent the wind from hitting the fan opening, the cooker immediately recovered.
Yoder_Herb wrote:You should have received a response from Dustin via email. We will work with you to resolve your concerns.
Personally, other than the smaller cookers, I personally do not feel that there is a need for a thermal blanket. The larger cookers are made from heavier steel, and once completely heated and they have reached temperature normalization, they will maintain heat easily because of their large metal mass.
I have never had an issue with a properly maintained, clean and fully functioning cooker, using known good pellet fuel, achieving or holding temperature. We have many cookers in Canada which function properly. We have had owners store pellet incorrectly, even BBQR's Delight brand, causing the pellets to become moisture contaminated, causing the cooker to not achieve a set temperature and/or unable to maintain any set temperature.
The one and only time I have had an issue with a YS1500 not achieving or holding temperature, was when we were cooking out in an open field, where there was a 40+ MPH wind blowing directly into the hopper fan opening. Once we moved the cooker to prevent the wind from hitting the fan opening, the cooker immediately recovered.
Agreed Herb, that will be a great help. But blankets 'DO' reduce pellet usage on any pellet smoker in colder temps, and stick burners etc. Not gas grills, hehe. POOF!. We can agree on that right? And will help the pit come to temps better in Canuk winter temps. Especially the 1500 it's a HUGE mass of steel.
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