Pit Boss PS1100 - Internal Temp Issues

[KovsSmoke]

Hi All - Brand new to the forum.

I've read quite a few threads here on people complaining about the PB1100 internal temp issues & it seems problems with the controller.

Guess I'm another in the line of issues.

Bought mine in July. First time I smoked a pork butt, it just didn't seem right. Had the control panel at 250. It probably wasn't near that temp.

Bought a Fireboard temp gauge and placed the ambient gauge right next to the internal gauge. My Fireboard consistently reads 30-50 degrees lower than the internal gauge.

For example, setting the control panel gauge at 250, I'll only get temps of 205-220 on my Fireboard. The control panel will fluctuate between 240-280, thus not feed pellets. The next setting is 300 and that's just too hot to smoke (my Fireboard will read 270-280).

I've seen a lot of comments about changing the control panel.

Is this PB1100 total junk? Internal components junk? I took out the heat shield this time thinking it may help but I'm not sure results are good.

Thanks for your help

 

[DaveXDm9]

I have a PS 1100 which I bought it when they first released the version of the grill with 2 grates instead of 3 grates. When I tested the temp with my inkbird temp thermometer I was always right on. I would set the probe right next to the grill probe and if I set it to 250 the inkbird would be 1 or 2 degrees off.

I like the design of the PS 1100, but I wanted a PID controller so I bought a Savannah Stoker controller and I just purchased a Rec-Tec controller as I want to do some testing on it. Personally I believe that anyone that has purchased Pit Boss grill since May that some of these grills have bad controllers.

Some guy in my neighborhood just bought an Austin XL and the thing caught on fire twice as the 2nd one was horrible. I am letting him use my Pit Boss controller until he gets his new controller from Pit Boss and he said that the controller is working perfect and he sees a huge difference between them.

I believe the bad quality is due to Covid and the Chinese manufacture who build these controllers for Pit Boss. Actually Pit Boss as removed the controller from there parts page for the Pro Series and Austin XL. Pit Boss needs to do a better job of communicating about the problems they are having and let customers know they are working hard to correct it. If I was in the market for a Pellet grill right now and saw these conments in this forum...I would not buy a Pit Boss grill.

 

[KovsSmoke]

Thanks for the info. I saw some of your comments in other threads. Very unfortunate about your neighbors.

For $600, I dont expect world class quality but give me something decent. If they put $50 more into the components, I don't think people would balk at $650.

Are the new controllers easy to install? I haven't really ventured much in researching the controllers or how to do it.

 

[KovsSmoke]

This is my smoker this morning as I attempt to do another pork butt.

Controller gauge is at 250. Those spikes in temp are bc I hit the prime button, otherwise the temp stays around 210.

The darn thing holds a consistent temp pretty darn well, only if the temp probe worked well, I'd have consistent accurate temp!

 

[DaveXDm9]

This is my smoker this morning as I attempt to do another pork butt.

Controller gauge is at 250. Those spikes in temp are bc I hit the prime button, otherwise the temp stays around 210.

The darn thing holds a consistent temp pretty darn well, only if the temp probe worked well, I'd have consistent accurate temp!

Thanks for the info. I saw some of your comments in other threads. Very unfortunate about your neighbors.

For $600, I dont expect world class quality but give me something decent. If they put $50 more into the components, I don't think people would balk at $650.

Are the new controllers easy to install? I haven't really ventured much in researching the controllers or how to do it.

The Savannah Stoker and the Rec-Tec controllers are very easy to install. Personally Pit Boss should not have come out with a new Grill series like the Platinum, but instead of create a better controller although the PID controller on the Platinum series is not very good.