DigiQ DX2 fan speed? Is 10 cfm to big for a 18" WSM?

I just used mine for the first time on my 18.5 WSM and the 10 cfm handled just fine.  I only did two slabs of spareribs and they came out moist and succulent.  For my first use of it, just following the assembly directions and the directions for the setup, I was so proud of the way they turned out.  I used too many hot coals when I lit the fire, but the temp came down and held at 225°.  Hope that helps.  

Are you letting it pretty much come up all the naturally and then hooking the guru?    You should if you're not.

BTW controllers aren't the end all.  I have 2 of them and they collect dust.  Your smoker is way easy to control temp the way it is. 

The 4 should work fine....I have the 10 for my 22.5 WSM and run it with the fan damper 1/2 way open. I can only attest to the Nano Q but can honestly say that it's been the best smoker accessory I've ever purchased. Once the meat is on the smoker I can forget about it until the Maverick alarm goes off.

PortlandRoger said:

 
I never bring my pit up to temp before putting the meat on it.  Not a good habit, let the fire get hot.   Wait for TBS before putting the meat on. 

Why would you have to bring the pit up to temp without the Guru first?  If you want to have your pit up to temp first, why not use the Guru to bring it up?

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Nothing against you but this is why people should learn their pit  manually before ever getting a controller.   Your pit will come up to temp quicker if you just open the vents up and let mother nature take it's course vs having air blown on it. 

The controller is there to maintain temps not get it there.   Not necessarily you but if anyone has trouble getting their pit up to temp without a controller then they should go back to the basics. 

1) Set up your basket for a good minion style burn

2) light it and open your vents... your fire will quickly heat up

3) turn your controller on when you get close to your desired temp. 

I'll use a controller for sleep but then not always.  I live in a climate where the temp drops drastically at night but i have no issues not using one in the Summer time here at night.    I wouldn't get into the habit of using one, it's better learning and minding your pit as a general rule. 

PortlandRoger said:

 
I have never use a Guru, but the guy at the factory was telling me that the reason for them including a 10CFM fan for the WSM is to "bring it up to temp quickly".

For me, to date anyway, I have always brought my WSM up to temp manually, but "with" meat in the pit.  I like the way the smoke lays on the meat doing it this way.  I read a study years ago saying that the smoke lays on the meat better bringing the temp up with meat in the pit vs bringing the pit up to temp empty and adding the meat later.

I understand what I just typed - can you please tell me the advantages of doing it the way you have mentioned?

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Roger it's bunk about bringing it up quickly...it'll be just as fast or faster with the vents open.

Now to your question why not put the meat on right away.  With out getting technical the smoke you want on your meat is the thin smoke.   The thinner smoke the better...also the hotter the fire the better the smoke. Now that doesn't necessarily meant the hotter temp the better the smoke. 

The lower temps is when primary combustion is going on (puffy white smoke) and the secondary combustion is when the smoke thins out and that's where you have less of the bad creosote bitter stuff going on.    The other veterans will tell you the same thing, let your pit get up to  temp before putting your meat on.

You'll have zero issues if you do this.