PID Temp Controller Build Questions....

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johnnysmokebox

Newbie
Original poster
Apr 4, 2015
1
10
Howdy All,

This my first post, but I have been watching you for a while.........

Ok, I built an electric conversion kit for my GreenEgg.  What!!!???!  Yes, I did and I'm hoping the Egg Police don't find out where I live.  Anyway, I wanted to try this out because charcoal/temperature can be a pain, I didn't want to buy some silly expensive stoker device, and because I thought it would be cool, which it is.  I bought the Brinkmann Smokeshop converter element and it is amazing how well it fits in the Large Green Egg--- like it was designed for it.  As you would expect, that egg is so insulated that the temps will soar.  So, I used the recipe from here (http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?315-PID-Controller) to make a controller (with cheaper parts from Amazon) and built the whole thing in a battery box.  The battery box is nice because it is cheap, has some ventillation and I already had it.  I keep the whole thing in a storage box, so weather isn't an issue.  I'll post some pictures at some point.  I smoked a butt yesterday and it worked awesome.  I put some chunks of hickory and a few pieces of charcoal on the metal plate and that thing cruised along all day. 

So, my questions are:  

Do I need a fuse?  I noticed the bathroom lights dimming when the element cycled on/off.  The outlet I'm using is obviously on that circuit (possibly two bathrooms) and I believe there is also a GFI in-line (though I would have thought it would trip the GFI under that load).  I never tripped the circuit breaker, but the dimming lights made me a little nervous.  I used to use a Brinkmann electric smoker and that thing would trip my garage breaker if I ran the shop vac or table saw at the same time as the smoker, so I guess that wasn't really any different--- lots of amps on a 15 Amp circuit, so not much room for anything else. 

Ok, if I do need a fuse (or two), where exactly do they go?  And if I don't use fuses, what's the risk?  The PID and SSR are cheap, but I want to make everything last as long as possible and be safe.  By the way, I did use a heatsink, which is keeping the SSR nice and cool.

Also, is the cycling/dimming thing dangerous?  

Thanks in advance for the input!  I'll post pictures at some point....
 
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