# Pit boss xl temps



## acd4476 (Jan 3, 2020)

Anyone else have a 100 degree variance from left to right on their pit boss? Set temp for 225 and from the center right it was 250-325. The left side stayed right around 225. It was 45 with a little wind. I do have the cold weather cover attached


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## smokerjim (Jan 3, 2020)

I have a pitboss 1000t2 and the right side runs hotter then the left, I took out the bottom heat deflector and that seemed to help some. definitely runs closer to set temps without it.


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## Mr. CarneSeca (Jan 4, 2020)

smokerjim said:


> I have a pitboss 1000t2 and the right side runs hotter then the left, I took out the bottom heat deflector and that seemed to help some. definitely runs closer to set temps without it.




Any issues with running it without the bottom heat deflector.


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## Mr. CarneSeca (Jan 4, 2020)

acd4476 said:


> Anyone else have a 100 degree variance from left to right on their pit boss? Set temp for 225 and from the center right it was 250-325. The left side stayed right around 225. It was 45 with a little wind. I do have the cold weather cover attached



I too have an 1100 and have noticed massive temperature variations across the  cooking surface. as well as flare ups when cooking bacon or chicken wings. I really hope it's operator error on my end and not a design flaw.


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## tom987 (Jan 4, 2020)

Check out this post.   Might provide some ideas to try 






						Hot spot
					

I am strongly considering buying a Pit Boss Pro Series 1100 as it looks like a great value with good build quality and some nice features, but I am worried about this issue as it seems fairly common. I'm not so worried about small temp swings overall, but even temps from right to left are a...




					www.smokingmeatforums.com


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## RCAlan (Jan 4, 2020)

acd4476 said:


> Anyone else have a 100 degree variance from left to right on their pit boss? Set temp for 225 and from the center right it was 250-325. The left side stayed right around 225. It was 45 with a little wind. I do have the cold weather cover attached


These tips and advice are for Mr. CarnaSeca as well... 


By the design of it’s heat diffuser, the thin metal screen that sits on top of the Burn Pot’s four screws and the Auger cover, allows for direct grilling...  Which is great, but it’s not really diffusing any heat.  It’s allowing the flame from the burn pot to go directly to the cooking grates.  Your Grills Flame broiler and Flame broiler slider are really actually the grills heat diffuser.  Make sure while bbqing low and slow, that the flame broiler slider is in it’s Closed position...  Leaving it open just a little can make a huge difference in allowing in excessive heat.
Another easy fix for the Heat variations across your grill is to add some Fire Bricks to the right side of your PB XL where the temps are the highest.   Home Depot carries them and does Walmart
They do a good job of absorbing the heat and balancing the heat  where they are place in your grill.

3.  Don’t stop using the stock heat diffuser, especially if you plan on doing high heat grilling and searing.  If You do more low and slow bbqing and don’t use the searing feature very much, then I would consider buying a more traditional heat diffuser that does a better job at diffusing/controlling the heat/flame coming from the burn pot.  All of the top brand pellet grills on the market use some type of heat diffuser that sits directly over the burn pot.  Yoder, RecTec, Traeger, ect. all use heat diffusers that actually covers their burn pots.  Do You have to have one for your PB Grill? No, but if you want more stable and balanced temps from your PB Pellet Grill and not have wild/crazy temp swings and temps that are super hot on one side of your grill, then the two things to buy and use are the Fire bricks and a traditional heat diffuser. 
4.  The Fire Bricks really helps with absorbing heat where they are placed in your grill and using a Traditional, Burn Pot covering Heat Diffuser would really make a big difference in balancing and taming the heat within your pellet grill.   If You like the option of being able to use the direct searing feature, then buy and use the Fire Bricks first and place them on the side of your grill that is generating the most heat.  If you’re also dealing with wild temp swings, then buying and using a traditional, burn pot covering heat diffuser would really help in taming the heat/flame from the burn pot.
5.  Flare ups are caused by burning fat and grease falling into the burn pot...  Always make sure the Flame Broiler Slider is in its closed position, to not allow any cooked fat or grease to fall into the burn pot...  and another good idea is to cover/line the flame broiler with Aluminum Foil.  The Aluminum Foil helps to cut down on grease fire flare ups and it also helps to make your after bbq clean up much easier.
6.  Get into a habit of cleaning your PB XL after every cook and use a Shop Vac to clean out the burn pot of ash and the entire cooking camber of ash as well.  Your grill will operate more reliable and give you less headaches and issues.  Follow these tips and advice and I’m sure your problems will be solved.

Pellet Pro Austin XL and a few more mods...  in SoCal and Always...  Semper Fi


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## smokerjim (Jan 4, 2020)

Mr. CarneSeca said:


> Any issues with running it without the bottom heat deflector.


none at all, pitboss are the ones who told me to take it out after I was complaining about smoker running hotter then it should, they said it's in there for cold weather smoking to help keep heat in.


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## acd4476 (Jan 5, 2020)

RCAlan said:


> These tips and advice are for Mr. CarnaSeca as well...
> 
> 
> By the design of it’s heat diffuser, the thin metal screen that sits on top of the Burn Pot’s four screws and the Auger cover, allows for direct grilling...  Which is great, but it’s not really diffusing any heat.  It’s allowing the flame from the burn pot to go directly to the cooking grates.  Your Grills Flame broiler and Flame broiler slider are really actually the grills heat diffuser.  Make sure while bbqing low and slow, that the flame broiler slider is in it’s Closed position...  Leaving it open just a little can make a huge difference in allowing in excessive heat.
> ...


Thank you for the reply. I reached out to smoke daddy via email and he advised the diffuser he makes wouldn't fit in my pb xl. I think I might try the bricks and see how that goes.


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## RCAlan (Jan 5, 2020)

acd4476 said:


> Thank you for the reply. I reached out to smoke daddy via email and he advised the diffuser he makes wouldn't fit in my pb xl. I think I might try the bricks and see how that goes.



SmokeDaddy’s Heat Diffuser does fit the PB Austin XL with a little modifications.  I have one and use it in mine.  You would need to sand/cut about 1/4 of a inch off the bottom of the heat diffuser as well as the top to make it a perfect fit.  I had a machine shop near me modify mine and it took all of 15 mins.  You can also use it without the modifications and this is what I did for a while before I finally had it modified.  The fit won’t be perfect, but it’ll work.  For it to work that way, You would have to place the heat diffuser, centered over the burn pot and then move it about 1 inch to an inch and a half to the left towards the pellet hopper.  That inch and a half adjustment will allow the Flame broiler to still tilt down towards the grease run off drain and also allow the cooking grates to fit.  If you do go that route, buy the Heat Diffuser that does not burn wood.  https://smokedaddyinc.com/product/oem-replacment-heat-diffuser-heavy-duty-10-gauge/
The Wood Burning HD costs $99.00 and the Non-Wood Burning one costs only $44.99 and both are made of 10 gauge steel, so they will not warp from the heat.  Adding the SD Heat Diffuser to your PB Austin XL along with the OEM Flame Broiler is like having two heat diffusers in your grill at the same time...  The Fire bricks will really help as well with absorbing the heat where they are placed in your Austin XL and another option for you to consider is placing a water pan on the right side of the grill that is generating the most heat.  Be careful and don’t spill any water in your grill...  I know the PB Copperhead Vertical Pellet Grills uses water pans to help tame the heat in them and water pans can help tenderize tough cuts of meats as well.  And a water pan costs what??  A few dollars...    Just some things to consider and a few more options to choose from.  Good luck.  

Pellet Pro Austin XL and a few more mods...  in SoCal and Always...  Semper Fi


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## RCAlan (Jan 7, 2020)

Acd4476, I should have stated this in my last post about the SD Heat Diffuser modifications and installing it in the PB Austin XL.   I got the SD heat diffuser in Dec. 2018 and had been using it without any modifications to it until after Oct. 2019.  I just slid it over about an inch towards the pellet hopper and it was workable.   I had installed the SD Magnum P.I.G. Cold Smoke Canister and Pellet Pro Controller to my PB Austin XL in Oct. 2019 first and ran it using the original PB diffuser to see if the PID controller could manage the heat.  I found that the heat was better managed using the SD heat diffuser that covers the burn pot, then the PB heat diffuser that does not.  The only advantage of using the original heat diffuser is that you can direct sear and grill and have the flame right on the meat.  For low and slow bbqing and better temp management is when I use the SD Heat Diffuser in my Austin XL.  I hope that clears it up a little better.  

Pellet Pro Austin XL and a few more mods...  in SoCal and Always...  Semper Fi


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## NYRED (Jan 8, 2020)

I have the Pro Series 1100 and had the same issue.  It ran much hotter on the right side and the variance increased as the set temp increased.  If I set the temp for 300, the right side would get up to around 500.  I called Pit Boss customer service and was also told to remove the heat diffuser (the thin sheet of metal with the hole over the fire pot, not the thicker drip pan).  Doing so solved the issue for me.  I now get consistent temps across the entire cooking surface with a mild hot spot directly over the fire pot of about 15 degrees when the temp is set to 225.  There does seem to be a little more ash blowing around the chamber after removing the heat diffuser but it is negligible.  As RCAlan said, clean after each use.  I imagine that if I didn't vac the ash out of the fire pot with every use, it would become a problem.


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