British BBQ Society Forums

Can anyone help please - my PRO Q has developed a couple of VERY loose airflow vents on the base unit, which make them almost imposible to close while cooking............. as they are SO loose they settle into whatever position gravity takes them - can they be repaired, as this seems to be getting worse each time we fire it up ??

I can't remember but are the vents riveted in place?

I think they are, if so just drill out the rivets and replace with stainless bolts, washers and nuts. Get the tightness right then pop a second nut on to act as a lock nut and you will be trouble free for years

I have something very similar on my to-do list this weekend (along with trying pork shoulder and beef ribs for the first time) because last weekend i finally diagnosed why my efforts so far have been very hit or miss, thanks to the Termometer Adie sorted me out with.

The temp's in my ProQ jumped about like mad but alway way too high even with the vents completely shut. I am guessing this means too much airflow which makes me suspect one or more vents arent making a seal.

Thanks Steve - yes, it's rivets - looks like I'll be pimping my Q this weekend!

Dajamjar, might not be your vents, might be a bad fit between the bottom stacker and the base. Try sealing the two up with foil to see if that helps you out.

My experience of Excels is that they do need a bit of nursing through a cook though as they like to wander about a bit. Usually though it's drops that you have to deal with rather than spikes so if yours is spiking I'd guess it's letting air in somewhere.

Steve wrote:...might be a bad fit between the bottom stacker and the base...

Cheers for the tip, i'll give it a go, while the spikes are a concern my real worry is that i really struggled to maintain a temp below 250f even with all the lower vents being shut.

dajamjar wrote:

Steve wrote:...might be a bad fit between the bottom stacker and the base...

Cheers for the tip, i'll give it a go, while the spikes are a concern my real worry is that i really struggled to maintain a temp below 250f even with all the lower vents being shut.

Have you calibrated the thermometer? Pro Q's are prone to be incorrect. i cant imagine why you would be spiking so much unless its to do with lifting the lid or refueling.

British BBQ Society wrote:Have you calibrated the thermometer? Pro Q's are prone to be incorrect. i cant imagine why you would be spiking so much unless its to do with lifting the lid or refueling.

The ProQ thermometer is way out, i just got a Maverick through (cheers Adie) which i checked with some boiling water and it correctly diagnosed the high temps.

I was having an issue with the temps before even putting the meat in. Using Cocoshell briquettes in a chimney until the outside went grey, over a basket full of restaurant lumpwood.

My motorbike troubleshooting tells me to check the ignition, fuel and air so i'm thinking air.

We used to have 3 excels on my team, one would sit at 240, one 250 and one 260 all on quarter vents with a clay saucer. I've never seen one running as hot as yours.

I guess from what you've said you're using a Maverick. Have you checked it's reading right as well?

Steve wrote:I guess from what you've said you're using a Maverick. Have you checked it's reading right as well?

Yeah, read a solid 101c when placed in a pot of water on a rolling boil, so the Mavericks spot on. I'm also running a clay saucer. I'll try some foil to plug joins between the layers and take a look at the vents. Hopefully it'll be something nice and easy to track down.