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10. Adaptive Control Strategy
The PartyQ’s Adaptive Control Strategy is designed to operate with a wide variety of
cookers by continually learning what the cooker is doing and adapting to many factors
such as outside air temperature, amount of charcoal, damper settings, etc. For the
PartyQ to work properly and determine how to adapt, the temperature inside the cooker
cannot oscillate up and down and the lid must stay closed. If the lid is opened often,
especially on startup, the control cannot be expected to maintain setpoint. If the lid is left
closed for approximately 10-20 minutes, the temperature will become stable after the
control adapts. The cooker may run a few degrees high or low due to various conditions
but the control will bring it back to the setpoint. Cooker temperatures of 20 degrees high
or low rarely have an effect on the quality of food.
If you ever notice the cooker temperature running consistently more than 10 degrees high
or low, you may want to try RESETTING the PartyQ by SWITCHING THE POWER
OFF AND BACK ON.
11. Building a Fire/Ending the Cook
11.1 Building a Proper Fire for Good Control
Building the fire is critical for good control, especially at low temperatures. Light the fire
by lighting a few coals at the top. Do not over-fire the charcoal or light it at the bottom,
because it could cause startup overshoot and over firing. Some overshoot is normal and it
may take a while for the fire to stabilize.
11.2 Extinguishing the Pit/Removing the Control
If there is fuel left over from the cook, save this fuel by closing off your top damper and
removing your PartyQ control from the bottom damper.
WARNING!! The PartyQ must be removed at the end of each cook to avoid
excessive heat to the control.
While the control is running the fan, the moving air helps to cool the fan. If you leave the
control connected to the cooker and shut it down, hot air will have nowhere to go but
back through the fan and you will risk melting the fan blades.
If the PartyQ is inserted into a BBQ Guru adaptor, simply remove the control and place
the kill plug into the adaptor hole.
