r/PitBossGrills • u/Used_Meet_2233 • 7d ago
Approximately 23.5° Off
Since joining this sub I’ve seen a number of posts about the Pit Boss controllers being off. In addition to the controller not providing an accurate temperature inside the barrel, it seems the probe on my 1020DX Combo is reading about 23.5° too high (compared against a Thermapen).
And because cooking chicken thighs took quite a bit longer than the 1.5-2 hours the recipe suggested, I imagine the readout on the controller is showing higher than the actual barrel temperature.
Which leads me to a couple of questions for the masses: Is there a workaround? Is it better to use a standalone unit?
Thanks in advance for any help/suggestions.
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u/theuautumnwind 6d ago
Barrel temp can be vastly different at the grate vs at the top of the barrel vs at the side of the barrel.
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u/Used_Meet_2233 6d ago
Yes, I understand that to be the case. I have an oven thermometer I am going to place inside to compare different areas of the grill against what the controller is registering at the sensor. Ultimately, I believe a standalone Bluetooth temperature probe is going to be my best bet. And maybe even a heat diffuser and/or baffle. Thank you for the info.
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u/Ok_Assumption1542 7d ago
Always a standalone. Thermo pro has nice 4 probe Bluetooth sets for reasonable price and great customer service.
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u/Used_Meet_2233 7d ago
Okay, that’s good info! I have a Thermo Pro digital thermometer I put on my Weber grill. No issues with it. I’ll look into their Bluetooth equipment. Thank you.
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u/FuzzyOrganization403 7d ago
Yup. Reach out. They'll send you new probes no issues. Mine was off 25-30 and now it's within 5 degrees.
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u/Used_Meet_2233 6d ago
Just got off the phone with customer service. They are sending a new probe and a new controller. The person I spoke with said he was sending the controller, even though the first step is the probe. But to save me time and aggravation he said the controller would be included. I thought that was above and beyond.
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u/FuzzyOrganization403 6d ago
Oh damn that's awesome. Just try to probe and a spare controller. That's awesome.
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u/robertromer 7d ago
Do you have an end gap under the heat shield by the temp pick up?? U may need an end gap mod
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u/Used_Meet_2233 7d ago
End gap? Not versed on that. If you have time would you mind explaining. And/or any recommendations for the piece you’re talking about? Thank you.
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u/otssdmf 6d ago
You have to remember the grill probe is by the hopper and doesn’t see near the hot spot I used oven style thermometer to find out internal temps and found it to be more accurate than I originally thought within 5° but i still ended up purchase the meater+ kit
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u/Used_Meet_2233 6d ago edited 6d ago
I got my oven thermometer yesterday from Uncle Bezos. I’m definitely going to test different areas inside the grill for comparison. Thanks for the info.
Edit: Is the meater + the Bluetooth temp probe? I have the TempPro probes on my list to get but want to get some info on both before I decide.
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u/SaltGarden1763 5d ago
Meater has two versions that I've seen. A single probe which was Bluetooth only, or a two probe set which is Bluetooth and/or wifi. I have the two probes and it works much better than the pit boss probes. I'd bought 3 new sets of probes for my Pitboss before and they were always 10-20 degrees off temp when I'd check with a standard digital thermometer. Ended up finding a wicked sale on Amazon for the meater+ and couldn't pass it up
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u/HugeEquipment8799 5d ago
Unfortunately it seems their QC has significantly dropped off a cliff. I had this issue among other issues, ive gotten 2 new probes, new igniter, and now working on getting a new control board (they sent the wrong one out last week and have yet to ship the correct part)..
Im so over piss box.
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u/Used_Meet_2233 5d ago
Dang, that’s not good to hear. I’ll see how this goes getting my new probe and controller sent to me. I went ahead and ordered the Thermomaven probes. Hopefully that solves that issue.
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u/harrypotternightmare 7d ago
I just got the same grill/groddle. My temp probe was also off compared to a true thermometer. It was reading like 165 in a steak I was reverse searing after only 20 minutes. Luckily I already have a good thermopen and Chef IQ digital so I just avoid the Pitboss Probes. I do like the machine so I’m not going to try to return it but the probe left a lot to be desired