After actively researching my Windwood temp swing issues across numerous forums, Facebook and Youtube, as well as numerous calls with Camp Chef and replacing all kinds of parts with zero success...and reading of many others with the same issues....I am of the opinion the Windwood (and all the other Camp Chef pellet smokers that seem to use the exact same internals) is working within the parameters of a poor controller design.
Their algorithm for maintaining temps is flawed. It's possible they changed it after their initial release because a lot of initial people seem surprised by new owner's experiences. The Camp Chef Facebook group has daily reports of this as well as fires.
I'm learning to live with mine and cook around it's idiosyncrasies. It does best with Lumberjack pellets. I was skeptical a pellet switch would do anything but without a doubt it does better. I would avoid high BTU wood types like Hickory as it is prone to higher temp swings and significantly more (heavy) smoke.
I clipped an additional smoker thermometer probe onto the back of my grate and it produces more stable temp output than that built in probe on the left side of the unit. I highly suspect the location of that factory probe is susceptible to more temp fluctuations and itsn't as representative of the temp at the cooking location. Maybe it is due to the air circulation from the fan causing it? Regardless, that probe is contributing to the unit having a less-than-accurate idea of the temps inside. What I do not know is if that probe reading is part of what the controller uses to increase/decrease burn rates. It probably does.
If I were to summarize my journey and this thread:
- yes, a LOT of people are experiencing wide temp swings that far exceed what the manufacturer states as normal
- yes, their customer service is great and they will repeatedly send you replacement parts until you get sick of taking it apart again and again
- Lumberjack pellets truly do work better than pretty much everything else
- Put another probe on the grate and you'll like see and feel better that the temp swings are not as bad at the cooking grate
- I recommend people considering a Camp Chef to also seriously evaluate Green Mountain, Grilla Grills and Rec Tec units
- The Sear Box is nice and gets hotter than my Weber gas grill. But seems overpriced at $200. I believe there are similar after-market smaller sear grills for less that could complement a different brand pellet grill. In fact their portability make them more versatile than the the bolt on Camp Chef Sear Box
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Topic: New Woodwind owner. Are these temp swings normal? (Read 18917 times)