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Review on πŸ‘¨ WILLHI Digital Temperature Controller with Over Current Protection - 1650W, 110V, 15A for Heating and Cooling -22~572℉. Ideal for Reptile Freezer, Greenhouse Temperature Control. Model: WH-1803B by Bishnu Bush

Revainrating 5 out of 5

Used to control an electric grill/smoker

So I bought a typical cheap electric smoker without a digital smoker model. The one I bought uses a standard bimetal thermometer which controls the heating element just like a standard oven, only cheaper. This setting is extremely unreliable when attempting to maintain the heat range for smoking over an extended period of time, such as a beef brisket. So I did some research and needed a digital temperature controller with a range of 0 to 300 degrees plus. I found the WH-1803B to do exactly what I bought it for. When installing, make sure you fully open the controller that came with the smoker and let the digital controller control the heating element. When you program the controller I've found that it allows for a range of about 10 degrees from the target you want to keep, 10 degrees warmer and 10 degrees colder for a total range of 20 degrees. So I programmed it like this: My target is 225 degrees - start programmed at 220 and stop programmed at 221 degrees. It turns off at 221 degrees and as the element cools the temperature rises to around 230 degrees and then begins to drop. When dropped, the controller rotates 220 degrees. The element takes time to heat up, so the temperature drops to about 210 degrees and then the temperature starts to rise. It sounds bad on paper, but it works very well. There are two things you need to be aware of with this application. One with a non-digital heating element, it's either on or off. So the larger the element, the hotter it gets when it's turned on. This is because the item is fully open enabled. And after power off, it needs time to cool down, and the same when power on again, it takes time for element to heat up again. So you have a temperature range of about 20 degrees or so that it's going through. It's not the digital controller, it's the heating element. And secondly, without a programmed slow start, it acts as an on and off switch depending on the characteristics of the heating element. The second thing that affects how it works is how well insulated the smoker is. The better the insulation, the longer it holds heat, which slows down the controls. This controller offers some advanced programming features that allow the user to have more control over its operation and operation. But it will require effort on my part, which probably won't happen with this app. But for those who want to understand and tinker with these things, they are. Yes, I would recommend this for non-professional use. For professional uses it will probably work, only half the time I don't know what I'm doing and my wife is directing the other half. In any case, you can't go wrong if you want a basic digital controller with some pre-programming at a reasonable price.

Pros
  • Industrial & Scientific
Cons
  • Something else