Hey guys, I have an Englander Pellet Grill. I really love it after 1 whole summer but.... Its getting cold now and the huge firebox has a hard time coming up to tem and staying up to temp under 45 degrees OAT. Does anyone know where to buy, or have an idea of how to make a Thermal blanket for this thing? mike holton Im the guy from H e a r t h .com that asked a bunch of dumb questions about how many pellets it used, and how long to get up to temp, etc.. I really liked your attention to my questions and did buy one....
Don't know jack about pellet grills, but if you want a back door thermal blanket, get 2 inexpensive welding tarps(HF) and a ceramic fiber blanket(1/2" thick) and stitch it up! Yes? No? It would work like a boss, but not be weatherproof. $.02 offered....
Thanks eric. Cheap is the way I would like to go on this so I allready was thinking this.... any idea if I'd need something special to sew it with?
Hmmmmm....high temp thread on the cheap? A person with some time on their hands and a whole lot of intense ambition could unravel a graphite impregnated stove gasket... Definitely up to the job, as long as your not trying to stitch through a "canvas" type weld blanket. "Woolly" type weld blankets would be best for this pellet grill experimental blanket.... I'm up to $.04
I have been using a Welders blanket. It isn't stitched or anything. When it gets cold I just lay it over the top and keep the wind off of it.
What grill are you using? If at all possible it would be nice to be able to see the thermometer in the front of the right side door.
Mine is a traeger. The inside temp gauge is on the top and the blanket covers it. The digital display on the side is still visible. I use meat thermometer most of the time and a welders blanket tossed over the top just works for my setup.
I will get pics if I can this weekend. Ribs and bacon orders have been placed. Trying to get it all done by Sunday.
This is the same setup that I use. My thoughts are the insulation is a plus but just keeping the wind off my Traeger is the main thing.
I think it was around 30 degrees or so this morning. Once I put the bacon and ribs on I covered it up. It holds the set temp pretty well. After I was done playing with the smoker I went for a short ride in the fog. Very pretty out. I came home to the smell of the smoker in the cool air. It put me in a good mood this morning.
I used to tie a few bats of rockwool insulation over my Brinkman barrel smoker. I was considering a pellet grill, not after seeing this thread. I hadn't considered cold weather or windy day use. I'll keep the kamado i was going to trade for a pellet.
I think the kama do would have the same problem, that's alot of ceramic mass to heat up when cold before you can use it. I love the pellet grill, nothing like setting the temp and forgetting about it for a few hours, and still having the great smoky flavor.
Thee ceramic mass IS insulation, little heat loss. Just did an overnight cook, while I slept, two 8 pound pork shoulders. Took about 15 minutes to bring up to 225° F temp, 30°F outside temp. Temp was still 220° in the morning. There are automatic temperature controllers that can regulate cooker temps. but aren't really necessary, it does an excellent job on it's own. Best part is after a long slow cook, plenty of fuel left to open up the air vents, bring temperatures up to 700+ in minutes for a high heat self cleaning.
Hey, I have the same grill. I haven't noticed any problems holding temps in cold. Make sure your thermocouple is clean. I had just about every part replaced under warranty cause it wouldn't keep temp at times even when new. Had the main board replaced. Now it's golden.
