Yoder 640 problems

[whikx250]

Hello-
Ive had the Yoder ys640 for approx 4 weeks now and I'm somewhat disappointed but not sure if I should be too concerned. The food turns out just fine so my issue isn't much of a big deal I suppose. The problem is temp variances inside the grill. It's consistantly 40 deg hotter on the right side vs left. The left side varies around 10 deg of the set point, which I can live with. Is it a problem that no matter where the "baffle" is placed this temp variation exists? I only open the cover to spray with apple juice if at all. Firmware is U 26. What's next?

[veryolddog]

I have a Yoder 480 but from what I have read on the forums is that there is regulator on your 640 that slides on the bottom of your pit to regulate temperature. Wait a little bit and dsgarner or MossyMo will come along and give you the scoop on how to use this to have even temperatures across your pit as they also have 640's and for quite a while.

You may want to go back to your manual and re-read that section.

Good luck!

Ed

[whikx250]

Yeah I've moved that thing in inch increments trying to even out the temps. Best Ive gotten was about 5" from the inside brougth it to within 20 degrees of the set temp but it's not always the answer.

[barkonbutts]

Okay with mine I use my baffle around 3 inches pushed in. Seems to be the sweet spot for me! One thing you need to leave the door closed... do this and see if that helps.. opening and closing the door will cause some temp variations.

[jzzmusician]

I shared your concerns when I first got my Yoder YS640. Note I said, "shared." Not any more. Beginning in May sometime Yoder modified one of the fans that continuously runs with a baffle to help even out the temps.

My build date was June 14, 2013. I suspect yours is somewhere around that date.

Contrary to the instructions I push the baffle *all the way to the left* and have temps running consistently within 3 degrees of the left and right side cooking surface.

I mount my Maverick probes so the tip is 10 bars in from each side to read my temps.

If you move the baffle out the right side will get hotter. Sometimes 40-50 degrees hotter.

Run a test with with baffle all the way in and I bet you'd be surprised. I had a seven hour cook yesterday and was once again blown away by how even the temps were.

One note: If you run a test with no food, the temps won't be quite as even.

Also, don't forget to give it 20-30 minutes to stabilize before reading the temps.

good luck,

bob

[whikx250]

Today I have 2 whole chickens 2 racks ribs and 12 stuffed jala pepps. Have the Maverick probe 5 inches in from right and 5 inches back from front. Seems to be evening out a bit. Baffle is about 5-6 inches away from "all the way in". I guess the Yoder has a large appetite.

[Wingman]

Its a fan forced system and the heat is pushed to the exhaust end (right). The baffle is there to allow for compensation. I ran a test on my Whirlpool natural gas oven using my BBQ Gyro to record the temps over a 2 hour period. The Yoder was far more consistent on temps the my oven which had 80 degree swings. The Yoder.... 15 degrees. It's funny how we are so critical of our pits but how many of us are equally critical of our ovens etc.

The main thing is how the food turns out, how the cooker holds up and how the service is should you run into a problem.

[barkonbutts]

Today I have 2 whole chickens 2 racks ribs and 12 stuffed jala pepps. Have the Maverick probe 5 inches in from right and 5 inches back from front. Seems to be evening out a bit. Baffle is about 5-6 inches away from "all the way in". I guess the Yoder has a large appetite.

Relax and learn your pit... find your sweet spot and stick with it! In the mean time monitor your food and pull when ready.. half the fun of a new pit is getting to know it and eating the good things that come off!! Keep after it and you will be happy... Yoders put out some of the best food I have ever made!!

[whikx250]

Gotta say. The tastiest chicken I've ever had right there. Learning and becoming more of a fan of this tank each time. Just a bit of a control freak gaining confidence. Thanks for the replies and patience along the way.

[dsgarner06]

Relax whikx250, it's all part of learning the nuances of your YS640. The only way you'll know is to play with it until you get it dialed in. It took me a couple of weeks before I became somewhat proficient with mine, and I am still learning! As with what wingman said, try to keep the lid closed as much as you can and you won't have as much temperature swings while the 640 has to re-establish itself and recover from heat loss. Adding a gasket to my lid and stack helped minimize the variation across the entire surface, but that was for my 640. As with anything that is manufactured, there will be variants between each unit and you simply have to keep learning what your nuances are for your pit. Once you get yours dialed in, you'll be able to know exactly what to do to give you the results that you are after.

Low and slow takes time and patience... experience comes with practice and iterations... success comes from learning. You'll get there, just keep looking down the path to success.

[Ducaticraig]

Don't get me wrong I really like the look of the Yoder YS640 but seem to have a hard time understanding why most, many Yoder owners tell newbies to be patience and get to know your pit. It seems like people are just accepting that Yoders have issues. Why can't Yoder just come out with a YS640 that does not have temp, fan, and or some other issue that causes so many new and not so new owners to have temp issues? I currently have Mak 2 Star and would love to add a Yoder YS640 to my arsenal of grills. To me, there is no better, manly, looking pellet grill on the market. I just wish there were more people who didn't seem to have so called temp issues. Is it that the Yoder has no issues and most problems are caused by the new owner? Any insight you can provide would be helpful because I really would love to own a Yoder sometime soon, thanks.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Pellet Burner]

It think most issues are caused by opening the grill door before the temp has settled in. The controller is almost too smart, once the temp hits its set point, its gold. Thats my experience so far and thats only from reading and learning on the job.

[protege2k]

Don't get me wrong I really like the look of the Yoder YS640 but seem to have a hard time understanding why most, many Yoder owners tell newbies to be patient and get to know your pit. It seems like people are just accepting that Yoders have issues. Why can't Yoder just come out with a YS640 that does not have temp, fan, and or some other issue that causes so many new and not so new owners to have temp issues? I currently have Mak 2 Star and would love to add a Yoder YS640 to my arsenal of grills. To me, there is no better, manly, looking pellet grill on the market. I just wish there were more people who didn't seem to have so called temp issues. Is it that the Yoder has no issues and most problems are caused by the new owner? Any insight you can provide would be helpful because I really would love to own a Yoder sometime soon, thanks.

So a year into my YS640 I too now know why so many new folks have issues and it is almost always related to patience. As an impatient person, I wanted it to be perfect day one and the reality is that the metal must expand/contract/expand/contract, etc. many times before it is dialed in and many cooks before it is seasoned.

It seems funny to me now how it took a few weeks before I dialed it in, but firstly I made the mistake of running the probes thru the door and then I let the gunk build up on the door so there was not a tight seal. Once I set the baffle, did the bacon test and had a dozen or so long cooks on the grille it was set - I truly no longer need a thermometer. Nearly set and forget, because it is seasoned and I trust it - like most, I rarely even open it.

If it helps anyone, the gasket virtually eliminated my temperature swings (as mentioned previously), but it is not necessary if you have an adequate seal.

[dsgarner06]

I think that most of the "issues" are just newbies getting used to the sweet spots and how to fully utilize their pit.. I don't care if it is a pellet, charcoal or stick burner, in my opinion you still need to get to know your pit before you can properly run it. My YS640 absolutely rocks and continually produces some of the best food that I have ever made. Once I got to the point where mine was dialed in, seasoned and I understood the nuances of "my" pit, it is pretty much a set it and forget it operation. My latest mod of adding a gasket around the lid and smoke stack have improved my particular YS640 operation and I feel has helped with the positive airflow design of the YS640.