Sonofresco / Q&A / Tip & Tricks

[jspain]

So if I can't get things working indoors I am thinking of converting back to propane and moving into the garage.  The problem down the road is winter.. Does anyone have any tips for roasting in - 0'C temperatures with the Sonofresco?  It's pretty drafty in there.

I roast in my "Man Cave." It's an unattached garage/shop where I keep all my equipment. 1/2 of my shop is insulated and I keep an electric oil heater going at 50 degrees and turn on my wall propane heater when I'm out there working. Tighten up the garage and add a low end heater and all is well.

BTW, I vent with metal flex hose out my shop window. Works great. Put the vent out the window only while roasting.... no issues and no heat issue with the pipe. Good luck!

[Burner0000]

Hmm.  Those oil tower heaters are pretty cheap.  I was thinking of just keeping one of the garage doors open while roasting. I'm ok with wearing a jacket out there or something.  The only thing I am really worried about is storage of the roaster.  The inside of the garage is prone to a lot of moisture. When not in use I am sure it drops below freezing in there.  A problem? If say I kick on the heater 15min before a roast?

[Burner0000]

Hey guys..

I am in a bind and need some help.  My roaster is spitting out an E2 error.. I was wondering if you guys could help diagnose it.  I just converted back to propane and I hope I didn't break something. Yesterday after hooking up I started to roast. it fired up and started as usual then in under a min is stopped and spit an E2 at me..  I topped off the propane tank, checked the valve to make sure it's on, both were good. Now it looks like it's not firing at start up.  I just hear a click when the gas should ignite making the "Poom!" sound.  Nothing wrong with the propane tank.  I hooked it back up to my bbq. works fine.

I'm not sure what to check next.. Can anyone help? 

If I can't get this thing working by then end of this week I'm seriously thinking of selling it off as is and buying a new one.

[jspain]

It's a gas flow issue.... My guess is that when you switched out the orifice something went south?? Double check the install and if it still show an E2 give Sono a call tomorrow. Doesn't sound fatal to me.

Good luck!

[Burner0000]

It's a gas flow issue.... My guess is that when you switched out the orifice something went south?? Double check the install and if it still show an E2 give Sono a call tomorrow. Doesn't sound fatal to me.

Good luck!

OK cool. That's where I'll start.  Things like this make me nervous once fixed to fire up again.  Don't like fire lol.

[Burner0000]

So did another teardown last night.  I am getting good at it. I had it ripped apart in under 5 min. Anywho everything was good. I even ripped out the inshot burner to make sure there was nothing up there. I put it back together and it fired up nicely. Not sure what I did but it sounds a lot better too.  Did a nice Kenyan City + roast. Thx again jspain! You rock.

[jspain]

So did another teardown last night.  I am getting good at it. I had it ripped apart in under 5 min. Anywho everything was good. I even ripped out the inshot burner to make sure there was nothing up there. I put it back together and it fired up nicely. Not sure what I did but it sounds a lot better too.  Did a nice Kenyan City + roast. Thx again jspain! You rock.

Congrats!

I did nothing other than give a bit of encouragement! I get an E2 when I forget to turn on the propane tank! That's an even easier fix! 

[Burner0000]

So did another teardown last night.  I am getting good at it. I had it ripped apart in under 5 min. Anywho everything was good. I even ripped out the inshot burner to make sure there was nothing up there. I put it back together and it fired up nicely. Not sure what I did but it sounds a lot better too.  Did a nice Kenyan City + roast. Thx again jspain! You rock.

Congrats!

I did nothing other than give a bit of encouragement! I get an E2 when I forget to turn on the propane tank! That's an even easier fix! 

Sad but true.. I usually need the encouragement. Without it I probably woulda quit on it.

[rfeuker]

So did another teardown last night.  I am getting good at it. I had it ripped apart in under 5 min. Anywho everything was good. I even ripped out the inshot burner to make sure there was nothing up there. I put it back together and it fired up nicely. Not sure what I did but it sounds a lot better too.  Did a nice Kenyan City + roast. Thx again jspain! You rock.

Congrats!

I did nothing other than give a bit of encouragement! I get an E2 when I forget to turn on the propane tank! That's an even easier fix! 

LOL. Thought I was the only one who did that.  I even pulled  the tank out to take for refill; then thought, gee this seems a little heavy!!!  Works great when turned on. 

[Burner0000]

So did another teardown last night.  I am getting good at it. I had it ripped apart in under 5 min. Anywho everything was good. I even ripped out the inshot burner to make sure there was nothing up there. I put it back together and it fired up nicely. Not sure what I did but it sounds a lot better too.  Did a nice Kenyan City + roast. Thx again jspain! You rock.

Congrats!

I did nothing other than give a bit of encouragement! I get an E2 when I forget to turn on the propane tank! That's an even easier fix! 

LOL. Thought I was the only one who did that.  I even pulled  the tank out to take for refill; then thought, gee this seems a little heavy!!!  Works great when turned on.

Yup I did that too on Saturday.

[wvyerbys]

For those who might be interested in the ADR conversion for the older Sono's, the price will go up 10/01/2014.


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[Dmsweatt]

Just emailed on 10/10 to find out about ADR pricing.

Was told for pre-2014 1# model it is $750+ shipping.

Not sure if/how pricing varies by model.

[jimbo]

This is just my opinion, so take it for what its worth...i.e. not much.  For me, that's just too much money. I like my Sono for ease of use, but want to get something that gives me control. There's just no way I could justify spending an additional $750 on this roaster. So, once I'm able to upgrade the Sono will go away.

[rfeuker]

This is just my opinion, so take it for what its worth...i.e. not much.  For me, that's just too much money. I like my Sono for ease of use, but want to get something that gives me control. There's just no way I could justify spending an additional $750 on this roaster. So, once I'm able to upgrade the Sono will go away.

Gotta agree with that.  50% more for the controller just seems out of line.   Maybe I could justify it based on what the alternatives are for that level of roast control.  Just can't pull the trigger.  I'm also happy with my roasts without it so .........

[rfeuker]

Ok, just got a nice tax refund and am revisiting the ADR question.  Anyone using it care to sing its praises or scare me off?