found out how important voltage is for roasting

[floydpink]

I had always set up a table for roasting on my outside patio and recently the weather got cold here in Florida terms. 40'a at night.

I had always set my Freshroast plus 8 to the full 8 and had trouble getting into second crack and "cheated" by turning on a couple more minutes before cooling and overfilling the roasting chamber. I'm sure this will fry the machine before its time.

Recently, I moved inside under the range fan and noticed the second crack is achieved in under 8 minutes and the roast is much more even.

I am going to check the voltage on both outlets but suspect the patio outlet is much less than the kitchen.

[novasurf]

What type of beans?

[floydpink]

Been roasting Brasil Santos

[novasurf]

Does it happen with ANY other bean?

[ashtonlady]

It also could be the diffrence of temprature in the area. I know when it cools down here my roasting time changes.

[RevSmoke]

Not a voltage problem - it is a temperature problem. When it is that cold, the ambient outside temp makes it harder to get the beans to the temperature necessary.

I have the same problem here when I try to take it outside due to smoke issues when trying to do an espresso roast.

[floydpink]

Originally Posted by novasurf

Does it happen with ANY other bean?

Haven't tried Norm, at least NOT indoors yet. Most all of the beans I roast need me to add a little extra time to the 8 minutes to get to second crack.

[novasurf]

So what was the normal temp you roasted at outside?
When it is 80 degrees, is it still the same roast time as say 65? 50?
What's the temp in the house?

[floydpink]

Normally outside is in the high 70's and humid at night and indoors is low 70's, which is what seemed weird and lead me to believe it was a voltage issue.

To get to second crack, or light vienna I guess you'd call it, I normally had to add an extra 2 minutes of roast time, making it 10 minutes, which is kinda long in such a small air roaster I believe.

I seem to like the darker roasts the best, which can really be a challenge at times, and has kept me away from the Behmore based on the limitations I have read about.