275 Gal. Fuel Oil Tank Offset Smoker

[Gizmo]

Very nice!

[The Czar]

Man that is cool looking… I love the dual stacks… Can we get a picture of the inside the chamber?

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[smokethis]

Once again can't wait to see some q view and don't forget the samples

[Smokeone]

[alleyrat58]

[Rufus T. Doofus]

New here, love this smoker. I'd like to build one very close to this idea for my needs.

However, my wife wants to be able to cold smoke salmon/lox. This might seem like a stupid idea but I may try it anyway. I'm looking at this smoker and contemplating modifying it so the racks can be swapped out for additional water-filled baffles. I'd fabricate it so the racks can either be cooking grates or 2" deep pans of water. In the water pan configuration I'd set them up to drain in a cascade, most likely 3 levels spaced 2" to 3" apart so the smoke has to pass back and forth. Each level in the cascade would have a 1" diameter drain pipe set at something along the lines .25" to .5" below the 2" height of the tray.

The top level in the cascade would be fed with cold well water from a hose. (we live in rural Maine.) The water flow rate would be slow and set to maintain a specific cook chamber temp. I think I can get close doing some rough BTU calcs to see how much heat the cold well water can absorb from the firebox. The bottom water tray in the cascade would drain outside through a hose.

Silly idea?

[Frank_Cox]

Awesome!!!

[DUAYNE B]

Turned out very nice, has a different look then the standard propane tank...... that tank would be hard to find here in phoenix.

[Rodcrafter]

You did good let's see some Q pics, I know you have to be proud of that.

[Dwilk1]

Quick Question. What gauge are you using for the firebox? In the process of building my tank smoker. just needing a little help

[The Czar]

1/4" plate is preferred if possible...

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[smokeinthenoke]

I believe it is 11 ga. steel. You may want to use something thicker just for the top, or just reinforce the top a little. Mine warps just a bit at higher temps. Not a big problem really but I'm not sure what your design is so I thought I'd let you know. Haven't been on the forum in a while. Are you going to post your build pics somewhere? Let me know if you need anything else.

[smokeinthenoke]

Yeah 1\4 " would be ideal. Unfortunately for me it is just way too heavy for this size box and would be impractical for a patio unit. Even though this is thinner and not insulated I have never had any problems maintaining perfect temperatures even when it starts pouring down rain or snow. I guess the flow is so good that the surface temp of the smoker doesn't make much of a difference.

[mike64468]

Awesome rig, I have a tank identical to that, and I am wanting to build a similar smoker. I like many of your ideas.

What size are the doors on the front.

[smokeinthenoke]

I'll look them up when I get a chance but basically I just had them cut as big as possible while staying on the flat area and leaving enough room on either side for the hinges and inside rails.

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[Puff]

My smoker is the same . I believe the doors are 27"wide each which is 54" across the top and about 21 or 22" top to bottom. I would suggest that when you cut the door height, cut only to the flat section of the top and bottom. The part just before it starts to round over. While mine were ok, I felt that an inch less might have been better with regard to sealing the doors later.

I'd had just a slight mismatch on the outside corners of each door and to insure a better seal, I wound up making framed doors so they were very square to the eventual gasketed surfaces

[smokeinthenoke]

Yeah that sounds about right on sizing. Thanks Puff. By the way, what size hinges and type of gasket did you use? Just curious.

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[Puff]

Got them both from Frank on the supply site. They are the pin type weld on hinges with the grease fitting. The gasket is the flat 1" wide one. That worked out great since I'd used 1" box tubing for the doors and frame. Before I'd welded the hinges on, Gizmo told me the way he sets his gaskets by placing the gasket material in place and allowing the spacing to create room for EVEN gasket compression when finished.

It worked out very well. Failing this step I would have had a very tight hinge side seal and minimal sealing in the center sections without squeezing the "stuff" out of it. This allowed an evenly spaced fitment of the doors against the frame.

HOWEVER, since this was not my initial plan and the frames reduced the side of the opening for the racks to be slid in and out, I had to cut down and re-do the width of the cooking racks to fit....including the support glides in the tank.

[PiGGieSmaLLz]

would like to start a project like this what thickness would i need for the firebox and boy do i need sum help . about to finish 2 UDS but i need a big guy

thanks in advance guys

[Rodcrafter]

We try to always use 1/4" or heavier for FB. If using 1/4" on a large FB you will need to give extra bracing to the top and the door to prevent warping.

jm2cw

[smokeinthenoke]

we used 11 ga. because of weight issues and it does the job well with only slight warping at very high temperatures, but 1/4" would be great. we did have to add bracing to the door.

[Bellerose1481]

I have edited my previous question on account I didnt read to the end of the thread, that being said , how happy would you say you are with the build? I'm new to this forum, and have been looking at different builds getting ideas, I'm in the process of starting my build, and wondering if there's anything you think you'd change after a year. I'm planning to use 1/4" for my FB what sort of bracing would anyone suggest for the door/top? Thanks in advance this is only my first round of questioning.

[Stewart]

[Dirtytires]

Bellerose1481-sorry, but this is an old thread. The builder has not logged on in over 9 months so you may not get a reply from him on his build.

I might suggest you post a new question as it will generate the responses you are looking for. This is a smart group so ask away!

Welcome to the group.

[Rodcrafter]