newbie from ct build may be over my head !?

[morgansdad]

hello everyone,

I have been smoking for a few years now and have used (and modified) the home depot type of indirect smokers
I have also used (and modified) a larger "professionally built" smoker .My mods have been limited to redirecting the heat/smoke (kind of reverse flow) to repairing hinges and modifying air intake system .

the project at hand is this I am building a tank style rf smoker with a 19 tray warming box atop of the fire box. the tank is 120 inches long and is 30" in diameter. the fb is 29"x29" square.

I found a bbq calculator that tells me my firebox needs to be another 4"x29"x29" . I am stubbornly sticking with this fb because my customer bought an unfinished project from someone copying an Lang. but his cc was only 60"long in which the firebox would have been too big.

here is where I need help, I have the size of the cutout in the firebox from the formula (unless there are better ways to figure) I understand the size of the cutout in the drip tray is critical (would love ideas on that too) plus where if any would you put heat deflecting baffles/pipe etc in order to direct the heat/smoke for a more even cook?

I am nervous because of the length it will be hotter on the fb side (substantially) I am reading that some guys have adjustable drip pans? any ideas? thanks in advance
'

[morgansdad]

hey here is another question ... who makes a high temp paint that wont burn off I am figuring to paint the cc red any ideas?

[Clover Ridge Smokers]

From what I read it looks like you are doing this for a customer. I really think you need to reconsider your decision on keeping the firebox. Based on the calculations the firebox is significantly undersized. This could really come back and haunt you in the long run. The customer will have problems and he may look back at you since you are the one working on it.

I'm in the smoker business and I know how hard these conversations can be with customers. I would tell him what needs to be done to build a good smoker and let him make the decision on what to do.

[morgansdad]

well you are half right. the customer is a friend of mine and I cant remember the last time I paid for a meal he wont take money even when times are slow. I also know money is an issue with this build. I got the figures for the fb from another site
and wanted to run it by some people in the know. I don't plan on making a career in smoker building but I would still like to do it right.I have already presented the firebox issue to him and he is deciding to run with it not me.

In your experience though do the numbers I listed seem about right? with the firebox being undersized like it is wht kind of problems would we face ?and would they be tolerable? He is infatuated with the Lang which ironically has four 8 inch air intakes in the bottom of the fb and the website told me I would need 1 3/4 air intakes for this smoker and the one I am building is 2x the size of the lang.

am I over thinking this? thanks

[Clover Ridge Smokers]

Glad to hear the customer is aware of the issue. Have you used the pic calculator on our site? With regards to the firebox you want it to be in the 105% - 110) range. yours comes in just over 86%. The issues you will see is a inefficient fire which will lead to white smoke which can be bitter on the meat. You may also run into issues of maintaining a constant cook temperature.
Not sure where the 1 3/4 air intake came from. According to our pit calculator you would need 30 1 3/4 air intakes for your existing fire box.

[morgansdad]

I used the pit calculator on feldons site before I found this one and according to that I will have to cut the barrel down to approximately 8 1/2 feet he is all hell bent on ten feet. I am just have to shorten the barrel .
some other thoughts what about fire bricks in the fb or a square tube 8x8 under the drip plate to heat up and direct heat to the end I know will be cold?
the problem here is it is easier to make the barrel shorter than the firebox bigger $ wise and I realize not doing it right will end up in disaster.does the fb have to be that big for airflow or is the thought to have it jammed with wood all the time?
just looking for a reasonable solution .

btw sweet web site and your grills look great too!

[morgansdad]

I think I made a mistake on the air intakes the calculation is the total square inches of air opening right ? I was including the whole 8" round that has smaller cutouts in it (guess I should do the math over again before I take my rocket for a ride)

[Rev.Mike]

the fire box being to small will require a larger fire, thus more wood usage, if the firebox is the proper size then you would only add maybe one or 2 splits at a time every 45 min to an hour (roughly) to have the proper airflow, as far as the temp differences, i would just use the baffel plate, you can raise or lower the nose of the cooker(if on a trailer) to help adjust that, works on mine anyways, im not an expert, but i do know from experience that too small a fire box can be a nightmare! JM2C

[morgansdad]

I have to talk to my friend he needs this thing to make his living and its gotta be right thanks for the advice

[Clover Ridge Smokers]

We all want the cooker to be successful. One thought would be for you to post a few pics of the FB to see if we all can come up with a reasonable solution.

Thanks for the complements on our cookers and website.

[morgansdad]

so far all I have is an old air compressor tank with one end cut off and a 30" diameter rolled sheet of 1/4 steel
a partially assembled proofing box with racks and a COMPLETELY WELDED UNDERSIZED FIRE BOX

I have concluded that I am going to add another 6"x29"x29" section to the firebox this should make the box slightly oversized and satisfy the bbq calculator

and as bizzare as this may seem I am not on facebook I will get pictures up soon thanks for the info and kind words of encouragement

[Clover Ridge Smokers]

Good decision. Keep us informed as you work on the modifications.

[morgansdad]

first of all Thanks I appreciate the kind words and good suggestions
I really don't have much to look at now just a rusty pre overbuilt trailer a 5 foot air compressor tank and a five foot rolled cylinder proofing box a fully welded firebox.

I think the solution here will be to cut the fire box and add another 6x29x29 section to it and that should satisfy the pit calculator

but today is make a set of forks work on the skid steer day because this thing is getting heavy plus the frame is 8 or 10 inch I beam with what looks like a12 bolt a body rear welded right to it. I am going to cut that off and install a 6 k torsion spring axle with brakes

I am going to see if I can post some pics from my phone as I am not on facebook

[morgansdad]

thanks Man
sorry about repeating myself I am still learning how to navigate the site
Monday I am going to order the steel to stretch the fb and I need to make a door for the proofing Box by, the way I made the proofing box big enough to accommodate 18 trays spacing them 5 inches apart do you think I will need any ventilation in the proof box ? it will be right on top of the fb.,

and what do you think about an 8 x8 box pipe mounted under the drip tray and running the length of the cc ? my thought would be a direct path for the heat and smoke to the far end of the cc or do you think I am overcomplicating it?

[Rev.Mike]

if you are building a reverse flow, you will not need the pipe runnung to the other end, the baffel plate will do just fine, using a pipe and the baffel will really just throw things off, and cut down on airflow and heat, the baffel will radiate heat, along with vaporizing the drippings, i would vent the warming box, hope this helps FWIW

[morgansdad]

thanks Rev. Mike I will take your advice

[morgansdad]

I don't know where or how I put the bs meter on that post I am a newbie to threads as well

[Gizmo]

No worries … technically I think that BS meter could be on ALL posts on this forum …. certainly on mine that is …..