Hello from Farmers Branch Tx

[ChillinC]

New to smokerbuilder and building smokers. I have an 80gal compressor tank that I would like to build a reverse flow smoker with. I have a craftsman 30gal tank I was going to use as the fire box but was told its probably to thin and will burn out a lot faster than I would like. Coming up with the extra cash for as much 1/4" steal I will need for the box and baffle is a bit of a challenge during our covid era. Hope to be able to gather more information on the build in the meantime. Thanks for having me
ChillinC

[dacolson]

Welcome ChillinC! The 80 gallon tank sounds sweet. Is it a vertical tank or horizontal? Vertical will likely have less rust.

On the 30 gallon tank - I’ve used a handful of smaller tanks like this. 2 issues:
1. Thinner walls - usually 1/8” which is pretty thin. The nice thing w round tanks is that they don’t warp much. The integrity of the steel is important though so putting fire bricks or a piece of heavier steel in the bottom/at the back can help.
2. Rust - air tanks are notoriously rusty. Water can sit in the bottom of these for years and rust out the bottom. When you get the tank open and start cleaning up, keep an eye out for thin spots and pin holes through the tank. Also not the end of the world. You can position the rusted area on the bottom and weld in a thicker plate over it. 30 gallons is a little big for and 80 gallon firebox. Adding a false bottom to fix the rust and add strength will also shrink your volume a bit which will help with temp control.

Another option if the 30 gallon tank is not going to work would be to cut a 20 gallon section out of your 80 gallon tank. That would leave you with a 60 gallon cook chamber and a 20 gallon gallon firebox which is right at 100% of the recommended size. I’ve built a 60 gallon pit and am building a 2nd one. Great patio sized pits.

Final thought - the nice thing about welding your own pit is that nothing is permanent. You can always cut things and rebuild them. If you can’t come up with a better option than the 30 gallon tank for the firebox today, build it anyway. It will work for years regardless of being the “most” optimal solution. You can keep your eyes open for steel to build the firebox you want over time and replace it when you want. Don’t miss the opportunity to build it now and enjoy some awesome smoked meat!!

[Dirtytires]

Welcome to the site....

[towtruck]

Welcome

[Big T]

Welcome aboard!!

[Pete Mazz]

[Rodcrafter]

Welcome to the crew!

[tinspark]

New to smokerbuilder and building smokers. I have an 80gal compressor tank that I would like to build a reverse flow smoker with. I have a craftsman 30gal tank I was going to use as the fire box but was told its probably to thin and will burn out a lot faster than I would like. Coming up with the extra cash for as much 1/4" steal I will need for the box and baffle is a bit of a challenge during our covid era. Hope to be able to gather more information on the build in the meantime. Thanks for having me
ChillinC

since you are understandably tight on coin because of COVID as you mention in your intro, The thin air tank as a FB is not out of the question as long as you raise your fire above the coal bed, and off of the thin tank. A fire grate and an ash pan below it would save it for a while too, plus make it easier to clean. of course you will likely need to shorten the FB tank to the correct volume based on the pit calculator which is found on this site too. U might b able to remove one of the end bells off and shorten the tank then add the same bell back on, which'll save a little metal for an end cap. The nice thing about metal is you can always cut things off and fix it in the future if/ when you see thin spots, or wanna go another route,

[ajfoxy]

Welcome.

[Rule Hard]

Welcome. I'm new here as well and this site has and it's members have been very helpful.

[ChillinC]

Thank you all! I ended up coming up with the cash to buy a 4x8 sheet of 1/4 inch steel. Wasn't cheep. I can cut out everything I need for the 80gal and use the scrap for the 30gal. I took measurements and I think its possible

[Dirtytires]

Agreed, plate is expensive. Lay out your pieces before you cut, take your time and you will be amazed how little waste you have. I took graph paper (don’t laugh!) and drew out my pieces then transferred to the steel.