Smoke stack location

[JB1]

On my smoker I am building I am having decision issues on where to put the smokestack I like the fat stacks design but I’m not sure which place is best to put the smokestack May I please get some input. if you put the smokestack at grate level I believe the smoke would go across the meat better but I’m not sure. And another question this is a reverse flow is it OK if the baffle plate is a little bit on an angle for drainage? It will have a 1 inch slope from firebox down to opening to cook chamber.
Hope that made sense! Lol
Thank you Jb1

[shearman23]

On my smoker I am building I am having decision issues on where to put the smokestack I like the fat stacks design....
if you put the smokestack at grate level I believe the smoke would go across the meat better but I’m not sure. And another question this is a reverse flow is it OK if the baffle plate is a little bit on an angle for drainage? It will have a 1 inch slope from firebox down to opening to cook chamber.

Fatstack is great, I think a stack like the one in the picture above would be great. The idea of the stack being there is that it will pull across the meat better. I believe it will also keep the top grate cooler than a top stack or top side stack.
Also, I don't think the slope on the baffle plate would hurt you. The air wants to rise, so it won't like being pushed down but I doubt it will really affect the flow too much with it being a slight slope.

[dacolson]

Your pit is looking great sir. Great progress.

You’ll get a fair amount of competing feedback. Some guys swear by putting the stack up high. Can’t argue with great meat and you can get it with your stack high or lower at grate level. All of my builds are grate level with a smoke collector and I have had nothing but good luck. My recommendation is to pick the style you like better. As long as it draws well you will get good BBQ.

On the baffle plate, smoke and heat go uphill. If you slant from your FB downward, you are creating a restriction. I notice this especially when temps are on the low side. If anything, I’ll run my reverse flow at a slight uphill angle from the FB side to the opposite end. You can adjust this with a tongue jack on your trailer if you need too - for cooking or for cleaning. I’d leave it level.


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[Pete Mazz]

[JB1]

Decolson and shearman23 thank you for your replies never even thought of just tilting trailer for cleaning I was more worried about fat and juice run off when cooking. I think I am going with grate level smoke stack then, I think it would make the cook chamber have better heat distribution,

[JB1]

I am having issues with the smoke calculator, math was not my strong suit, lol anyway I think the calculator says my smoke stack needs to be 33" tall is that right? sorry I feel like an idiot, here are the dimensions.
CC 60"x12" octagon I think its 180 gallons
FB 27 long 20 tall 24 wide
air inlet 10" long x 2.5 tall air inlet on both sides not on door front
i am using 5" ID round pipe 1/4 wall pipe

[dacolson]

I am having issues with the smoke calculator, math was not my strong suit, lol anyway I think the calculator says my smoke stack needs to be 33" tall is that right? sorry I feel like an idiot, here are the dimensions.
CC 60"x12" octagon I think its 180 gallons
FB 27 long 20 tall 24 wide
air inlet 10" long x 2.5 tall air inlet on both sides not on door front
i am using 5" ID round pipe 1/4 wall pipe

33” is correct on the height. But that is from the top of the CC. So it will need to be 33” plus however many inches from the top of your smoke collector.


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[JB1]

Dacolson Thank you very much!

[dacolson]

Dacolson Thank you very much!

You’re welcome JB1. Love the octagon

[JB1]

Dacolson I do not like the round smoke stack look I am going to switch to square would you mind giving your opinion on what size smoke stack i should go with please. not sure if i should go with 4 or 6 inch square. Thanks

[dacolson]

Dacolson I do not like the round smoke stack look I am going to switch to square would you mind giving your opinion on what size smoke stack i should go with please. not sure if i should go with 4 or 6 inch square. Thanks

Sure. I have a square stack on my octagon. 4” or 6” is fine. Both will work fine for draw. You’ll just pick the size based on the overall length preference you have. With your calculations, you’d need a 6x6 stack that clears your cc top by 18”. With a 4x4, that’s 40.5”. So ... up to you. Consider making sure the stack is high enough to keep smoke out of your face, and conversely low enough it will clear a garage door if you plan to move it inside.


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[dacolson]

Dacolson I do not like the round smoke stack look I am going to switch to square would you mind giving your opinion on what size smoke stack i should go with please. not sure if i should go with 4 or 6 inch square. Thanks

Sure. I have a square stack on my octagon. 4” or 6” is fine. Both will work fine for draw. You’ll just pick the size based on the overall length preference you have. With your calculations, you’d need a 6x6 stack that clears your cc top by 18”. With a 4x4, that’s 40.5”. So ... up to you. Consider making sure the stack is high enough to keep smoke out of your face, and conversely low enough it will clear a garage door if you plan to move it inside.


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Quick edit here. I just double checked the lengths using the square stack calculator in the online calculator section which is more accurate. Stack length above the top of the CC should be:
4x4” = 43”
6x6” = 19”

[JB1]

thank you very much! I have to make a trip to the steel yard Monday to pick up the tubing hope they have used its way cheaper buying by the pound. happy new year! thanks again for the help

[dacolson]

You bet. I sure got a lot on my builds. Happy new year to you too

[JB1]

Just want input before I cut and weld up smoke stack do my dimensions look good or should I change it hopefully you can read it went to the scrap yard today ended up with a 6 x 6 for the stack it’s 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inside diameter does that matter for the length? Thanks

[dacolson]

Yup. It matters. 5.5" square increases your length to 23" above the top of the cook chamber. Add in the 12.5" from the top of your stack opening and your total height is 35.5". That's my public school math I swore I'd never need ... lol

[dacolson]

Btw, you could drop the bottom of your opening right to the rack level - make the opening 6" tall. Wouldn't hurt any, would keep the smoke exiting closer to your meat and might help your draw a bit. I like to keep the opening as wide as the stack opening to avoid any bottlenecks until it hits the stack itself.

[JB1]

Great thanks

[dhafling]

Question for you guys.... i am building a smoker with two racks. Do you cut the hole in between or at the highest rack?

[dacolson]

all of mine are in the middle, with the bottom of the smoke collector opening level with the bottom rack. I use the bottom rack the most so I aim for the most smoke coverage at that level.

[JB1]

Quick question if I did the stack taller than 23" above the cook chamber would the draw be better? Thanks

[dacolson]

Longer is better than shorter. You can always cut it back. More draw isn’t necessarily a good thing. With an RF, you control temps at the firebox end, not the stack so if you get too much draw you can usually control it by closing vents. I just wouldn’t go overboard.

[JB1]

Thank you here are some update picks the hard part of this build is almost done. Thanks again!

[dacolson]

I like that smoke collector. Never thought about putting at a diamond angle like that. Very nice.

[JB1]

Thank you! I already had the bottom part built at 4” inches and then you told me I need to make the throat taller so it doesn’t bottleneck so that’s what I came up with Lol and thank you very much for your help I really appreciate it!