Thanks for the tip, I'll try to overlay one grid on top of another.Dirtytires wrote: ↑June 15th, 2021, 11:31 amYour fire absolutely needs a rack to burn properly. It is important for air to get to the fire as well as ash to fall thru so as not to clog the fire. Sitting on a solid surface will not allow it to burn efficiently. If you had a problem with the coals falling thru and not forming a coal bed then the gaps in your grate were too big. Many of us use a simple box made of expanded metal and it works great. It will nicely keep the coals on top and still allow airflow and ash to get thru. Another nice trick is to form it into a loose 'V' shape so the logs all stay together.
Yes, this is standard offset, that's right.dacolson wrote: ↑June 16th, 2021, 12:21 pmThis is a standard offset, right? On a standard/traditional offset he grate directly next to the stack will usually be the hottest. It's the choke point for all the heat and smoke before it enters the stack. When you close the damper in your stack, it causes back pressure the drives the temps up across the rest of the grates. If your grate by the stack is cooler, I would wonder if your stack is choked off too much? I just finished my latest standard offset and have been doing a lot of cooking on it. Stack damper adjustments and fire placement in the FB influence heat dispersion on the pit a lot. I've found on my 130 gallon pit that a fire closer to the door in the FB and keeping my stack damper closed about 3/4 keeps my temps the most even across the grates. Fire size matters a lot too. Still learning a lot about how the pit runs though.
D . Jur wrote: ↑June 20th, 2021, 7:10 amI tried playing with the damper ... no effect, this shelf is still the coldest.
Those. when the averages (top and bottom) show 265f, the lower left barely reaches 220, and above it 250 ilm is also 265 ...
The firewood is the same, oak, dry, the size was specially chosen not large.
Tried it as before, just on a flat bottom, and on a rack, as Dirtytires advised.
Any thoughts what is wrong with this shelf?
hogaboomer wrote: ↑June 24th, 2021, 9:01 pmHave you tested the thermometers to see if they all give the same reading? I don't trust a door thermometer at all. You need a digital thermometer with probes.
Sounds like a bad diagnosis for a patient ...Dirtytires wrote: ↑August 2nd, 2021, 10:55 amActually, 220-265 is not a bad temp swing on a traditional offset. That may be just about the best your pit will do.
the grates are so located at the level of the exit to the stack.Brewmaster wrote: ↑June 24th, 2021, 8:17 pmI think you might have better luck if you lower the stack exit down to the lower food grate level, this way the heat is forced down before it can exit. A plenum or collector will help with better draw and less of a hot spot there right at the smoke exit. After the mod you should find the upper grates running a bit hotter than the lower grates, but your temps should be a bit more even from side to side.
D . Jur wrote: ↑June 20th, 2021, 7:10 amI tried playing with the damper ... no effect, this shelf is still the coldest.
Those. when the averages (top and bottom) show 265f, the lower left barely reaches 220, and above it 250 ilm is also 265 ...
The firewood is the same, oak, dry, the size was specially chosen not large.
Tried it as before, just on a flat bottom, and on a rack, as Dirtytires advised.
Any thoughts what is wrong with this shelf?
Hi, I'm new here, my wife and I are building a 250 gallon offset with a round firebox. I really like the design of your baffle, would it work on a round firebox? Are there any pictures of one on a round firebox? If not do you have any recommendations for what to do with a round firebox? We were considering mounting the firebox a bit higher, where the throat opening is about half above and below the grate level. Kind of like a LoCo smoker. It's that a bad idea? Any advice would be great as the firebox is built and ready to be mounted. Thank you