Fark Me... call in the experts!

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Ryan921

Knows what a fatty is.
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http://s836.photobucket.com/user/Ryan921/library/

ok so here's the story. A friend of mine and I have been working on this guy for a couple months. Yesterday was its maiden voyage.. well sort of.. I was going to just do a dry run to check temprature control and to season the grates. But still very exciting none the less. So I put charcoal in the basket, let them go for a while then threw on a healthy peice of wood and then... drumroll.... rocky theme song playing in my head.... wait for it... wait for it...

NOTHING!!!!:doh::mad2::shock::confused:

Couldnt get them temp above 50 Degrees! after some adjustments i got it to roughly 100 buts thats not gonna do it.

I did pin point a couple of fairly modest leaks that need addressed but I dont think it could account for all the heat loss. I think one problem was that it was only about 30 degrees in columbus yesterday but I still think it should have been able to reach temperature (but what do i know?!?)

Does anyone have any insight? any help would be very much appreciated.

by the way the firebox is a old wood burning stove ducted in with a 6" stove pipe. the exhausts are 2.5" in diameter and enter 14" inside of the tank and stick out 10".

Let me know if you have any questions about the build that could help

Ryan
 
I can't see any pics?

How are you taking the temp.

Maybe it's on Celsius?:becky:
 
I am not a pit builder by any means, but I would say the heat is coming out of you firebox pipe and going straight out the exhaust. Was it hot in the firebox?
 
You may not be getting enough air Into the firebox if you are only using the wheel dampers on the side. If so, start another fire and trying cracking the firebox open a little and see what happens. It also looks like the heat is coming in above the cooking grate. May need to come below what some kind of reverted plate to distribute the heat across the grate. I could be wrong but that was quick observation.
 
With out any measurements looks like your firebox is to small. It could also be your draw. Maybe bigger hole from firebox to pit.
 
I put another thermometer in the fire box and it was reading around 400 degrees F.

I did not do a pit calculator :tape: so i hope its not too small.

i tried to open the door of the firebox to let in more oxygen but it seemed to let the heat right out of the door so i couldnt really tell a difference as far as the temp in the tank goes. i think i will need some more holes lower on the firebox to let in air.

I will have to get exact measurements when I get home from work

do you think that the low air temps has a lot to do with it? like i said it was only around 30 degrees F yesterday and windy. i did pull it into the garage to block most of the wind

Thanks for the replies everyone
 
Ryan921 said:
I put another thermometer in the fire box and it was reading around 400 degrees F.

I did not do a pit calculator :tape: so i hope its not too small.

i tried to open the door of the firebox to let in more oxygen but it seemed to let the heat right out of the door so i couldnt really tell a difference as far as the temp in the tank goes. i think i will need some more holes lower on the firebox to let in air.

I will have to get exact measurements when I get home from work

do you think that the low air temps has a lot to do with it? like i said it was only around 30 degrees F yesterday and windy. i did pull it into the garage to block most of the wind

Thanks for the replies everyone
Click to expand...

should be a lot hotter in the firebox.

My bet is not enough air flow.

I out an IR temp gauge on my firebox, its about 700f on the putside surface near the fire
 
Ryan921 said:
http://s836.photobucket.com/user/Ryan921/library/

ok so here's the story. A friend of mine and I have been working on this guy for a couple months. Yesterday was its maiden voyage.. well sort of.. I was going to just do a dry run to check temprature control and to season the grates. But still very exciting none the less. So I put charcoal in the basket, let them go for a while then threw on a healthy peice of wood and then... drumroll.... rocky theme song playing in my head.... wait for it... wait for it...

NOTHING!!!!:doh::mad2::shock::confused:

Couldnt get them temp above 50 Degrees! after some adjustments i got it to roughly 100 buts thats not gonna do it.

I did pin point a couple of fairly modest leaks that need addressed but I dont think it could account for all the heat loss. I think one problem was that it was only about 30 degrees in columbus yesterday but I still think it should have been able to reach temperature (but what do i know?!?)

Does anyone have any insight? any help would be very much appreciated.

by the way the firebox is a old wood burning stove ducted in with a 6" stove pipe. the exhausts are 2.5" in diameter and enter 14" inside of the tank and stick out 10".

Let me know if you have any questions about the build that could help

Ryan
Click to expand...

You should be commended just on the incentive on building this smoker on it own merits. Here's a few details I noticed.

The key to an effective smoker is airflow... and room to burn an efficient fire, too. Looks like you may need to increase the air intakes and have plenty of (chimney) draft - drawing out the smoke on the opposite side of the firebox... unless its a reverse flow. Using a single 6" pipe out of the firebox will not be enough - learned that the hard way (way back when a double barrel smoker was on my project). Had to add a second 6" pipe just to keep the thermal energy improved.
 
Looks like it the firebox is too small and you need a larger opening from the firebox to the smoker. How thick is the firebox metal?
 
well i suppose i will have to sleep on it and figure out how to put in another pipe without creating an eyesore.

Luke, the firebox is just over a quarter inch thick all the way around.

I really dont want to scrap my firebox so I will do what it takes to make it work if you guys think it is at all possible.
 
I think the firebox might work

Maybe you can cut a slot in it between the 2 chambers underneath the tube for more airflow?

just a thought
 
Ryan921 said:
well i suppose i will have to sleep on it and figure out how to put in another pipe without creating an eyesore.

Luke, the firebox is just over a quarter inch thick all the way around.

I really dont want to scrap my firebox so I will do what it takes to make it work if you guys think it is at all possible.
Click to expand...
Just do 2 more 6" pipes on each side. Route them to the mid point of each grate. Add a baffle above the pipe where it enters the smokebox to distribute the heat and raise the cooking grates above the pipe inlets.
 
Nice job but...FB too small,inlet to FB and CC too small and poor location,no baffle plates,too many exhausts not enough in diameter in poor locations that aren't long enough.JM2C.It CAN be fixed though.:doh:
 
Thanks for all the help everyone. For now I am going to try and modify the box I have and hope for the best, not because I dont believe you guys but because I am short on funds :tsk:. I will let everyone know what happens next weekend (im only allowed to play with my toys on the weekends due to my 4 month old twin girls:-D)

Ryan
 
All good comments so far. Watching that fire box will be a pain even if you can get it up to temp because you will always be filling it heating that much of a cooker. Good luck.
 
I built my first oil drum smoker in 1980. Different versions with several doors / lids ect. What worked for me was a firebox the full length of the drum with a baffeled opening, this way you build fire where you wanted to enter, I used direct and also indirect heat travel patterns and both worked great. In my opinion this cooker has alot of heat loss and your boxx is not big enough, what you also could do is install the stove inside the oil tank itself, and it will go up to temp. But I would build a full length wood shed out the back there fore you can have big or little fire on any end.
 
what do you guys think of this idea.. What if i get rid of that firebox and replace it with a 55 gallon drum and place it horizonally in its place. Then the intake could come in lower and my fire box would be significantly larger.. Just a shot in the dark.
 
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