seattlepitboss
is one Smokin' Farker
- Joined
- Feb 5, 2009
- Location
- Seattle, WA
I hauled home an old horizontal air compressor with a 120 gallon tank. 24" diameter, just short of six feet long end-to-end. Probably 50" long between the weld seams.
Yes, it's possible to build a smoker without starting with a tank, but I've never built one that way and I don't think I could afford the steel!
This is the kind of thing I keep an eye out for:
It was sort of an estate sale only posted to Facebook Marketplace. I sent them an inquiry and they marked it "Pending". When it was time to go get it, I stopped at the cash machine - woops, transaction won't go. Same at the next 2 ATMs I tried. Turned out someone in Dubai typed my ATM card's digits into a machine, a PIN-less transaction. I figured I'd just Paypal them the $$ on the spot. I rolled down there and when I talked to them (young couple) they said sorry, they didn't do Paypal, how much did I have with me? I scrounged up a few bills and came up with about eighty bucks. They happily took it. I love sellers like that!
Anyway, I already have a buyer for the (old but rebuildable) Champion RV-30A air pump, and I'm sure a buyer for the Century 7.5hp motor will come along soon. I should easily recoup my investment meaning the cost of the tank will net out to me at close to zero.
I removed nearly everything from the tank and plugged the holes and pressure washed it. Then I put it in semi-storage for when I decide to build my next smoker. I just like 120 gallon tanks. Bigger seems, well, too big for me. I can feed 100 people with a 120 gallong cooker, used to do it regularly. Smaller seems too small. Just doesn't look quite right.
So for me, the hardest part is finding an affordable tank to start with. The next hardest part is finding the material to make the stack. All the rest is a piece of cake.
seattlepitboss
Yes, it's possible to build a smoker without starting with a tank, but I've never built one that way and I don't think I could afford the steel!
This is the kind of thing I keep an eye out for:
It was sort of an estate sale only posted to Facebook Marketplace. I sent them an inquiry and they marked it "Pending". When it was time to go get it, I stopped at the cash machine - woops, transaction won't go. Same at the next 2 ATMs I tried. Turned out someone in Dubai typed my ATM card's digits into a machine, a PIN-less transaction. I figured I'd just Paypal them the $$ on the spot. I rolled down there and when I talked to them (young couple) they said sorry, they didn't do Paypal, how much did I have with me? I scrounged up a few bills and came up with about eighty bucks. They happily took it. I love sellers like that!
Anyway, I already have a buyer for the (old but rebuildable) Champion RV-30A air pump, and I'm sure a buyer for the Century 7.5hp motor will come along soon. I should easily recoup my investment meaning the cost of the tank will net out to me at close to zero.
I removed nearly everything from the tank and plugged the holes and pressure washed it. Then I put it in semi-storage for when I decide to build my next smoker. I just like 120 gallon tanks. Bigger seems, well, too big for me. I can feed 100 people with a 120 gallong cooker, used to do it regularly. Smaller seems too small. Just doesn't look quite right.
So for me, the hardest part is finding an affordable tank to start with. The next hardest part is finding the material to make the stack. All the rest is a piece of cake.
seattlepitboss
