Help- Is my smoker safe to use?

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apatrick

Newbie
Original poster
May 30, 2010
10
10
I just finished making my new smoker. I made it out of my old pool filter (we got a new one). Its stainless steel ( 22 or 24 Gage) and a little smaller than a 55 gallon drum. I put a coal cage 3" from the bottom, a rack 12" from that( I know, its closes), a smoke stack on the lid, a 2.5" adjustable air hole, ect.  My problem is i dont know if it is safe. I burned it out twice, trying to burn away any chemicals. Both times i got it red hot. the first time was with only the bottom, and the metal caught on fire, so i think there was a coating on it. the second time I put the lid on. this morning when i took of the lid, there was a thin, shinny film that was starting to peel. I think this is the same coating that burned off the bottom. to get rid of it, i used scotch-bright and saned it off. its down to bare metal now. I just need some op ions on it this is safe to use or not. I'm having a BBQ tomorrow and would like to use it. I just dont want to kill everyone eating my ribs.

And no, im not going to go out and buy a smoker. Not only do i not have the money, but thats not my style. If anything id go find a 55 gal drum and transfer the stack, the coal cage, grill grate, ect. to the drum.

Please let me know what you think.

Thank you very much
 
Hello apatrick, I'm just guessing here butt I think it's OK. Being stainless steel I wood think it is food safe. You prolly had some residue that should have been burned off with your fire.

beard
 
Thats what i was thinking. I mean i know people who have made them out of truck diesel tanks, oil barrels, and even used garbage cans.

But i got it red hot each time i burned it. I also scrubed and washed it after each burn. I think i might even burn it a third time tonight. I just worried about the people eating my cooking. Me personaly, id eat out of it right now. But if it hurt someone eles, i wouldnt beable to live with myself.
 
Can you post pics of the inside? After a couple of good burns chances are you're good but I couldn't really tell without looking. If there is still some type of liner/coating in it; it would be my opinion it HAS to come off.
 
yea i will go and take pictures now. Its to bad i didnt take any of the film before i sanded it of. it looked like paint peeling, but was soft and shinny.

EDIT- Posted them! fourm said i gota wait for moderator to aprove them. im new here
 
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Wow, what a bummer. I guess all good things come in time.

Thank You apatrick, you have given me a whole new idea of material to watch for. I even used to work at a pool store and thinking back we did have a ton of stainless that went to the trash after upgrades. Sure wish I had known and salvaged parts back then.
 
Just an update- I smoking right now. I threw some babybacks on a little while ago. for the first run, the smokers doing good. its running alittle hot though. beside that its good.
 
Looks like you did everything right in my book, clean, clean , clean.   High heat kills a lot of the bad stuff.

Welcome to the gorup of folks that would never think about looking at a store bought unit other than to figure out how to make it better.
 
alright that makes me feel good, because i had 10 people eating the ribs that came off that thing yesterday. For a first run they came out pretty good.

And nickelmore, your so right. Most people dont understand why you wouldnt just go buy one. but the fact that i made it for ZERO dollars, out of stuff lying around the shop, it cant be beat. And its one more thing i can say i built.
 
Sweet build!! I have a daughter that has a good friend that owns a pool and spa service. I think I'm going to make a couple of phone calls tonight and see what I can come up with.  I got a couple of sons-in-law that deserve their own smoker.
 
Sweet build!! I have a daughter that has a good friend that owns a pool and spa service. I think I'm going to make a couple of phone calls tonight and see what I can come up with.  I got a couple of sons-in-law that deserve their own smoker.
Go for it man. just make sure that if its stainless like mine, that you get rid of the liner. I think they plate the stainless in order to protect it from the chemicals. First time i burnt it out, i got it so hot (Lid was off), that the bottom's liner just burned right off (creates huge flames and looks like the metal is on fire). The second time i had the lid on. I heated enough so that the liner started to peel. looked like paint peeling. I just finished it off with Scotch-bright.
 
What a great idea!  I'll have to keep an eye out for one as well.  If enough members make these, we might have to start a new smoker designation: PDS (Pretty Drum Smokers)!!!!! LOL!
 
cool.gif


I was just consered of the stainless holding some of the chlorine or something else in the pool care. I'm glad that everything worked out for you and it looks like you have given alot of others here an Idea in new smokers. Like they said maybe there will be a new brand of smokers PDS Patricks Drum Smokers. 
 
I don't think Chlorine would be a concern unless it can accumulate over time in the SS, not sure how porous stainless is.

If chlorine is a concern you can neutralize it with hydrogen peroxide.

Although Chlorine in itself may not be as dangerous as chlorine by-products.

U.S. Health Officials estimate 900,000 people each year become ill - and possibly 900 die - from waterborne disease. The General Accounting Office estimates 66% of Safe Drinking Water Act violations aren’t reported.

The contamination of water is directly related to the degree of contamination of our environment. Rainwater flushes airborne pollution from the skies, and then washes over the land before running into the, rivers, aquifers, and lakes that supply our drinking water. Any and all chemicals generated by human activity can and will find their way into water supplies.

The chemical element chlorine is a corrosive, poisonous, greenish-yellow gas that has a suffocating odor and is 2 1/2 times heavier than air. Chlorine belongs to the group of elements called halogens. The halogens combine with metals to form compounds called halides. Chlorine is manufactured commercially by running an electric current through salt water. This process produces free chlorine, hydrogen, and sodium hydroxide. Chlorine is changed to its liquid form by compressing the gas, the resulting liquid is then shipped. Liquid chlorine is mixed into drinking water and swimming pools to destroy bacteria.

Until recently, concerns about drinking water focused on eliminating pathogens. The chlorine used to reduce the risk of infectious disease may account for a substantial portion of the cancer risk associated with drinking water. Chlorination of drinking water was a major factor in the reduction in the mortality rates associated with waterborne pathogen. The use of chlorine was believed to be safe. This view is evident in an article, which appeared on the back page of the New York Times. The report stated that with the use of chlorine, "Any municipal water supply can be made as pure as mountain spring water. Chlorination destroys all animal and microbial life, leaving no trace of itself afterwards". This statement reflected opinion accepted until recent years when halogenated organic compounds, such as chloroform, were identified in chlorinated drinking water supplies. Recent surveys show that these compounds are common in water supplies throughout the United States.

These concerns about cancer risks associated with chemical contamination from chlorination by-products have resulted in numerous epidemiological studies. These studies generally support the notion that by-products of chlorination are associated with increased cancer risks.

Chlorine is used to combat microbial contamination, but it can react with organic matter in the water and form dangerous, carcinogenic Trihalomethanes. According to Dr. Joseph M. Price, MD, in Moseby's Medical Dictionary, "Chlorine is the greatest crippler and killer of modern times. It is an insidious poison".

In a 1992 study that made front-page headlines, and was reported on in the July issue of the American Journal of Public Health researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee found that people who regularly drink tap water containing high levels of chlorine by-products have a greater risk of developing bladder and rectal cancers than people who drink unchlorinated water. The study estimates that about 9 percent of all bladder cancer and 18 percent of all rectal cancer cases are associated with long-term consumption of these by-products. This amounts to over 20,000 new cases each year.

LOOKING GOOD APATRICK
 
well, I'm pretty sure all the chlorine is gone. I mean you can drink small amounts of pool water and be fine. The chlorine is in such low levels its not that harmful. And then divide the little amount in the filter by all the scrubbing and washing (and burning) i did. I think that any chlorine that was left is less than the amount in that gulp of pool water you occasionally swallow by accident. Also think of all the chlorine your body takes in through city water.

And PDS, I like it!
 
 Also think of all the chlorine your body takes in through city water.

And PDS, I like it!
In a 1992 study that made front-page headlines, and was reported on in the July issue of the American Journal of Public Health researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee found that people who regularly drink tap water containing high levels of chlorine by-products have a greater risk of developing bladder and rectal cancers than people who drink unchlorinated water. The study estimates that about 9 percent of all bladder cancer and 18 percent of all rectal cancer cases are associated with long-term consumption of these by-products. This amounts to over 20,000 new cases each year.

But I still think you are fine, just pointing out a few facts.
 
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