High Temp Sealants for Lid Mods

[generalee]

I have seen several people mention the high temp sealants for the mods to the lids for their smokers.

Would anyone care to share what brand has worked for them? Also where you purchased.

If you have been successful with this mod, would you share your method of prep for the lid?

Any other tips for succesful sealing of the lids would be great!

Has anyone sealed the lid on their side fire box? The sealants I have found would most likely not work there as the fire is too hot. That is where I am leaking the most, I think.

Thanks!
Lee

 

[richtee]

Hey Lee... what is the concern with sealing? You losing that much heat/smoke ya figger? Got a shot of the pit in action?

DAP makes a good line of Hi-temp sealants. Check auto parts stores and BBQ/fireplace shops.

 

[generalee]

I have a gap on both sides of the new baffle plate/mod I just installed where the heat enters the main chamber. The plate does not fit flush againts the side of the chamber. I have about a 1/8 gap. I would like to find something that would seal this gap up. Just trying to make sure the front of the chamber is not the hottest. I ran a test on the mods last night and up front, was better, but still not closely even all the way around. Still too much heat by about 35-50 degrees.

I did find the Aremco Pryro putty 1000 online. States it can take heat up to 1400F. Not sure if it is food grade. I am going to contact the company and see what they say/recommend.

 

[richtee]

MAybe find a muffler shop or a bud who can lay a weld bead down it...or even braze it...

 

[bbq bubba]

Instead of adding sealant to a smoker, i would advise you just learn to smoke with the temp differences.
No smoker is even all the way around, we learn to use the hot and cool spots accordingly.

 

[generalee]

Certainly you have to learn the temp variances. However I don't want have 6 therms in the grill to monitor every spot.

My thoughts (just one of many) on the smoking/bbq thing is that we are attempting to pursue the fleeting idea of perfection. Part of that to me is to begin to eliminate as many variables as possible. Part of that pusuit of perfection is the pursuit of consistency. If I can control my heat better, I can reduce the effects of one variable, thus bringing my pursuit of consistency one step closer.

Mabye a tad overanalyzed but the direction I want to go.

 

[richtee]

One point to consider: If the temps are "consistently" similar over a few smokes... isn't that consistency?

Bubba has a point. <Yes..it's on top of his head... but hey... > Perhaps these variances can even be used to an advantage.

 

[bbq bubba]

HEY.....i resemble that remark!!

 

[generalee]

Certainly he has a point, I will know more of the consistency of the temps later this week as I actually put some butts on it. But I had already considered, measured and used that knowledge as I smoked.

As to consistency, (with the new mods) in terms of the fire, wouldn't the most desired be to have a 10-20degree variance? I wouldn't think that you want to get in the range I had previously (100F variance) or even in the 35-50F diff.

I understand that no smoker will be/ hold the same temp all the way across, just trying to eliminate as much variance as possible. Looking for solutions.

 

[bbq bubba]

Not to sound redundant, but learn the cooker first....
Even the best of smokers, like the Lang for instance, have temp differences of 50* end to end!!

 

[generalee]

That might be something good to post into a sticky. I have been reading these forums for a while now and many people seem to believe it is possble to get a temp variance in the 10-20F range. If even the best smokers vary by 50 degrees then reading that would have elimnated my need for this post.

Thanks for the good info.

 

[1894]

Pics would help , and I'm not very experianced so take this with a grain of salt.
Sounds like you have a baffle attatched somehow to the sfb side of the cooking chamber ? And a bit of a gap right there ? Try starting with the cheap , easy , and easily changeable things

Try a double layer of alum foil over the offending area , easy to replace after each cook / test run , and give you a good idea of weather or not you need a perm fix there and time to think out how to do it.

 

[richtee]

Actually Lee... this post WAS needed. As much as it might be considered "re-hashing" newer folks seem to not search or read thru older posts. The philosophy of the board as I understand it is "Let them ask". Sometimes I get fustrated with this, but it IS the easiest way for the new folk. And that's who the board wants. And I do get over the fustration :{).

 

[1894]

That is nice to hear for this newbie that I am

Guess I'm going thru that learning curve as well as the OP.
The one thing I have noticed , was when I cobbled up my baffle going into the smoking chamber , it was kinda long and ended up too low at the end twards the middle .

Didn't let the heat flow out of the sfb very efficiently.