Where is the heat going

[lemans]

I have a charlgriller 5050 with sfb
I know I know thin metal lot of leaks. But!!!
I have spend over a year addressing all the loss of heat. I have used gasket material and have installed a convection plate bottom lined with fire brick so here is the question
My FB gets to 800 degrees but the most
I can get and maintain in the CC is 250-275 degrees.. I know that smoking is done at 225-235 and I can maintain that for like 2hours before I have to use more fuel .. What's happening to all that heat??? Is it just radiating their the metal? The 5050 has a 20 inch cc that's small so what's the story?

 

[gary s]

Post a picture of your FB door   May be an Air flow problem 

Gary

 

[sawinredneck]

Is the CC door sealed good? Have you tried lowering the exhaust to grate level?
These cheap offsets can make you pull your hair out! I have the Brinkmann trailmaster le, I've sealed up the fire box to cc, the two halves of the firebox, added a 16ga convection plate, water pan and lava rock as well as sealing the doors. One cook, jerky, I couldn't hold anything under 225, last cook, 15deg difference in ambient temp, I had to fight to keep 225! We just have to keep playing with them until we figure them out, I'm dreading fall and winter temps while trying to maintain temps!
Sorry, not much help, but wanted you to know you aren't alone out there!

 

[chef jimmyj]

I have to wonder if the Bricks under the Covec' Plate are not restricting heat from getting in the smoker. Most of the designs I have seen had a min of 3-4" of clear path under the C Plate...JJ

 

[sawinredneck]

Good call, I made that mistake on my first attempt with a convection plate, it was too low and the lava rock was too high. It chocked off the heat from the firebox!

 

[lemans]

Humm. I got some thinkin to do!!! I think the bricks go first . But they r holding the convection plate