Firebox door on side or top?

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jdamet

Newbie
Original poster
Aug 29, 2012
17
10
NE kansas
Building my first smoker,  reverse flow on a trailer. My question is does it make a difference if the firebox door is on the side or top?
 
shouldn't matter if you have a good seal on it....I have plans for my doors on the side of the FB with the intake on the opp end of the CC for max flow through in the straightest way....
 
I plan on making a vent that is big enough to push the ashes out.  I like the side doors better, but Im worried about warping the top. Its only 3/16. I was lied to about the thickness when I bought the tanks. I wouldn't have bought it if I had known that it wasn't 5/16.
 
Hello jd.  Dragons got ya on the ashes thing.  You MUST have a plan for cleaning ash.  That will kill your fire but not to
beatdeadhorse.gif
. Sounds as if you may have thought of that.  The 3/16 verses the 5/16 thing MAY not be as bad as you think.  Sounds as if this ain't your 1st rodeo so put aside the fact that it isn't what you thought and just rethink your design slightly to beef up that 3/16.  Without seeing drawings, I think you can make some very small changes and still achieve the basic design you had in mind.  OK, it may take some more welding, and instead of a flat cigar box top you may need to build a top more like a ring box with sides ( best way I could think to describe ).  It is what it is and you have to go with it now.  Before cutting anything just sit down and rethink your plan.  Am sure you will get there after you calm down and think about it. Ain't no big thing.  You got this my friend.  Rethink and get 'er done.  Meat is waitin to be smoked.  Good luck.  Post picts.  Keep Smokin!


Danny
 
Thanks Danny. The problem is that I have been rethinking it,,,,for 3 days and can't decide what to do with it. I had decided to do the top door, but after getting it marked to cut, I wasn't 100% certain that I wanted to do it. I just can't make my mind up. There are too many options.
I don't have drawings, but it's just a basic smoker. 150 gallon CC and a 23x27 round tank for the horizontal FB.
And I don't have to wait to smoke meat. I have another, bigger smoker that I use. This ones just to see if I like a reverse flow better.
 
Any suggestions on what to do with this hole? I thought about using it for cleaning ashes, to push them out of the bottom vent. Or as a "peep hole" to check the coals and wood.
 
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