air gap plate

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mrspooky

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Mar 20, 2014
148
14
tifton ga
I have been reading about the "air gap plate" and how they can help with the hot spot created by the FB. This is just a thought but what if you welded some angle 1" ABOVE the RF plate (above the FB) and laid a plate on that.. Wouldnt that have the same effect? that way you could adjust the length of the plate accordingly by making it longer or shorter and just lay it on the angle.
Thanks
spooky
 
No..... The air gap, suspended from the inside of the RF plate and top of the FB, holds heat in the smoke, keeping heat from the FB top plate and RF plate....



If you enlarge this drawing and look at the "Heat Shield" placement .... It runs between the CC and FB, cooling the roof of the FB and the first portion of the RF plate......

 
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Aaaaaahh,,, I see.. I thought that it was just a internal heat shield and why not make an "external" hea5 shield.
 
So your saying that by putting a plate , just long enough to cover the hot spot above the RF plate (1"- 2") above the RF plate wouldn't work because there is no cool air circulating around it? It seems to me that the shield above the RF plate would be more efficient because the temps are a little less than on top of the direct flames. * disclaimer* these are just my thoughts as I truly know no5hing about it. Hahaha.
Thanks
spook
 
A shield above the RF plate will result in a cold spot, since you are blocking the radiant heat from the RF plate.

The shield at the top of the FB blocks the radiant heat of the fire preventing a hot spot on the RF plate while still allowing the even convective and conductive heating of the RF plate.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

duel.gif
 
10/4. Like I said I know nothing about it But I thought id ask any how.
Thanks
spooky
 
I'm thinking bout using my RF plate to hold water while in use, that 3" of water should keep any heat from coming through RF plate and keep it channeled to the end of it then moving it across anything I'm smoking....
 
If you put 3" of water in the RF plate....... You will not be able to get the smoker over about 225..... and you wood consumption will skyrocket.... and you will steaming the meat....

Dave
 
why wouldn't it act like a barrier from the heat ??....it would just go under and around the end of the RF plate and past the meat your smoking on out the stack, a little steam action can't hurt....
 
The air gap plate, or properly known as the RW plate, has nothing to do with the reverse flow plate. It is a secondary plate installed under the top of the firebox to aid in the reduction of heat loss from the top of the firebox. A air gap is left between the the plate and the firebox top so as to cut down on the amount of heat that can transfer between the two plates. It is a low cost alternative to an insulated firebox.

A diverter plate is a plate installed inside the cooking chamber, at the mouth of the firebox, that directs the heat from the air exiting the firebox, at that area where the air would be directly hitting the reverse flow plate before turning to a more of a horizontal flow.



In the pic below, you can see the weld marks showing the placement of the RW plate in the firebox, as well as the diverter plate in the cooking chamber, NOTE that neither are connected to the reverse flow plate.



 
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