Mailbox style mod on BBQgrillware smoker using an ammo box. Smoke flow problem resolved!

Heat rises. I like the ammo box, but I think you need to put your box lower than the burner. That will mean a bit of hose.

Cali, morning...... I'm guessing here..... When the burner is on, it is raising the temp of the air in the smoker..... Heating air causes it to expand..... Maybe, you need more exhaust area for the expanded air to escape the smoker body allowing more air make up from the ammo can....

Start by drilling holes in the upper part of the side walls of the smoker body.... I would use a step drill.... it works better in sheet metal.... As you drill holes, (I would start with 1/2 - 3/4" holes), the smoke "should" start moving from the ammo can into the smoker body and out the exhaust..... Don't worry about too much exhaust... Good air flow and thin smoke make for great smoked food.....

Also, most gas fired smokers have a burner that is too big for the smokers that come from the factory.... they add a water pan to "suck up" the BTU's from too large a burner..... Some folks have used a needle valve and lower pressure regulator to get the BTU's to a 'manageable" level and lower temps so a water pan is then not necessary to get smoker temps to the low 100's degree range.....

Now about the burner.... most burners have a specific design to burn the fuel.... to get a lower BTU output, you may need to plug some of the holes in the burner ring to get a good flame... One material that should work to plug some of the holes in the burner ring is furnace cement or fireplace mortar (the kind in a can or tube, not the stuff you mix in a cement mixer).... It cures very hard when the high temp is applied..... it has an odor for a few firings.... start by plugging 10% of the holes in the burner and increase until you see a very nice flame, with no yellow, emitting from the burner holes.... This will take some experimenting to achieve the "clean blue flame" that is about 1/2-5/8' long... also check the smoker temp during this process...... I know it sounds like a lot of BS and work.... but.... getting to the point where the smoker works extremely well will be worth the process...

I'm trying to cover all the bases here.... Really hard to hit the nail on the head from the desk....

It is very unfortunate that manufacturers don't have a clue on "how to build an off the shelf smoker" that works..... They think a smoker should get to 350 deg. and ignore the "smoke temp. zone" of 70-160 deg. F.....

That's my opinion.......

Dave

Something similar to this should work....

http://www.woodstoves-fireplaces.com/gasket-cement/?gclid=CKDMtpuLtr8CFUdcfgodw34AlQ

A yellow flame is lack of oxygen..... does the burner have adjustable air inlets.... like slide plates or a rotating plate on the end of the burner....

mneeley490 said:

Heat rises. I like the ammo box, but I think you need to put your box lower than the burner. That will mean a bit of hose.

Click to expand...

I think Mneely has a good point..... the ammo can could be acting as a chimney...

Best way to cut that hole...... PLASMA..... convince SWMBO you need a $2000 plasma... :biggrin:

You still have a oxygen starvation issue with the burner on medium and high.  That flame should not be yellow, it should be blue like on low.  You need to get more air into the mix that is going to the burner.  Check the screen for the air inlet in your burner tube.  I bet it has cobwebs inside partially restricting the air flow to the air/fuel mix.  You may have to disassemble the burner element.  One of the by products of burning LP is moisture.  I had a cast iron burner that had a yellow flame problem.  Screen was clear but I found the inside of the burner had started to rust and the interior was slowly flaking off in small sheets.  It was just enough to restrict the air flow and throw the mix off.

I would bet you are also getting soot on your food with that yellow flame.

You might be able to find a "side burner", for a gas grill, at a big box store... or off of an old grill from your neighbor... If you find a burner..... one that is smaller might be a good place to start.... usually the burners that come with gas smokers put out too many BTU's and control below 250 is impossible without a water pan.... just a thought....

Dave

What if you installed a needle valve between the tank and the burner to regulate the gas flow?  This was you would open the regulator all the way up but the needle valve will determine how much gas is fed to the system.  I have one on my Masterforge and I'll tell you I don't have much of a flame to get that puppy to 225-250.

I know people are saying it's an oxygen issue but when you took those pictures you had the door wide open so it had plenty of oxygen to feed from.