There have been many smokers, that for one reason or another, need some sort of "sealing material" to stop air leaks...
Reverse flow smokers seem to be the most susceptible to air leaks... It's the nature of the design.... Having to suck air/smoke/heat over a long distance, through natural convection, is difficult at best.....
Yesterday my pellet stove would not keep a fire going... the pellet pan would fill and the fire would go out.... The design, like most I assume, has a fan at the end of the process and it SUCKS heat/smoke/air to the chimney..... ANY disruption in this system causes it to fail and an air leak is a major disruption..... not unlike a Reverse Flow smoker...
So, off I went to see my Buddy, Dallas, at the Irrigation Store that sells Lopi stoves.... that's where I bought mine...
I bought stove gasket cement and gasket material..... Really good stuff and a very fair price....
2000 degree cement.... I suggest grinding the steel surface before applying the cement, then the gasket.... close the door to hold in position while the cement cures... start a fire to set the cement....
Gasket material.... My stove used 1/2" gasket..... there are other sizes.... it is flexible, squishable, forms to almost any defect in the stove.... forgiving, I would call it.. Made by Stove King....
As a preventative measure, I would incorporate the gasket material at the start of the build, BEFORE the hinges are attached..... hinges limit the adjustment to make the gasket fit properly... and the new gap needs to be accounted for in the build.... at $0.80 per foot, it is very good insurance to insure a proper drawing smoker.... If a leak is noticed, after the build, the proper way to get a good fit is remove the hinges and adjust and reweld...
I could have shown the picture and called it good.... but that would have been a boring thread....
Dave
Reverse flow smokers seem to be the most susceptible to air leaks... It's the nature of the design.... Having to suck air/smoke/heat over a long distance, through natural convection, is difficult at best.....
Yesterday my pellet stove would not keep a fire going... the pellet pan would fill and the fire would go out.... The design, like most I assume, has a fan at the end of the process and it SUCKS heat/smoke/air to the chimney..... ANY disruption in this system causes it to fail and an air leak is a major disruption..... not unlike a Reverse Flow smoker...
So, off I went to see my Buddy, Dallas, at the Irrigation Store that sells Lopi stoves.... that's where I bought mine...
I bought stove gasket cement and gasket material..... Really good stuff and a very fair price....
2000 degree cement.... I suggest grinding the steel surface before applying the cement, then the gasket.... close the door to hold in position while the cement cures... start a fire to set the cement....
Gasket material.... My stove used 1/2" gasket..... there are other sizes.... it is flexible, squishable, forms to almost any defect in the stove.... forgiving, I would call it.. Made by Stove King....
As a preventative measure, I would incorporate the gasket material at the start of the build, BEFORE the hinges are attached..... hinges limit the adjustment to make the gasket fit properly... and the new gap needs to be accounted for in the build.... at $0.80 per foot, it is very good insurance to insure a proper drawing smoker.... If a leak is noticed, after the build, the proper way to get a good fit is remove the hinges and adjust and reweld...
I could have shown the picture and called it good.... but that would have been a boring thread....
Dave
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