Can I improve my mailbox mod?

bladeguy · Dec 31, 2016

I decided to do a mailbox mod for my A-Maze-N Tube I bought for cold smoking. I purchased the mailbox at Walmart and the flex pipe and fitting at HD. Drilled out the holes and hooked it all up. Decided to go for a test run right away to see what happens. Loaded up the tubes lit it, and thought it might be best to warm the smoke vault to help create some draft.

Questions I have......there is a lot of smoke leaking around the first flange fitting on the box....should I tape that up, or not worry about it. I didn't drill any extra holes as the box has plenty, and had no trouble keeping the smoke rolling, but should I seal up some of the upper holes where smoke is pouring out? Maybe drill some extra holes on the bottome of the mailbox door? I'm just not sure how much smoke I have to get to the smoker. I am getting some smoke there, but it is barely visible, but maybe that is a good thing? Would take your thoughts, here are some pictures.

Pic with Big Joe sandwiched in between.

image.jpeg

bladeguy
Dec 31, 2016

Pic doesn't show it, but good amount of smoke coming out the flange on the left and the holes on the right.

image.jpeg

bladeguy
Dec 31, 2016

A side pc.

image.jpeg

bladeguy
Dec 31, 2016

dirtsailor2003 · Dec 31, 2016

My mailbox mod for the tube has one hole drilled in the door. It is a bit bigger than the tube. The tube slides right in to it and it works great.

dirtsailor2003 · Dec 31, 2016

Here's mine.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/159801/the-mailbox-mini-mod

bladeguy · Dec 31, 2016

dirtsailor2003 said:
Here's mine.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/159801/the-mailbox-mini-mod

Thank you DS. Maybe what I should do is tape up the holes on the top of the box to keep the smoke from pouring out of them, as well as around the flange. I've got some very good sticky metal tape around and it wouldn't take much. I'm just not sure how much smoke I should try to make sure gets to the cabinet.

wild west · Dec 31, 2016

What temp was your smoke vault at. The only time I have smoke leaking out the mailbox is if the temp on my mes is too low creating a backdraft. I also have more holes in my mailbox.

20161231_162229.jpg

wild west
Dec 31, 2016

more holes in the bottom that you can't see in the picture.

hillbillyrkstr · Dec 31, 2016

Hole in the bottom front of the door. 1" is what I have. I use a fridge magnet to open or close the hole as needed.

bladeguy · Dec 31, 2016

wild west said:
What temp was your smoke vault at. The only time I have smoke leaking out the mailbox is if the temp on my mes is too low creating a backdraft. I also have more holes in my mailbox.

20161231_162229.jpg

wild west

Dec 31, 2016

more holes in the bottom that you can't see in the picture.

I just started the vault on high for maybe 5 minutes to warm up the smoker. Assuming if I'm at 90 degrees steady on a cold day, the draft would keep the smoke flowing that direction.....

bladeguy · Dec 31, 2016

hillbillyrkstr said:
Hole in the bottom front of the door. 1" is what I have. I use a fridge magnet to open or close the hole as needed.

Thanks hillbilly, I will cover up the top holes and put in some holes on the bottom. Clever thinking on the fridge magnet!

dirtsailor2003 · Dec 31, 2016

When it's cold, and I am cold smoking I put the tube right in the smoker. It only raises the temp 10-15 degrees when the ambient temp is 30-40.

muddydogs · Dec 31, 2016

I don't get any smoke leaking out of my mailbox, I did use the metal tape to cover the bottom mounting holes, flag and latch holes then cut a hole in the door that I cover with a couple Harbor Freight magnets. Did you bend the flange on the elbow back to hold it tight to the mailbox?

20161216_142535_zps7lol9rrv.jpg

muddydogs
Dec 31, 2016

20161221_055505_zpshizv7k10.jpg

muddydogs
Dec 21, 2016

20161221_055520_zpszqkbbwcy.jpg

muddydogs
Dec 21, 2016

mr t 59874 · Dec 31, 2016

Bladeguy,

Although your setup will work as is, you will find it much easier to work with and better airflow if your pipe was on a gentle incline to the Vault. As heat rises, a light amount of heat such as from a candle will be all that is needed to get the smoke moving. Once it is moving your concerns about smoke leaking around your mailbox will most likely disappear.

You will find that rigid pipe easier to work with also.

Tom

daveomak · Dec 31, 2016

I would shorten the flex pipe to about 2'.... get it up off of the snow so it is on a steady incline to your smoke chamber.... The MB and 2' of pipe should adequately cool the smoke...

DSCF2019.JPG

daveomak
Dec 29, 2016

cmayna · Dec 31, 2016

Agree with Mr. T. Use rigid alum duct, maybe 4 feet long which will cause the pipe to run slightly uphill as it goes to the smoker. I would also raise the mailbox up off the ground by maybe a couple inches by installing some legs. This will allow any holes you might have on the floor of the mailbox to breathe better.

bladeguy · Dec 31, 2016

Thanks everyone for the input.....I will at a minimum shorten the pipe up and use something to give it a steady rise to the smoker. Another question.....I mainly did this for cold smoking and getting a better smoke flavor. What I had read was that running the smoke through that tube will clean some of the creosote from the burn. It seems I get a pn ashtray taste on the meat/cheese if I just put the tube right inside the cabinet, so I was hoping this would help solve some of that. Is this mod only for smoking in warmer temps, or is it also for purposes of better smoke flavor? If only for the former, this mod wasn't a complete waste, but my main goal was better smoke flavor.

daveomak · Dec 31, 2016

It's not a waste at all...... A little tweaking... coping with the extreme cold weather can be a PITA.. You'll get control of it....

mr t 59874 · Dec 31, 2016

I have found in my experience that the longer the run from your fire box to the product chamber the cooler and cleaner the smoke. If your setup is in the shade it will allow you to smoke at or below ambient temperatures. Try different lengths of 3 inch rigid pipe along with different fuels and proof it to yourself.

Tom

muddydogs · Jan 1, 2017

I cold smoked cheese at 20 degrees with no problems, had ice and snow on the mailbox and pipe when I started the smoke and there was still ice on the top of my smoker 6 hours later when I pulled the cheese out.

bladeguy · Jan 1, 2017

Thanks, I will post more results once I get a chance to shorten things up. For now, I'm going to stick with the flex pipe since it is what I have, but will figure out a length and setup that will allow me to have the flex pipe continually rise.......maybe put the smoker a little higher on some blocks. I'll definitely play around with it. After all, this is a hobby, half of the fun is figuring it out, isn't it?

muddydogs · Jan 1, 2017

I used the flex pipe and built a smoker stand to get the smoker up high enough that I have a rise between it and the mailbox but I did start out with my smoker setting on a couple cinder blocks.

20161216_135706_zpsixhlil8y.jpg

muddydogs
Dec 16, 2016

bladeguy · Jan 2, 2017

So decided to work on my mod and take some suggestions from here.....thanks all, your experience is so helpful. I'm shortening up my run and going to make sure it inclines the whole way, so I pulled the flex pipe tight to where the box is, and cut it off at that point. Once I clamp the pipe on, as long as the tension doesn't move the box, I'm good. If it does, I can weigh down the box. Then, I am taping up all of the holes in the box over ther top of the tube, and going to drill a bigger hole on the bottom of the mailbox door. So, I'm going to get to it, pics to follow. In the mean time, I have jerky drying in my smoker, so I wan to get this mod done to use it for the jerky. I could use wood chips in my pan, but this is a good time to test my mod I think. I do have a separate thread going for the jerky.

Can I improve my mailbox mod?

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