I just thought I would post a few details and pictures of a recent build I did.
I picked up this Proofer from a guy who was no longer using it. It had been sitting outside for a while so it had lots of oxidization on it, but it cleaned up fine using steel wool and a mixture of vinegar and water, then a little light sanding.
I removed all the heating elements out of the bottom of it and removed the blower which was seized. The unit was too tall for where I want to locate it so I removed the top portion (about 5 or 6 inches) which housed the controls. It was a simple case of drilling out the rivets. I shortened this section and reinstalled it for the top. I have also removed the casters that were under it because I permanently installed this in my garage as well. When I removed the top controls I wasn't very impressed with the insulation in it. It was insulated with fibreglass insulation and very little of it. So, I removed the back, sides, bottom and door and re-insulated with mineral wool insulation which has a much higher temperature rating.
The outside measurements are 25" W x 31" D x 66" H
The inside measurements are 21.5" W x 28" D x 61" H
The insulation in the sides, back, top and bottom are 1 1/2 inches of Roxul Mineral Wool and the door is the same insulation but it is 1 1/4 inches thick.
Heating & Air Circulation
I thought I would tackle these together. I used a high temp blower. It draws the air off the bottom of the smoker and returns the air blowing it across two 1100 watt finned strip heaters. The blower runs full time and the elements are controlled by a PID. The CFM of the blower is 130 and the maximum air intake temperature is 450 degrees. By using the blower and finned strip heaters I am able to consolidate it and limit the exposure to the heating elements from any grease and in turn reduce the risk of fire as this unit is installed in my heated garage.
Smoke Generator
I have a Bradley OBS smoke generator & Adapter that I used which works very well.
Vent
I made a 4 inch vent in the top of the unit, similar to the style of the one in the top of the DBS Bradley sitting next to it.
Click on the Photos to enlarge them
This is a picture of the starting point.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing Photos/IMGP0493s.jpg
This photo shows the unit laid down waiting for insulation and to be riveted back together.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing Photos/IMGP0496s.jpg
Here's a picture of the wiring diagram.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing Photos/diagram2.jpg
This shows the wiring in the main control box. I used heat sinks under the SSRs and a 30 CFM blower for cooling.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing Photos/IMGP0498.jpg
This shows the 130 CFM blower I used to circulate air over the 1100 watt finned strip heaters.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing Photos/IMGP0503.jpg
This shows how I mounted the strip heaters and the air intake for the blower. I may add a deflector between the intake and the heaters. So far it works good as is so I will just monitor it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing Photos/IMGP0505.jpg
Close up of the control panel. I added indicator lights for each circuit so you can easily see if you have a power problem with either circuit.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing Photos/IMGP0506.jpg
This picture shows how I connected both smokers to my rangehood vent which is vented out the wall of the garage. My Bradley is also controlled with a PID. I have also added a circulation fan to it and off set the smoke generator for cold smoking.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing Photos/IMGP0508s.jpg
Sausage waiting for smoke... I have since changed how I hang the sausage. In this picture they were a little too long, a couple of them pulled apart. I just wanted to see if I could do it that way. I had some linked and some just really long. In the future I will hang an upper row and a lower row to avoid them self destructing. They turned out great though!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing Photos/IMGP0504.jpg
Mike
I picked up this Proofer from a guy who was no longer using it. It had been sitting outside for a while so it had lots of oxidization on it, but it cleaned up fine using steel wool and a mixture of vinegar and water, then a little light sanding.
I removed all the heating elements out of the bottom of it and removed the blower which was seized. The unit was too tall for where I want to locate it so I removed the top portion (about 5 or 6 inches) which housed the controls. It was a simple case of drilling out the rivets. I shortened this section and reinstalled it for the top. I have also removed the casters that were under it because I permanently installed this in my garage as well. When I removed the top controls I wasn't very impressed with the insulation in it. It was insulated with fibreglass insulation and very little of it. So, I removed the back, sides, bottom and door and re-insulated with mineral wool insulation which has a much higher temperature rating.
The outside measurements are 25" W x 31" D x 66" H
The inside measurements are 21.5" W x 28" D x 61" H
The insulation in the sides, back, top and bottom are 1 1/2 inches of Roxul Mineral Wool and the door is the same insulation but it is 1 1/4 inches thick.
Heating & Air Circulation
I thought I would tackle these together. I used a high temp blower. It draws the air off the bottom of the smoker and returns the air blowing it across two 1100 watt finned strip heaters. The blower runs full time and the elements are controlled by a PID. The CFM of the blower is 130 and the maximum air intake temperature is 450 degrees. By using the blower and finned strip heaters I am able to consolidate it and limit the exposure to the heating elements from any grease and in turn reduce the risk of fire as this unit is installed in my heated garage.
Smoke Generator
I have a Bradley OBS smoke generator & Adapter that I used which works very well.
Vent
I made a 4 inch vent in the top of the unit, similar to the style of the one in the top of the DBS Bradley sitting next to it.
Click on the Photos to enlarge them
This is a picture of the starting point.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing Photos/IMGP0493s.jpg
This photo shows the unit laid down waiting for insulation and to be riveted back together.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing Photos/IMGP0496s.jpg
Here's a picture of the wiring diagram.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing Photos/diagram2.jpg
This shows the wiring in the main control box. I used heat sinks under the SSRs and a 30 CFM blower for cooling.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing Photos/IMGP0498.jpg
This shows the 130 CFM blower I used to circulate air over the 1100 watt finned strip heaters.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing Photos/IMGP0503.jpg
This shows how I mounted the strip heaters and the air intake for the blower. I may add a deflector between the intake and the heaters. So far it works good as is so I will just monitor it.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing Photos/IMGP0505.jpg
Close up of the control panel. I added indicator lights for each circuit so you can easily see if you have a power problem with either circuit.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing Photos/IMGP0506.jpg
This picture shows how I connected both smokers to my rangehood vent which is vented out the wall of the garage. My Bradley is also controlled with a PID. I have also added a circulation fan to it and off set the smoke generator for cold smoking.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing Photos/IMGP0508s.jpg
Sausage waiting for smoke... I have since changed how I hang the sausage. In this picture they were a little too long, a couple of them pulled apart. I just wanted to see if I could do it that way. I had some linked and some just really long. In the future I will hang an upper row and a lower row to avoid them self destructing. They turned out great though!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing Photos/IMGP0504.jpg
Mike
