- Jun 30, 2014
- 3
- 10
Hello to everyone. I've been researching this forum and have received a lot of great info from reading previous posts. I've got a few questions I can't find answers too. I was wondering if folks could weigh in on these for me. I have a 250 gallon propane tank (apx. 30" in diameter by 87" in length) on a custom trailer. The tank has two doors. I am building a reverse flow model. I am about 2/3 the way through the build, waiting on finding a deal on some steel to build my firebox. Here are some of my questions.
1. Does the "cooking chamber size" listed on many calculators (Feldon's @ http://www.feldoncentral.com/bbqcalculator.html) refer to just the cooking space above the baffle plate or the whole size of the tank itself (e.g. 250 gallons). The calculations are giving me an awfully big firebox (about 19,250 cubic inches in volume).
2. Firebox plan. - Insulated with 1.5" fire insulation between an inner and outer box of 1/4" steel. The front and back plates will be 1/2 steel since there will be no insulation on those ends. Is this Bad/Okay/Good/Great?
3. My baffle plate is also a reservoir for the oil/grease to be removed without affecting the rest of the unit. Baffle plates are angled inward toward a center piece of of angle iron, which is angle angled to drain slightly to a steel pipe which exits the bottom of the tank and capped off with a valve. The picture link below is not mine, but mine is of a similar design.
http://i1041.photobucket.com/albums/b414/lefty592/Picture035.jpg
Is this Bad/Okay/Good/Great?
4. Do I need to paint the baffle plates areas on the smoker beneath them (with High Heat paint if done of course) since that part of the smoker will be inaccessible once assembled?
5. What about the top of the baffle plates? Is high heat paint to protect the metal from rusting a no-no that close to the cooking surface.
6. Bottom of meat will be 4-5 inches from the baffle plate. Is this Bad/Okay/Good/Great?
7. How far inside the tank should the smoke stack chimney be. Some say running it down to the cooking grate area to help with draft.
ANY feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
1. Does the "cooking chamber size" listed on many calculators (Feldon's @ http://www.feldoncentral.com/bbqcalculator.html) refer to just the cooking space above the baffle plate or the whole size of the tank itself (e.g. 250 gallons). The calculations are giving me an awfully big firebox (about 19,250 cubic inches in volume).
2. Firebox plan. - Insulated with 1.5" fire insulation between an inner and outer box of 1/4" steel. The front and back plates will be 1/2 steel since there will be no insulation on those ends. Is this Bad/Okay/Good/Great?
3. My baffle plate is also a reservoir for the oil/grease to be removed without affecting the rest of the unit. Baffle plates are angled inward toward a center piece of of angle iron, which is angle angled to drain slightly to a steel pipe which exits the bottom of the tank and capped off with a valve. The picture link below is not mine, but mine is of a similar design.
http://i1041.photobucket.com/albums/b414/lefty592/Picture035.jpg
Is this Bad/Okay/Good/Great?
4. Do I need to paint the baffle plates areas on the smoker beneath them (with High Heat paint if done of course) since that part of the smoker will be inaccessible once assembled?
5. What about the top of the baffle plates? Is high heat paint to protect the metal from rusting a no-no that close to the cooking surface.
6. Bottom of meat will be 4-5 inches from the baffle plate. Is this Bad/Okay/Good/Great?
7. How far inside the tank should the smoke stack chimney be. Some say running it down to the cooking grate area to help with draft.
ANY feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!