All my smokers were in a garage fire.

[WooHooBbq]

I recently had a garage fire and all my smokers were in there. Smoke damage throughout the whole garage. It sucks. Can I clean the soot and all the carcinogens out of my smokers that survive? Or are they all garbage? I have insurance. Thank you all who are willing to help.

 

[Redicans]

That sucks for sure. I really have no idea. What kind of smokers were they? I would think an offset would be salvageable if it didn't warp for some reason. As far as an electric style or pellet style I would think they might be done with unless you can take them apart and get all new wiring and controllers.

 

[WooHooBbq]

My homemade fridge smoker is toast. Wires are burned in the pellet assembly. My refurbished New Braunfel off set is full of soot and most likely filled with all the nasty smoke residue of what burned. And my homemade T smoker has the same way. I just don’t want to cook food with them anymore unless I can clean them and not worry about anyone getting sick. I do some competitions and do a few grad parties and gatherings every summer. Just not sure how to clean them or if I can get all the soot and chemicals out of the inside and keep using them or throw them away.

 

[Redicans]

Yeah not much help. All I can think of for the offset and the T smoker is lots of soap and scrubbing and washing them out really well. Pressure wash if you have one and then burn them out and reseason. The others I don't know if I would trust them. Love the T smoker by the way, I would definitely be trying to Clean that baby up!!

 

[Elf@shore]

You may want to reach out to the manufactures?, How to sterilize the smokers?
I would even go to a brand that is close? To get a more unbias Recomd ?
Some Manufactures really do not care, also afraid of law suits now a days ?
If you get multiple advice results? Then you know it works !
I imagine that there is a way to do it with Chemicals?, NO CLUE WHAT?

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

I could not imagine that you could not clean them up. Wiring is one thing, still very possible to replace. If you have the knowledge it should not be that hard.

Cleaning the metal should be very doable. Use something like any one of the many green cleaners would do the trick. It would just need some elbow grease to get it done.

 

[Gonna Smoke]

Pressure wash them, build a big fire in each and they should be good. I agree with Chris, I can't believe that they couldn't be cleaned up...

 

[voyager 663rd]

Honestly, you've got insurance so unless you have 'sentimental' value invested in them, let the insurance company replace them (other than the homebuilt that is--value would be an issue here but......).

Electric versions would cost more (in labour) for a professional cleaning than just to replace them==doubtful ins would allow a re-wiring rather than replacement in any case).

 

[Up_In_Smoke]

Honestly, you've got insurance so unless you have 'sentimental' value invested in them, let the insurance company replace them (other than the homebuilt that is--value would be an issue here but......).

Electric versions would cost more (in labour) for a professional cleaning than just to replace them==doubtful ins would allow a re-wiring rather than replacement in any case).

^ This.

That's why you pay for insurance.

 

[Torch&Tone]

Agree that replacement is probably best (despite insurance companies often making it as painful a process as possible). There are companies out there that specialize in fire cleanup & restoration - Servpro, Belfor, Servicemaster, etc. - who would probably have more experience and better insight than the smoker manufacturers.

 

[Winterrider]

Dang , sorry to hear about the fire. The ones with electrical components I would let go. The other, spray down with Super Clean, Simple Green or similar, hit it good with pressure washer and build a couple fires and burn it out.

 

[WooHooBbq]

Thank you all for the advice. My T smoker is sentimental to me. I will definitely try to save that one. The fridge smoker with a pellet assembly was a rock for cold weather smoking. That’s done for. But the New Braunfels offset is a good smoker as well. Heavy metal on that smoker. I might try to save that one also. Thanks again. I have a mess to tend to over the 4th. I would later be having fun and bbqing but I need to do what needs to be done. Smoke on all of you! I am amazing by all the advice I received.

 

[Redicans]

Guaranteed you can save the NB offset. Probably have to redo that paint job but it should be able to smoke again for sure!! Please post up some pics when you get those back in smoking order!