Can I improve my mailbox mod?

[bladeguy]

So finally decided to get a little hickory smoke on my jerky, so I lit my tube and threw it in the box. After a bit, smoke was coming out of my vault very nicely. I still get smoke leaking around the flange on the back of the box, and I still get a little smoke coming out of the hole on the front of the box, however, I don't know if that is a bad thing, as I'm getting very nice TBS into the cabinet, which is what I want. So what if some smoke is "wasted" so to speak, if I need more smoke than what it is providing, I can just cold smoke a little longer, right? I think this is good enough, however, I probably will upgrade to rigid pipe. This flex stuff may not last very long in the winter time unless I take it off after every use, and even then, holes will get poked in it over time. I think rigid is a better option as Tom and others have suggested.


The upper right of the picture captures the TBS.....a thing of beauty.

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• bladeguy
• Jan 2, 2017

The next two pics show where I get some leaking, but you probably can't see the smoke......hard to capture in a still photo.....a video would be better.

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• bladeguy
• Jan 2, 2017

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• bladeguy
• Jan 2, 2017

 

[daveomak]

If you have trouble with pellets staying lit....  like I and others have had trouble...  elevate the AMNPS so it gets air from below...

LEGS 3.jpg

• daveomak
• Dec 20, 2016

 

[bladeguy]

If you have trouble with pellets staying lit....  like I and others have had trouble...  elevate the AMNPS so it gets air from below...

LEGS 3.jpg

• daveomak
• Dec 20, 2016

So far, that's no been a problem. I have the tube, and it seems the radius must give it enough air flow around it to keep it lit. If I ever upgrade to the AMNPS, though, I will have to make some legs for it. The tube only lasts about 2-3 hours, so the AMNPS may be something in my future for longer cold smokes like bacon.

 

[palladini]

I would drill/cut holes in the bottom of the mailbox, and the raise it off the ground, being careful not to block the holes.  That way the air flow goes one way, which is to the smoker. Maybe what you build to support the mailbox, is bolted to the mailbox and is a U shape, only with 90 degree corners, block off one end and always have that closed end facing to catch the prevailing wind, that way it always going one way, and that is up the pipe to the smoker.

 

[bladeguy]

I'm getting smoke to the smoker, just not all of the smoke. I may try a shorter run, but for now, I'm ok getting a small amount of very clean smoke to the smoker, so I won't be modifying today anymore. Maybe for me next cold smoke I will shorten up the pipe. I have plenty of left over pipe from before, but I don't want to shorten it up so much that I lose the ability to clean the smoke as it travels. If I'm not cleaning the smoke, I might as well just put the tube in the smoker and forget about the mod.

 

[wild west]

I still think it's a draft problem. If your temp in your smoker is significantly higher than the temp in the mailbox it will pull that air especially if that is the easiest air supply (warm air rises cold air drops). I think you are going the wrong way by closing air supply to the mailbox...it needs more supply not less. I modeled mine after Dave Omaks design with air intake holes at the bottom of the door and an added hole at the top of the door for more draft so the air doesn't circulate inside the mailbox. Instead it flows through. Mine rarely leaks any smoke

 

[bladeguy]

I still think it's a draft problem. If your temp in your smoker is significantly higher than the temp in the mailbox it will pull that air especially if that is the easiest air supply (warm air rises cold air drops). I think you are going the wrong way by closing air supply to the mailbox...it needs more supply not less. I modeled mine after Dave Omaks design with air intake holes at the bottom of the door and an added hole at the top of the door for more draft so the air doesn't circulate inside the mailbox. Instead it flows through. Mine rarely leaks any smoke

Look at the size of the hole in the door, what is it 2" or 3"? That hole would produce enough airflow for a small fire let alone the air needed to keep a few pellets smoldering.  By having the hole in the front of the door and the exhaust in the back the air should flow through the box and not circulate. 

Hold on, I'm getting plenty of smoke in the cabinet. Yes, some smoke comes out of the hole in front, some smoke comes out of the flange, however, a lot of smoke comes out of the hole in the cabinet of the smoker. I don't see what the problem would be of having some smoke leak out that is "wasted", so to speak. I think the goal in cold smoking is to get clean, cool smoke, and my setup does that now. I could shorten up the pipe and it would likely make the draft reaching the mailbox stronger, but remember, this is a propane smoker, so air can also come in the smoker through the bottom by the burner, and through another vent on the other side, and through the door that doesn't seal, so the draft isn't as strong as a more sealed cabinet would be. Yet I'm still getting a continuous supply of clean, thin, blue smoke into the cabinet.....wouldn't that be considered a win? :yahoo:

 

[bladeguy]

Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions! I love how everyone jumps in to offer their knowledge. Thanks again!