Can't maintain heat!

[sully20050]

Hey Guys!

So a couple months ago I inherited a smoker, my late father in-law knew I loved smoking meat and left this little beauty to me. Problem is I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get the bbq to temp and then keep it there. I have tried a bunch of things, big fires, little fires, dampers open, closed and everywhere in between. I have even tried putting a fan close the the firebox air intake to see if it needed more oxygen. Everything I have tried the highest I can get this thing to go is 220 and then keeping it there is a real pain in the butt. I am using lump to get it started and then oak after I have a good base of coals, It is chewing through the wood and i know it is getting damn hot but the chamber will not read much above 220. I have tried three thermometers and all give the same reading. Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated. Measurements and Pics below 

Cooking Chamber: Diameter = 20 Length = 45

Firebox                 : Diameter = 18 Length = 20

Chimney               : Diameter = 4.5 

Firebox Air Intake : Diameter = 6.5

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Thanks

Elliott 

 

[joe black]

I'm not a builder, but IMO that pipe in the CC from the FB to the exhaust needs to come out. That thing is a furnace, not a smoker. The heat, smoke, air, etc. need to enter directly from the FB. The heat and smoke will then cook and flavor the meat. The residual then escapes through the exhaust. The pipe in there just leads the heat and smoke directly out the exhaust.

Give that a try. It sure can't be any worse. Joe. :grilling_smilie:

 

[sqwib]

I agree that the pipe isn't helping. But I see another problem, I believe the inlet from the firebox to the smoke chamber is too small regardless of the pipe.I could be wrong.
The firebox may perform better if it was a tad higher with a larger inlet and no pipe... Just my opinion from the looks of the picture.
If it were my Pit, I would start by removing the pipe.

 

[sully20050]

Thanks Joe,

I always wondered why that was in there in the first place. I'm sure it has some function, do you think I could drill measured holes along the pipe instead of taking the whole thing out?

 

[sqwib]

Just noticed something else.
By the looks of the coloring on the pipe it appears that the first 12 inches or so, does get pretty hot then the temp drops off. Could be a drafting problem as well.
You could try cutting the length of the pipe in the smoke chamber a bit and beveling your cut on a 45.

 

[pit 4 brains]

Never seen that setup before. Looks like it was made by a boiler maker. 

I would try one thing before removing that pipe. Drill a couple holes in it with a 1/2-3/4 hole saw. I'm thinking like 8-10 or so to start with having the majority of them towards the downstream end. Give it a test burn and see what your temps do. Add more holes to get the smoke into the chamber as needed. That pipe just might be the perfect "tuning plate" by perforating it. If that doesn't work, then it's going to need the mighty blue knife and a lot of overhaul. 

I  think SQWIB made a good observation of the opening between the firebox and the CC, it looks way too small for a normal draft.

It has the potential to be a nice RF unit with a new square FB and a reversing plate..

 

[sully20050]

Thank you all for the advice. I think I will try the holes first and see what happens with the temp. That metal is thick and could take a while to get that bad boy out of there

 

[pit 4 brains]

Can you get ahold of and operate a cutting torch?

After looking at the pics even more, I would opt to remove the pipe and fit a new firebox on it.

Take a look at the Smoker Build section towards the bottom of the forum. You have a good cooking chamber (CC) to work with. If your not handy with metal working tools, you should be able to find a weld shop that could fab up a good one.

 

[sqwib]

Thank you all for the advice. I think I will try the holes first and see what happens with the temp. That metal is thick and could take a while to get that bad boy out of there

Try an angle grinder and notch "V" cuts into the pipe.

 

[chopsaw]

Great advice to this point ,,I agree with what was said above . Cut that pipe that runs thru the cc off at the dis colored spot . Thats where the heat stops . You can see where it's hot then goes cold . 

Had to be  a pipe fitter / boiler maker put that together . Set up like a heat exchanger / furnace .  Clean it out ,,, first , then cut the pipe ,,heck cut it long and see what the temp runs . You can always cut more off , but I think it tells it's own story .