Commercial refrigerator build need help please

[SmokinEdge]

This is why I urge the both of you to PLEASE use all the FAIL SAFE parts needed to correct this problem... Get the controller that cuts the gas off if flame goes out ... A few dollars is not worth a few lives ...

If that's not doable then I urge you to go with electric... Which is better in my opinion anyways.. Program it and let it run overnight with no worries of flame going out....

I appreciate your comments Kieth. But what works for you, may not work for me. I made that statement to make the OP and any reading aware of that possibility. I run a cast iron pan as a heat diffuser and smoke generator with wood chunks, not chips. I do this partially because it makes me check on the smoker regularly, which I do. Danger her for me is low because I’m aware of my situation, it may not be for everyone. Some folks just need to buy a smoker with all the safety stuff, which will never fail, but if it did is just as dangerous. If someone is not knowledgable enough to run this type of set up, then I encourage them not to go down this path, but with some common sense, this works very well. Did you know that up here, you can’t find an insurance company to provide insurance on a shop building heated with a wood burning stove?

 

[fireman81]

This is why I urge the both of you to PLEASE use all the FAIL SAFE parts needed to correct this problem... Get the controller that cuts the gas off if flame goes out ... A few dollars is not worth a few lives ...

If that's not doable then I urge you to go with electric... Which is better in my opinion anyways.. Program it and let it run overnight with no worries of flame going out....

I would love to go electric just for the fact that it would be easier to control, would it have to be 220? We usually make our deer sausage in March. So it will be cooler out, thie fridge is insulated however

 

[Brokenhandle]

I would love to go electric just for the fact that it would be easier to control, would it have to be 220? We usually make our deer sausage in March. So it will be cooler out, thie fridge is insulated however

Where are you from? What's your avg temps then? I know there are a few knowledgeable here on pid controllers but the only one I ever remember is tallbm Maybe he might know.

Ryan

 

[fireman81]

Where are you from? What's your avg temps then? I know there are a few knowledgeable here on pid controllers but the only one I ever remember is tallbm Maybe he might know.

Ryan

Im in Mn

 

[tallbm]

Where are you from? What's your avg temps then? I know there are a few knowledgeable here on pid controllers but the only one I ever remember is tallbm Maybe he might know.

Ryan

It could be done using electric but I haven't ever done a build like this. I've just messed with MES units and such. The first thing would be to figure out how much heat/element would be needed to heat effectively heat the fridge. Then you figure out if you need 220V or not. After that you know what kind of PID to get/build and you are in business.

Again, I've never built a big electric smoker but that would be the process to see how to go about it. Plus I bet you could always burn charcoal or wood to supplement the electrical unit or to get it up to temp faster... but again I'm just guessing here :)

 

[olaf]

I would love to go electric just for the fact that it would be easier to control, would it have to be 220? We usually make our deer sausage in March. So it will be cooler out, thie fridge is insulated however

I would guess 220 VAC is what would be needed. I use a 120 volt 1500 watt heat element, it can hold 275⁰ with temps near 0 but I'm 1/4 the size of your fridge. You'll have a lot of meat to bring up to temp and a high rate of heat loss with the ventilation.

 

[mike243]

with electric you don't need much ventilation just enough to keep the wood smoking, on the skillet add a lid with some holes drilled in it , start with a few small 1's, it will keep them from lighting up on that propane burner , that will cut down on wood usage. lot of ways to skin the cat so to speak lol, you would be surprised how well a electric element works in any insulated space. a fan to circulate the air from top to bottom would help even out temps, I wouldn't attempt to make high temp smoking as the insulation in the unit wont take it, look at the plate with the info on it and it might list what type is in it. good luck and electric is always easier to regulate the temp vs gas no matter the temps out side.

 

[hoity toit]

Hey everyone I am going to attemp to convert this into a smoker for doing sausage in. According to the specs it has polyurethane insulation in it and from what I am reading and from the refrigeration guy I talked to said I will not have to take the insulation out of it. I do need some ideas on how to build this though. I was curious what everyone thinks I will need for a burner and also what peoples opinions were on putting a smoker generator on it instead of a wood chip/chunk box inside of it.
any help on this would be much appreciated.
Thanks

That is a nice unit. I Made mine from a proofing cabinet using at 1800 watt 120 volt bbq element hooked up to a PID with a 30 amp SSR (solid state relay) to switch the load on and off depending on what the PID temp setting was. On the outside I did an exterior "mail box" modification to put pellet tubes and trays in. It has served me well over the years and being stainless I leave it outside all the time.

 

[Brokenhandle]

Another thing that comes into play being up north is the wind during cold months. Is your smoker gonna be in a shed protected from the wind or sitting outside? I live on a hill without much protection from wind from the south but decently protected from the north.

Ryan

 

[Fireman_81]

This is why I urge the both of you to PLEASE use all the FAIL SAFE parts needed to correct this problem... Get the controller that cuts the gas off if flame goes out ... A few dollars is not worth a few lives ...

If that's not doable then I urge you to go with electric... Which is better in my opinion anyways.. Program it and let it run overnight with no worries of flame going out....

What would this controller be called?

 

[Fireman_81]

Another thing that comes into play being up north is the wind during cold months. Is your smoker gonna be in a shed protected from the wind or sitting outside? I live on a hill without much protection from wind from the south but decently protected from the north.

Ryan

My smoker will probably be outside when being used. I could probably put it in a shed and open the door if needed

 

[indaswamp]

I was thinking of using a smoke generator to keep from having to deal with the wood chips in a pan but I haven’t decided yet. Thoughts about a fan to circulate the heat and keep it more consistent temp throughout the smoker?

I use fist size chunk of wood on a 16" cast iron pan much like smokinedge.. I also use propane. On those windy windy days, it helps to close off the outer row of jets with 4d nails so you can run one row of jets higher flame to keep them from being blown out. Now though, only time I really take the nails out is when I need high heat-275-285*F- for a brisket or chicken smoke. I've not had one blowout since doing this.

 

[Coreymacc]

I would love to go electric just for the fact that it would be easier to control, would it have to be 220? We usually make our deer sausage in March. So it will be cooler out, thie fridge is insulated however

My thoughts on electric were using a standard oven element,they are cheap,plentiful,come in many different wattage, and can be changed pretty easy depending on how you mount them. If you happen to miss the wattage mark with say a 2500 watt element, just install a larger one. A 5000 watt element needs a 30amp 220v feed and that would heat a huge smoker. 220v 30amp is not a huge issue to install if needed. Aubrins makes a 7000 watt pid controller which is almost plug and play. This is pretty much my direction at the moment.

My opinion.
Corey

 

[bill1]

You can mix and match your heat sources too. So use a gas burner for the 30-60 minutes it initially takes to get to temp then valve off gas and blank off the airfeed to the burner and only use electric after that. You could use 220V constantly powering a main element and then do your temp stabilization with a small 120V element on a cheaper 15A controller.

But its a big box. You'll want a metal fan blade inside (top center is best), driven by a motor shaft outside, to keep the smoke and heat inside moving and mixing inside.

 

[fireman81]

You can mix and match your heat sources too. So use a gas burner for the 30-60 minutes it initially takes to get to temp then valve off gas and blank off the airfeed to the burner and only use electric after that. You could use 220V constantly powering a main element and then do your temp stabilization with a small 120V element on a cheaper 15A controller.

But its a big box. You'll want a metal fan blade inside (top center is best), driven by a motor shaft outside, to keep the smoke and heat inside moving and mixing inside.

How big of a fan? Im thinking i am gonna do gas just because it will be more portable for me if I were to take it somewhere else,

 

[Coreymacc]

You can mix and match your heat sources too. So use a gas burner for the 30-60 minutes it initially takes to get to temp then valve off gas and blank off the airfeed to the burner and only use electric after that. You could use 220V constantly powering a main element and then do your temp stabilization with a small 120V element on a cheaper 15A controller.

But its a big box. You'll want a metal fan blade inside (top center is best), driven by a motor shaft outside, to keep the smoke and heat inside moving and mixing inside.

Would the fan be pushing heat and smoke down or drawing it up and around? This is all good stuff, my note book is getting thicker by the minute. Definitely don't want to do a full on hijack but im riding the coat tails of this thread for sure.

Corey

 

[fireman81]

Would the fan be pushing heat and smoke down or drawing it up and around? This is all good stuff, my note book is getting thicker by the minute. Definitely don't want to do a full on hijack but im riding the coat tails of this thread for sure.

Corey

Nothing wrong with that because im doing the same thing. Thats why i joined was to get as much knowledge out of everyone as i can

 

[Brokenhandle]

Lot's of good ideas here for sure! Fireman I think you're gonna have to build and test... for doing sausage your temps are gonna be more important. But maybe have choices depending on weather and temps... big burner or smaller one, or gas to start with then electric for getting it dialed in and controlled.
In my case I'm learning too! Maybe divide in half and change to electric for the set and forget at times... for when I don't have time to sit and babysit. The amnps tray makes it simple... but don't think they had the tube when I built mine.

Ryan

 

[SmokinEdge]

How big of a fan? Im thinking i am gonna do gas just because it will be more portable for me if I were to take it somewhere else,

Be careful with air flow, this can dry out the product and in short order. Generally speaking, if you have draw or draft in the chamber, intake low, exhaust high, you will move plenty of air within the chamber. For a combustible heat source or smoke source you have to have enough draw/draft to keep things burning. This is enough air flow. Let the smoke linger if you can.

 

[bill1]

How big of a fan?

Small and slow. You're just mixing. You're not competing with the natural draft of air in at the bottom, heated at your burning smoke wood, and then exhausting through the top.