Correcting smoke leaks

[djm418]

Hello, I purchased an oklahoma joe 3-in-1 smoker & grill combo. My first several attempts of smoking have not gone well as I have a hard time controlling temperature and i have a large amount of smoke leakage.

The temperature I believe I have corrected by adding a baffle to the bottom of the smoker that directs heat and smoke to the middle of the unit rather than straight out of the firebox.

However, I am experiencing heavy smoke loss from the firebox and the smoker lids. I attempted to install a self adhesive lavalock gasket, but that seems to only make the problem worse as the thickness of the gasket causes the lid to become even more off center and causes much larger gaps. What can I do?

The only thing I can think of is add a clamp to lock the lid down, but on the 3-in-1 there is no room for a clamp on the sides

 

[jcam222]

If gaps are that bad is it under warranty?

 

[djm418]

If gaps are that bad is it under warranty?

Unfortunately no, I bought it a while ago and unfortunately never tried to take my smoking seriously until now.

 

[daveomak]

If the door has the same curvature as the Cooking Chamber, it would appear, when the hinge was welded on, the metal shrank, pulling the door upward...
Welding on hinges is a delicate process that needs some special attention...
If you weld or know someone that does, the "tube" can be removed with a cut-off wheel, then re-welded in the proper position, while it is set in a position that allows for metal shrinkage.. only tack weld to reduce the shrinkage... full welds cause metal to shrink pretty good...
OR.... remove the stuff inside the Cook Chamber... place 2x4's vertical, inside the smoker while propping the door open a bit... place the ends of the 2x4's under the hinge "arm" and bend the door downward... for a little help, heat the hinge arm just where it enters the "tube" welded to the top of the CC to help it bend... You will have to get the arm cherry red... I don't know if MAPP gas will do it... it might..
Check to see if the top edge of the door is hitting on the CC and is holding the door open.. See where the door is being held open... Sometimes grinding a bit of metal will solve the problem, relieving the stress on the door... Maybe grinding the inside of the door will give the door enough room to close...
Sit in a lawn chair and drink a beer while you ponder all the possibilities that could fix the situation....
Don't worry about screwing up the smoker... it's not much good the way it is... all you can do is make it better.. anyhow, that's the way I look at things... Flat black high temp paint will make it look like new when you have it tweaked to perfection... and you will have a great NEW smoker...
The "tube" and hinge arm should fit sloppy to allow for door movement and alignment... maybe a gap of 1/8" or so... that would allow for the door to "settle in" when closed.. If you re-weld the "tube" after removing, add a gasket to the door prior to re-welding the tube so you can make adjustments so it fits good... You may have to bend the rod or shim the tube to get stuff to fit properly, prior to welding... Don't hurry.. take your time to figure which way to go on the fix...
You may be able to figure out how to make this fix by using bolts and straps on the hinge... A metal tab welded to the tube will allow for tweaking the door up and down for a great fit.. It doesn't need to be a thick piece... maybe 1/16" thick.. all it has to do is hold the door hinge tube in place... It can even be bolted to the CC for door removal and allow for more tweaking to the door if need be...
Not being able to see exactly what's happening, handicaps me a bit for helping you out with this situation..

 

[JWFokker]

I would remove the gasket and then closely watch where the smoke is escaping.

Apply the gasket to the inside of the door where it is leaking but offset the placement inward so that it is not getting sandwiched between the door and cook chamber body. If it gets pinched a little along the edge it should be fine. Should stop the leaks without causing issues with the door closing.

Firebox leaks are more difficult to work with because adhesives break down. Could try to use high temp RTV sealant depending on where the leaks on the firebox are.

 

[hardcookin]

When your smoking do you have a clean fire? A dirty fire will produce a lot of smoke and it find anywhere to escape.
I would build a fire and take note where the smoke is escaping.
Get a adjustable wrench and where there is a bad leak, put the wrench at the leak and try and tweak things so they match up and get rid of the gap.
" put wrench where gap is and then tighten wrench and carefully tweak"
It's just something that will take some time.