do you need a waterpan in a RF SMOKER?

[bbq city]

Hello everyone.....

just wondering if anyone ever built a waterpan for their RF smoker.....

looking for some information on making and using a waterpan.

I have a small Char Broil Silver(?) Smoker at the moment and I want to build a bigger one....

I made a RF plate in it but forgot to change the changing out the side of the smokestack........ 

20130224_134832.jpg

• bbq city
• Feb 24, 2013

this is my plan for building a reverse flow smoker...... would really like some input from the scientists overhere.... don't wat to make a mistake I cannot correct anymore....

Thanks everyone!

Smoker dwg 3.jpg

• bbq city
• Feb 22, 2013

 

[firemanjim]

I am gonna use my rf plate as a water pan in the build I am currently working on.

 

[africanmeat]

Hi BBQ City

it looks nice .

just 1 question is you fat tap go's all the way to the heat plate  or just at the bottom of the smoker ?

it is easy to clean it .

i got a stainless steel pan to collect the juices and the fat for gravy.

 

[bbq city]

Thanks FIREMANJIM!!....

do you have pictures or drawings for this plan....... how are you gonna get rid of the fat dripping from your grate?...... Sorry, lots of questions over here and eager to learn!

!

Hello Africanmeat,

the RF plate i'm planning (or at least was....) is going to run slightly sloped down away from the firebox..... drippin the fat in a small area at the end of the cooking chamber where i can drain it through a ballvalve....

Thanks for your reaction guys!

Marcel!

 

[daveomak]

Ignore the numbers....  Here is a picture of a smoker with 2 drains for you to look at........   FWIW .....Dave

         ......click to enlarge..........

jmud 2 (2).jpg

• daveomak
• Feb 24, 2013

 

[bbq city]

Thanks Dave,

A few more questions (if you don't mind)

Where would the water go.....

Wouldn't it be better to let te exhaust end up below the cooking grate?

My cooking chamber will be approx is about 60 inches long and 25 inches in "diameter" (hexagonal) and i cannot get a proper read on the smokestack using the calculator provided in various threads... 

Thanks a million for helping me out on this ......

got to check my ribs.... 

see yall later!

 

[rasimmo]

The RF plate would be the water pan. Put a piece of flat bar on the end to make a pan.
I'm not sure what you are asking about the smokestack read. The calculator is based on volume. You need to figure out the volume of your Cook chamber. Then play with the length and dia numbers in the calculator to get the total volume you have. That should make it calculate everything else correctly.
I hope that made sense.
I know that was directed at Dave, but figured I would give it a shot.

 

[daveomak]

Thanks Dave,

A few more questions (if you don't mind)

Where would the water go.....

Wouldn't it be better to let te exhaust end up below the cooking grate?

My cooking chamber will be approx is about 60 inches long and 25 inches in "diameter" (hexagonal) and i cannot get a proper read on the smokestack using the calculator provided in various threads... 

Thanks a million for helping me out on this ......

got to check my ribs.... 

see yall later!

Generally, the exhaust stack is lowered to 4-6" above the lowest cook grate...  The RF plate will radiate heat to the cooking grate also...

Using a 101% firebox (20x25x20) the chimney @ 5" ID and 25" above the cook chamber and extended to somewhere near the cooking grate will work....   the numbers aren't "gospel"...  adjustments can be made...

Water is not necessary in a smoker.... some folks don't use it... If you have a smoker that the temp can't be controlled low enough for what you want to do, a water pan will help keep the temps below 220... 

Dave 

 

[bbq city]

Hello Rassimo, 

No problem there...... every input is more than welcome!

Thanks for yours!

i understand now what you mean by RFplate being the waterpan ...... Thanks!

 

[bbq city]

Hello again Dave,

Thank you for your input..... I'll go and take those reccomendations into my calculation...... By the way  I understand you are somewhat of a guru on smoker builds.... what do you think of my hexagonal RFsmoker design...... thanks again !

 

[boykjo]

IMHO like Dave said I don't see the need for water pan only if you need to keep your temps down. I have seen people throw a cup of water on the reverse flow plate for some steam occasionally. it's going to take a lot of fuel to get up to temperature with a reverse flow plate filled with water

 

[bbq city]

@ boykjo  Hey never tought of that fuel remark...... good one.... after all I can always put in a pan later if nescessary.... Thanks!

 

[gferg]

You might look at Pruitt Iron Works website, They build a reverse flow smoker with water pan. They are in Longview Texas.

 

[05sprcrw]

I have tried filling my r/f plate before with water and honestly I didn't really see much difference in end result just used a bit more fuel. The other thing is once you get that water heated up since most r/f cookers move high volumes of air it doesn't take very long to use up all that water and then your back to adding more trying to heat it up and so on. Unless you were going to put an auto fill valve I don't think I would mess with it personally.

 

[daveomak]

BBQ City Quote....   what do you think of my hexagonal RFsmoker design......

Spankerchiefs  picture gallery of his smoker build....

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/104979/lightbox/

Rubbin Butts picture gallery of his build..

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/104220/lightbox/

Both of these smoker builds have something unique..  They are both near the top of my list for great functional designs....  

Frank Lloyd Wright would have built a smoker like these.... IMHO...   

Dave

 

[bruno994]

Got an RF, have used a water pan a few times, have yet to notice a real difference in the end product with or without a waterpan. 

BBQ City, trust in Dave, he won't lead you wrong.

 

[bbq city]

That was my thought allready. .... seen him helping others and have not seen a bad word about Dave anywhere so I'll take his word and implement it in my designs ..... off to the drawingboard!