Double oven conversion to wood smoker

[countryboy-q]

I am converting a double upright commercial oven/warmer to a wood smoker. I plan on having a 2x2 firebox. Piping into each compartment with either 2 or 3 in pipe. I'm going to use some kind of kind of switch to cut off or adjust the amount of heat to each compartment. Have the exhaust come from each compartment joining to one. Wondering if I need to change out the insulation out. Since it was a oven figured it would be high temp insulation. Comments and suggestions appreciated.

 

[countryboy-q]

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• countryboy-q
• Feb 21, 2014

here are a couple of pics.

 

[countryboy-q]

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• countryboy-q
• Feb 21, 2014

 

[countryboy-q]

Wow! Can't get no love on here?

 

[countryboy-q]

Bump

 

[woodcutter]

That looks like a nice unit. Most people wire PID's to their heating element for good control. I'm going to do that some day but for now I have a stove element and a stove switch. I have to watch my maverick thermometer and make an adjustment once in a while. Usually 1-2 times per smoke. I don't know if connecting the exhaust from the top and bottom is a good idea as you do want it to draft properly. I know you do want to run it out the wall and not the ceiling. I'm not the guy to talk to about PID's but there are some real sharp members around that will help you.

 

[countryboy-q]

That's something I was hoping to get some feedback on. I didn't really know if connecting the exhaust would cause problems with the draft. I want to run them both at the same time at different temps. Wasn't sure if I could do that solely on the fire box.

 

[woodcutter]

That's something I was hoping to get some feedback on. I didn't really know if connecting the exhaust would cause problems with the draft. I want to run them both at the same time at different temps. Wasn't sure if I could do that solely on the fire box.

I misunderstood about the lower unit being the firebox. If you are going to have a firebox you may want to see what exactly you have for insulation because of the high temps. Your exhaust from the firebox will somehow have to go into and through the smoker chamber and the out then chamber exhaust.

 

[countryboy-q]

Well with it being a oven I figured I would be good with the insulation. I was going to have two pipes going from the wood box to each compartment and have some kind of dampner
between them. I guess if I had a diagram it would be a little less confusing.

 

[twinwasp]

It would be grat to se some pics from your project.

I too have been thinking about a double oven conversion, in this case an electric wall oven from Jenn-aire.

It will be a full charcoal conversion.  I have started a list of considerations:

- Will the Insulation melt with charcoal?  Probably not - most likely fiberglass.

- It will be an outside smoker - so it will need to be rainproof, especially to keep the insulation dry.  This means sheet metal over top sides and back - maybe.

- I will remove all the electric parts and dump them on Ebay to recover some of the cost of the ovens.

- Where should the vents go?

- What to use to seal up holes left by removing heating elements etc?

- Holes need to be cut: between the firebox and the smoker,  to provide air to the firebox, and for a chimney atop the smoker.

- What can be done to help heat transfer to the smoker, since the stoves ate designed to be insulated from each other.

- Will the glass window on the firebox take the heat?  If it cracks what can replace it?

- The glass in the smoker should be ok.

- The whole thing will be hit w flat black paint.

- Some folks add a valve at the bottom - is this to help clean the firebox?

- It will need a charcoal rack, of course.  

- Maybe wheels.

So what have I missed?