Escaping smoke issue

[smokeyg]

Hey all, I'd like to get a little advice on what I should do to my rig.

Here is a little history...

I bought it used, cleaned it out well because there was a good 5 inches of grease build up in the bottom and painted it.  I ordered new thermometers and plan on fixing up the trailer that is attached to as well.

The tall smoking tower has problems with smoke escaping out the door cracks.  See the pic below : 

I'm wondering if there is something i could do to seal the door firmly against the smoker or does it really even matter?

Also, the temp is usually 20 degrees colder in the tower part of the smoker compared to the main grill.  There are two thermometers as you can see in the picture above as well.

Is that a problem?

Thanks!

(the smoker looks a lot better after a paint job 

 )

 

[mossymo]

You can put a sealant in the doorway frame using some high temp sealant and saran wrap to keep the sealant from sticking to the other side of the door frame till the sealant dries. But in my opinion I would wait and see if you are happy with how it is applying smoke to your food. Every smoker leaks some where, the bigger trick is getting to know your smoker and controlling the heat to keep it stable.

How about some pics of that smoker painted up?   ...   :)

 

[daveomak]

SmokeyG, evening and welcome to the forum.... glad you stopped in and found us...   Did you wire brush the smoker chamber and the door ???  Did it help ???  You can use Very High temp silicone on the door sealing flange after a good cleaning... be sure to put plastic wrap on the smoke chamber then close the door, not too tight, leave room to finish closing the door (1/32") after a 24-36 hour cure....  that should make a pretty good gasket to seal in the smoke...  be sure to take pics for all to learn from on the fix and pics of the food you cooked  ....   We love pics ....   Dave

 

[smokeyg]

Thanks yall!

I'll look into some high temp sealant.  I'll take your advice and run it a few more weekends before I make the decision.

I did use a wire brush on the inside edges of the door and chamber and I think it did help a bit.  It allowed the door to close a little bit more.

Here is a pic after the second coat.  It looks awesome.  Compare these pics to the one above.

Again, thank you for the help!  

- G

 

[daveomak]

G, morning.... that smoker is a beauty.... someone put a lot of work into it.....    When you get her going, pics of it in operation would be nice for all to see.....  

Dave

 

[smokeyg]

DaveMoak,

Here is a few pics of yesterday smoke.

you can see smoke escaping on the side of the tall silo.  Here are some more pictures that give a better idea of whats going on : 

Now seeing after pix, what would you recommend?

 -G

 

[daveomak]

G, morning....  Looks like the stack damper is closed.....  Does it smoke when the damper is full open ???   Regulating the heat with the fire box air intake and having the stack wide open is probably the way to operate the smoker.....  If the dimensions, when the smoker was built, followed the pit calculator, everything should work well.....   Here is the calculator.....  check the smokers dimensions "as built" with the calc.....  You r smoker should be close..... If there is any part of the smoking system that deviates "badly", maybe there is some way to tweak it at little or no cost....  there are folks here that are very knowledgeable and can provide ideas....   I'm not exactly sure, but I think the vertical cooking chamber should be figured in as part of the stack.... not necessarily in diameter, but in height using the top stack diameter in the calculation...  The calc I would first try is....  From the top of the horizontal cooker to the top of the 4" (if it is 4") stack looks like 48"...

If you put the dimensions of every part of the smoker in a post here, I will help you run the numbers if needed.....   Dave

http://www.feldoncentral.com/bbqcalculator.html

 

[cliffcarter]

I recommend that you go to the local hardware store and buy enough stove rope gasket to go around the entire door perimeter.

 

[oldschoolbbq]

Dave was right , having the stack closed down will make for stale smoke, open the stack fully and leave it open 100% of the cook , control with the intake at the firebox...

As for leaks, the gasket sealer works well , however (IMHO) , I would get the flat stove sealer rope and use some pop rivets to hold it on the doorframe.

Also if you have probe therms. , make a single hole in the side just under the main chamber door and run the wires through that, keeping them intact longer.

Just sayin'...