Exhaust to FB Door Interference

[antirice]

Hi all -

I have a build thread going ( https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/convertible-build-offset-to-rf.288961/ ) but figured that I might get a more direct response to the questions I have if I made separate threads for them as I went along. Presently, the hurdle I'm trying to overcome is my exhaust location for use in RF mode.

I was shooting for something like this:

but it looks like this type of fitting would greatly interfere with my FB door being able open:

I am happy to modify the door and/or how it opens if this exhaust location is the absolute best place to put it - the end quality of the food is the most important part of the whole deal, right?!

Alternatively, I could have the exhaust coming out of the backside/top of the smoker if it really wasn't that important to have it as shown above. I do not want to have the exhaust stack come through the top of the smoker and end up at grate height if I can help it though - I don't want to lose that much real estate on the cooking surfaces unless I have to. I could certainly put a baffle in and weld it to the slides for the grates though. That'd get me down to grate height without losing the cook space.

Thoughts? What's my best option as far as the quality of the food is concerned?

- Chris

 

[AllTuckerdOut]

Why not put the door for the firebox to the far right side (where the vents are)?

 

[antirice]

Why not put the door for the firebox to the far right side (where the vents are)?

The plan was to have a small door on the side for adding logs and scraping ash out and whatnot, but to have the big door so that I could use a cooking grate in the FB for searing when needed and also drop a full charcoal basket in when I use one on occasion.

I supposed I could just sear on the Weber I have and make the side door huge so I could fit a charcoal basket in when I need to. I was just hoping to avoid that if I didn't have to make much in the way of concessions to get around it.

I'd certainly consider omitting the front door all together if that's the best option for food quality though.

Thanks
-Chris

 

[antirice]

I figured out that if I can shrink the width of the FB door and scoot it away from the CC a little, I may be able to get it to clear the stack if I set it up with a baffle in the CC. So, assuming that baffles aren't a terrible option, am I better off with a square transition or just pipe to the CC. I would think that the transition would gather smoke more evenly than the simple pipe, but I wasn't sure if it would really matter that much one way or the other.

Baffle:

 

[antirice]

drinking and designing tonight... I've got one other idea that combines the above two and I think will be the winner (unless the baffle idea is terrible).

The stacks will clear the door, albeit barely so. I can work with those tolerances though.

- Chris

 

[AllTuckerdOut]

as long as it is gets past the stack and plenum, it'll be good.

Another question, why two stacks?

 

[antirice]

why two stacks?

I'm designing a smoker that can be converted back and forth between a standard offset and a reverse flow. I want to be able to have the ability to have even temps across the grate when needed, but also have a pretty good gradient when the day requires that as well. Kinda how some of the reverse OKJ's are.

I'll only use one stack at a time.

- Chris