Some of the links on this forum allow SMF, at no cost to you, to earn a small commission when you click through and make a purchase. Let me know if you have any questions about this.
I just completed my fridge build. I used a 1500 watt old smokey replacement element as the heating source. The inside of the fridge is roughly 53" high, 28 1/2" wide, and 18" deep. I wanted a large cooking chamber so I did not insulate the side of the box only the door. Didnt think it would be a problem since I live in florida and it rarely drops below 50* in the winter and stays around 90* during the summer. I plugged in the element with nothing else in the fridge and after 30min im only at 168*. I do have two 3" Diameter smoke stacks at the top to allow smoke to come out. I thought that maybe I was losing alot of heat here so I covered up both holes and two pieces of sheet metal. 15min later i am at 200*. I would really like to get this thing up to at least 275* but I dont think it will ever make it. Not to mention all the heat I am going to lose from mopping and adding chips. Any help would be great. I will post some pics of the finished product as soon as I can take some.
I have a 1500w element in my fridge conversion also, with roughly the same dimensions.
It sounds to me like you are loosing heat from having two 3" stacks, and the lack of insulation. At first, I agreed with you about the outdoor temps in FL. Obviously there is a big difference between your weather and mine. But then I remembered that part of having insulation all around was so the element didn't have to work so hard to reach and maintain temperature. But again, I'm usually using mine here at temps of 40° to 75°.
And I have only one 1-1/4" air inlet and a 1-1/2" smokestack on mine, and it does the job very well. I have gotten it as high as 291°.
Another reason may be your power source. Are you using an extension cord? If so, it should be 10 or 12 gauge wire, and no longer than 10' to handle the amps necessary to get your smoker up to temp.
GP, evening.... mneeley has you covered here.... there is a lot of surface area to lose heat on the fridge skin... For a test, throw blankets or quilts or something on it and see how the heat does...... Dave
I appreciate the help. I really dont want to take it all apart and insulate it. I have had enough trouble with it already. I am using a 14 GA Cord at 15 feet right now. I am going to go get a 10' 12GA today and some steel to cover up the smoke stacks. I was going to just drill a few holes in the steel to let the smoke out but not too many that it lets the heat out. I might also grab some firebrick and line the bottom of them with. I hope all this helps, I'll let you guys know how it turns out
So it didnt work. I am still only getting temps up to 215* now. I have a Auberins Dual probe controller that is rated at 1800 watts but the fuse keeps blowing. I think I am going to return it and get a PID controller and wire up my own setup and use a 2000-2500 watt fin heater. Do you think this would work with the temps I want to achieve with my cabinet size. I really do not want to take it all apart and insulate it. I am hoping a large heater and a self made PID will solve the problem. Anyone know where I can get a FIN HEATER from and also what PID controller do I need from Auberins to handle that wattage.
I have a frig conversion also. Temps here range from 5 below to 105. Left insulation in frig! I have a 1800 watt range top element and made my own controls using a PID. I run mine on 220v on a 25 ft 12 gauge cord. I can get mine to 300 in about 15 minutes!
I have the same PID from Auberins. My first one blew the fuse also (on the first smoke), but they took it back and sent me a replacement unit. They say when a fuse blows, it damages the unit somehow. I've had no problems with the new one since.
So its finally finished and seasoning. I took it all apart today insulated it (hardest thing I have ever done btw... Ill explain later) and put it all back together. Only thing left to do is add some more silicone around the edges of some cracks. Then get all parts needed for a PID controller. I blew another fuse on by Auberins Dual Prove 1800 watt and I have had enough with it. I am just going to wire up a box and attach it to the side of the fridge. Below are some pics of the insulation I did today.
I had a few pieces left over from the door so I just pieced them together. The only problem was that my steel enclosure was such a tight fit that the fiberglass wouldnt stay in place so back to lowes I went for some metal strips to secure the fiberglass in place so I can slide the steel in
Finally got it back together and plugged in. The element is plugges straight into an outlet without any type of controlling device. I have another shelf for the top but the guy that welded it didnt sqaure up all the sides so it fall off the C Channel on the sides. I ran two 1/2 Thredded rods through the top so I could hang jerkey or sausage. The two shelves on the bottom are for water. I made an adjustable chip tray mount but havent installed it yet. I just set the tray on the burner to get as much smoke as possible going. I lined the bottom with good old fashion bricks to help with recovery. I will prob add a few more in the next couple of days
Still seasoning. At 241* after 45 minutes. I would like it to get hotter but I am ok with that. Its a lot better than the 215* i got without insulation and the smoke stacks not being covered. I am going to paint it flat black with some aluminum accents and have an airbrush artist do some magic to the outside
I have been looking around for some wiring diagrams for a PID but cant find what I am looking for. I want to put a fan in the box for cooling that comes on when the temp inside reaches a certain temp. Also, I want a power switch with indicator light, a light for when the fan is on, and a light when there is power to the element. Anyone able to help me out with the wiring. Also what products do I need to get. Everything has to be from Auberins because I am returning my Dual Probe controller and switching it out for another setup.
Ok so I spoke with Auber Instruments today and they are going to allow me to trade out my electric controller for other auberins products. That gives me approx $214 to spend and I have no Idea what to get. I made a list of products below but if anyone has better ideas please let me know.
The only thing I dont know about is which PID controller to get. I am using a 1500 brinkman element. What Auberins PID is the best and could you explain the difference between these two?
So after I insulated the smoker it go up to 280* after a few hours. Now when I use it to cook I cant get it over 230*. My controller is broken so I am just running it straight off of the outlet. Do you think I have worked the element to hard over the last few days? Also, I added charcoal to the chip tray and a lot of wood to help with the temp. The smoke is flowing out of the top but when I opened the door to put in the chicken a cloud of smoke came rolling out. Do you think this would be a problem with the build up of creosote? In the middle of a cook so a quick response would be helpful
With regards to your top vents. I would have a typical cap on both of them to protect then from rain getting in. I would also have a butterfly style damper in each one so that you can adjust them. In addition I don't see if there is an intake vent at the bottom. It should also be adjustible if possible. You want your smoke to flow by and gently kiss the meat. Too much air flow and you will have trouble maintaining heat and too little air flow will make things taste like an ashtray. (not that I've ever tasted an ash tray
)
I've built a few watt burners. They have all been PID controlled. My cabinets are slightly larger but my "go to" element is a 220v 3000 watt oven element. They are readily available and economically priced. Here's a picture of one of them along with a link to a post with he build. There is a wiring diagram there as well if you are interested.
With regards to the type or model of PID, you want one with an SSR output. Auber does have some that have a built in SSR but they are built for a 10 amp max load. This narrows it down to 2 different models. One is a 30 step programable unit, in other words you can preprogram temps to ramp up or down over time. The other one is a manual type, in other words you set the temp to what you want. Both these controllers have 2 temperature based alarms built into them. You could use one of these to turn your fan on at a preset temperature. As far as wiring the display lights in, you certainly can do that and it's really not that dificult, however, both these controllers also have indicator lights on the display for both the alarms as well as when the heating element is engaged. Although I will say additional lights on the control panel do add the cool factor.
As someone else mentioned, you may want to run a Heat Sink on your SSR. If you follow the link to my build you will see I used a small computor style fan to force air over the heat sink in my setup.
I'm not sure about the purpose of the cooling fan you mentioned is. I have used high temp fan/blower for a circulation fan inside the smoker to try to balance out the temps inside the cabinet. The built in alarm relays are rated for 3 amps so you will need to keep that in mind.
Here is the Thermocouple that I use in mine. I don't use a plug, so I wire them directly mainly because my controllers are dedicated to the smoker they are connected to.
The 25 amp SSR that you linked to would be fine for your setup. The nice thing about the SSRs is it doesn't matter if you want to switch 110v or 220v, the same SSR will work. If you are ever going to add more heat you could consider getting the 40 amp SSR because it's only a couple dollars more.
There are 2 different types of heat sinks. One that mounts outside the controller cabinet and one that would be typically mounted inside the controller cabinet. If you opt for the one that mounts inside the controller cabinet you will have to run a cooling fan for it. The various heat sinks are towards the bottom of the page in this link.
Thanks Walleye. After thinking about it I am going to stick with the Electric controller and just have it repaired. The reason I chose this is I live in a town home with no garage and my fridge is out side all day every day with high temps and humidity. With the electric controller I can unplug and store inside to make it easier. I am reaching good temps up to 270* but that is after it warms up for 2 hours. Im thinking a little more insulation would help. I would like to use roxul boards but cant find cheap ones.
Do I need a damper at the bottom for an electric smoker? If so where is the best place to find one? I need one that would go through about 1 1/2" of insulation.
Is there any other insulation that is like a board I can purchase from a hardware store?
For a vent a lot of people use a pipe with a ball valve on the outside. You use the ball valve for the vent control. You could always start with a 1 & 1/2 inch and see how that works. If need be you can always add another one but I would bet that might be enough.
I've never used any type of board insulation so I can't help you out much there. I usually use Roxul but it's the batt style for in the walls of the smoker.
You could design a PID in a box that you just keep in the house and take it out and plug it in when you are going to fire up the smoker.
The fridge is almost finished. I ripped it apart again a few days ago to insulate it a little better so the element doesnt have to work so hard. Instead of fastening the element inside i set it on some bricks in the bottom and this seems to work really well. The only problem I am running into now is condensation build up. It started to rain when I was cooking with it the other day so I put some covers about 4 inches above the smoke stack and it was covered with condensation. after finishing the cook ( which turned out horrible due to no temp control. controler is getting repaired and should have it back soon) I noticed a lot of water inside the chimney and where that water had dropped down into the cabinet onto me water pan shelves. If you look at the pictures I posted earlier you can see the shelves that two water pans sit on. I have not yet put in a vent at the bottom. I am still trying to come up with a way to control the air in and out. I like the idea that Walleye gave me with a ball valve but as you can see its a tight fit getting the fridge out of my patio door. Hopefully you guys can give me some ideas so I dont get that nasty creosote that everyone talks about. I am finishing up some touch up pieces and will post final pics here in a few days,
