Height of Fire pan?

[tread]

Just wondering what height you guys put your fire pan? Pros and Cons one way or the other?  Low close to the bottom of the smoker body or up inside closer to the water pan? I think mines right around where the inside legs would have put it. 

You can kind of see where the top of my pan would be. 

20131102_133002_resized.jpg

• tread
• Nov 14, 2013

 

[shelterit]

I really don't have an answer for you, but I sure would like to see some answers to your question.  I am planning on making my fire pan at least as high as the slot on the legs.  I would really like to move it even higher into the smoker to help seal off some of the uncontrolled airflow. Eventually, I want to do the lava rock pan mod to seal it off all together.  

 

[tread]

sometimes I get a lot of smoke rolling out of the bottom. Just wondering if this is normal or an issue with my pan location or lack of air flow. 

 

[tread]

anybody? do you ever get smoke rolling out of the bottom? Is this from wind or do I not have enough vent flow? I always have the top vent wide open. bottom usually half. plus I have plenty of holes drilled around the pan. 

 

[bobank03]

I do occasionally. But I added a brick to the underside of my ECB to raise the charcoal pan a little higher up into the ECB and that seems to have helped. As the wind shifts around it is to be expected that some smoke will escape out from around the bottom. 

 

[magslam]

I haven't measured lately, but I think is between 5 and 6 inches high. Give or take. I have experience myself some drawbacks of having it too high; when you want to use en empty water tray, drippings will burn on the foil paper; no good.

 

[bigeateruk]

Hi, I am looking into the mods for my ECB, Need to ask what is the lava rock pan mod?

 

[bobank03]

Hey @BigeaterUK

The lava rock just acts as a heat sink to keep the temps from going up and down too quickly. helps keep the temps nice and even! I just foil wrap my pan and added a foiled up granite cobble stone. It works fine and it didn't cost me anything other than the aluminum foil. 

 

[thinblueduke]

For the last few months, I've been going legless, resting both the charcoal pan and the ECB body on cinder blocks and bricks.  However, I started to suspect I was losing heat out the bottom (plenty of smoke as well), so I installed some legs on the charcoal pan today:

she got legs.jpg

• thinblueduke
• Jul 10, 2014

I bought these 12mmx270mm (about 1/2"x10.5") things for about a buck apiece.  They're a teeny bit wobbly, but nothing I can't handle.  I have them set so that the charcoal pan is about an inch higher than they would be if the legs were on the inside.  I'd like a bit more clearance between the coals and the water pan, though, so I may replace the charcoal grate with a smaller one.

IMAG0542.jpg

• thinblueduke
• Jul 10, 2014

I also installed them for portability's sake.  When the neighbors have their laundry out to dry, I have to move my operation down a flight of stairs to the parking lot, and it's a pain to carry cinder blocks and bricks.  Here's the whole unit.  Gonna fire it up on Sunday, come rain or come shine.

IMAG0550.jpg

• thinblueduke
• Jul 10, 2014

 

[magslam]

 
For the last few months, I've been going legless, resting both the charcoal pan and the ECB body on cinder blocks and bricks.  However, I started to suspect I was losing heat out the bottom (plenty of smoke as well), so I installed some legs on the charcoal pan today:

she got legs.jpg

• thinblueduke
• Jul 10, 2014

I bought these 12mmx270mm (about 1/2"x10.5") things for about a buck apiece.  They're a teeny bit wobbly, but nothing I can't handle.  I have them set so that the charcoal pan is about an inch higher than they would be if the legs were on the inside.  I'd like a bit more clearance between the coals and the water pan, though, so I may replace the charcoal grate with a smaller one.

IMAG0542.jpg

• thinblueduke
• Jul 10, 2014

I also installed them for portability's sake.  When the neighbors have their laundry out to dry, I have to move my operation down a flight of stairs to the parking lot, and it's a pain to carry cinder blocks and bricks.  Here's the whole unit.  Gonna fire it up on Sunday, come rain or come shine.

IMAG0550.jpg

• thinblueduke
• Jul 10, 2014

Looks good to me. Whatever it works / takes to improve your smoking experience and meals for you that's what it is all about. You can have fun and good meals, that's almost a tri-fecta in todays day and age. Keep smoking!!

 

[bobank03]

looks good to me too! I just sit mine on a couple of old bricks and it achieves the same thing. Not as sharp as that though