Help with AMNS

[duckybud]

I have been using it for cool (under 120) smoking for the last couple of years with great success, but the last couple of smokes have left a pretty good amount of unburnt sawdust along the sides of the rows. It will burn the complete row but only about 3/4 of the dust.

I have tried less packing of the dust, drying both in microwave and oven, but still the same thing.

I use it in a converted food warmer which I built some years ago, AMNS has worked fine in the past.  Run a 2 1/2 inch intake wide open and 3 inch exhaust wide open, as I have done in the past.  The first couple of times it happened the outside temps were in the teens and I just thought that was the problem.  Todays was outside temp. 40s cook temp 100.  It burned over 12 hours just much more waste than I have seen in the past.  Any ideas I haven't tried?  I hate to waste good smoke dust like this.  BTW I am using Todds hickory dust.

Thanks to any and all for your help and Happy Smoking

duckybud

 

[themule69]

Could you post a picture? I sometimes have just a little dust along the top sides that doesn't burn but it is very little.

Happy smoken.

David

 

[duckybud]

David.

Just dumped the tray about 10 minutes ago, but in looking over the AMNS, I noticed the dividers are almost completely plugged up with tar or something.  I am going to clean the hell out of it and see if that helps with the problem that is right where the unburnt dust is left. Thanks for your quick answer.  I will let everyone know if this takes care of it.

duckybud

 

[duckybud]

I feel pretty stupid, but this is what the problem was.  The whole AMNS was dirty, you could see through most of the air holes but they were about half way plugged up. I have been wirebrishing it before each use, either I wasn't through enough or that won't get the holes clean.  I heated the whole thing with a propane torch and burnt off all residue, you can see the difference in the size of the air holes. It caught on fire and burned for about 10 minutes from all the creosote that had built up all over.  Then wirebrushed it and it came out clean.  As stated in above post, I only use the AMNS for cold smoking, it must not get hot enough to clean as it burns.  I use the AMPS for higher temps and it seems to stay clean enough that a brushing will take care of the buildup.

Sorry for taking everyone's time with a problem that I should have been smart enough to figure out.

duckybud

 

[themule69]

 
I feel pretty stupid, but this is what the problem was.  The whole AMNS was dirty, you could see through most of the air holes but they were about half way plugged up. I have been wirebrishing it before each use, either I wasn't through enough or that won't get the holes clean.  I heated the whole thing with a propane torch and burnt off all residue, you can see the difference in the size of the air holes. It caught on fire and burned for about 10 minutes from all the creosote that had built up all over.  Then wirebrushed it and it came out clean.  As stated in above post, I only use the AMNS for cold smoking, it must not get hot enough to clean as it burns.  I use the AMPS for higher temps and it seems to stay clean enough that a brushing will take care of the buildup.

Sorry for taking everyone's time with a problem that I should have been smart enough to figure out.

duckybud

Thanks for sharing the problem. I run mine threw the dishwasher after each use.

Happy smoken.

David

 

[bear55]

Don't be sorry, for somewhere out there someone is having the same problem as you did.

Richard