Insulation

[metalmonkey]

I've always been curious what insulation gets used in these smokers. Is it special for hi temps or just cheap Lowes stuff for inside a wall?

 

[metalmonkey]

Nobody knows?

 

[maple sticks]

Found this on a search. Search bar is at the top of the page. One of the posts reads below but read the full post.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/86400/insulation

Kaowool. Found all day on ebay from 1/4" to 2" thick by 24" long x 25' rolls. 1" is sufficient for insulating your firebox and smoker. BBQ engineer used the same stuff on his. Temp rated for 2100 or more. Same stuff used in kilns. This is the stuff I am using for my backwoods clone.

Good luck

 

[metalmonkey]

Thank you for that. I will be looking into this.

 

[jted]

Obviously it depends on what you are insulating and where it is at. You have several choices that are readily available. Your first is standard Fiberglass board. Cook shack electric smokers use this in 1”thick sheets. Fiberglass board is good to 800 or 1000 degrees. Next you have Tent mat used by industrial insulators its good to I think 1800 degrees it is available in thickness up to 1 inch. Kowool is a ceramic fiber that is used in the refractory industry. It is probably the most expensive. It can be had in a 1/8 thick paper up to 1” and goes over 2000 degrees. It is also the most expensive @ 8 or 10 dollars per sq. foot. For 1” thick material. I would think the kayo wool paper is the highest and hardest to obtain in small quanites. In 27 years of being a industrial insulator I only used it once on a very large sulfur burner that was fire brick lined. The 1 inch thick stuff is easy to find. Mineral wool is available but it is needed in thick sizes to be real effective. Look hard for a insulation distributor to buy it from. If you buy from eBay sellers you will pay a premium. As a example I was looking at Fiberglass board and the eBay prices were over 11.00 per 2'x4' sheet. I called a local distributes and the same insulation with a service jacket was much less. @ 7 or 8 per sheet. Don't even think about the big box hardware stores having this stuff. It's all about the application and how deep your pockets are.

As a final thought all insulation at least what I have spoke of is harmful if breathed in to your lungs. Some more than others but it's  all bad. Use a cheep paper mask that will keep you safe. I like 3M masks.

These are just my opinions except the mask part your mileage may vary.  Jted

 

[purgatory]

I used 2" thick, 8# density, Rockwool in mine. I'm very pleased. Easy to work with and very efficient.