mes mailbox mod

[dockman]

Is the exhaust vent wide open ??  Is there water in the water pan....   what is the temp of the smoker... did you dry the pellets...  did you clean your glasses...  

 .... just kidding about the glasses..

apple juice in pan, dried pellets, temp is 225, and yes vent wide open. It is a 2012 mes 40 and chip tray assembly is still in box but did remove chip tray.

 

[daveomak]

Well.......... I do't know why the smoke is white.....   Try opening the door to the mailbox.....  maybe the amnps ain't getting enough air...

 

[handsonfire]

May sound like a crazy question but how are you lighting the pellets in the tray (one end or two). Letting it burn for about 15 minutes to develop coals?

Glasses? We supposed to wear them?
 

 

[dockman]

Lite in 3 spots with a plumbers torch.

FYI Tri Tip did turned out pretty good and was no fuel taste what so e er.

 

[pc farmer]

That's what I would expect lighting in 3 spots.

 

[pc farmer]

Meat looks great by the way.

 

[handsonfire]

Lite in 3 spots with a plumbers torch.

FYI Tri Tip did turned out pretty good and was no fuel taste what so e er.

looks pretty good to me!

Well I usually just light one end (through hole) for long smokes. Two (both holes)for more smoke flavor.3 might be too much, but heyy if it tastes great and no creosote .. then woots..lol

 

[dockman]

I removed the pellets from box after 45 minutes because creosote was building up on window. LOL Had to put my glasses on to see it!

 

[handsonfire]

Ok not being an expert on such matters, think you probably shoulda stuck to lighting one side or two, not three. When lit on one side, the "burn" of the pellets will travel up and down each channel of pellets no problems. When both ends are lit, theoretically they met in the middle.

The window in the mes's (with one), is useless. You are going to get wood grease (nice tar like or creosote looking)buildup in your box. I clean mine out once a year so it gets a fairly nice thick coating that smells wonderful lol

Even if you razor blade clean the window before each use, it's going to get coated not too long into the smoke (wood grease, moisture cook off, etc). I find I can see easier by peeking through the vent than the window (mostly avoiding getting a eyeful of smoke) ..lol

 

[dockman]

Thanks guys Sunday I will just lite 1 end.

 

[chappy4o]

So its been a minute. . . But here is the deal. . . I drilled 3 holes in the door of my mailbox (3/4 in. I think) I am cold smoking bacon as we speak. I added a second amazn pellet to the equation . . . Lit one end on both held torch for a good 45 seconds to a minute on each let burn for about 10 mins. Blew out flame and inst. In mailbox 1 hr later . . . Burned out. . . . To moist of pellets?

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk 2

 

[daveomak]

Chappy, morning.... 

I'd say they were moist..... unless they were cherry pellets.... if they were, add some oak to mix with the cherry pellets......  Cherry doesn't burn too well all by itself..... 

I have heard the new MES 40 doesn't breathe too well...  Something about the exhaust outlet....   turn the smoker on for a minute or two to get the temp up to start the draft effect...  I have heard some folks pull the "exhaust plates" out of the exhaust hole.....  Do not know what that entails... haven't seen any pics posted of that mod yet...   What altitude is ABQ ??? Oh and I'm at 5k ft. ASL  ..   Altitude may be a problem and lack of oxygen...  Not sure.... have to eliminate one at a time....  (Except the altitude)  

Dave

 

[chappy4o]

Thanks Dave, I'm using Amazon's pit master choice, I'm at 5k asl and my dad just messed with it about three hrs ago and its still going strong but not quite the TBS I would like so I'm thinking moist pellets is my culprit

 

[hundet]

OK all you AMNPS mailbox mod users - please help me out.  Here's a picture of my new mod.  Everything went well first time I hooked it up.  I had the MES running at about 240 with nothing in it and was getting good solid smoke into the smoker for about 2 hours.  2 hours in, AMNPS goes out.  I just relit the AMNPS and am now trying it - not connected to the MES - just wanting to see if I can keep it lit by itself.  There are a lot of holes in the mailbox, but I have not added any additional vents. 

I'm using Pitmaster blend pellets, well lit with a deep cherry.  The MES and mailbox are in a barn (my smoke house), so there is not a lot of breeze.  Do I need to add a small fan to the mailbox?

Any other ideas?

Thanks,

Tim

MailboxMod.jpg

• hundet
• Sep 1, 2013

 

[daveomak]

OK all you AMNPS mailbox mod users - please help me out.  Here's a picture of my new mod.  Everything went well first time I hooked it up.  I had the MES running at about 240 with nothing in it and was getting good solid smoke into the smoker for about 2 hours.  2 hours in, AMNPS goes out.  I just relit the AMNPS and am now trying it - not connected to the MES - just wanting to see if I can keep it lit by itself.  There are a lot of holes in the mailbox, but I have not added any additional vents. 

I'm using Pitmaster blend pellets, well lit with a deep cherry.  The MES and mailbox are in a barn (my smoke house), so there is not a lot of breeze.  Do I need to add a small fan to the mailbox?

Any other ideas?

Thanks,

Tim

MailboxMod.jpg

• hundet
• Sep 1, 2013

Cherry pellets don't burn well unless some other pellet is added to them....   like oak or alder....   Did you dry the pellets well first.....

 

[rabbithutch]

OK, you mailbox modders . . . I've got some questions.

I noticed that some of you placed the pipe out of the mailbox in the top and others out of the end opposite the door. I can see that with the exit pipe going into the chip tray loader hole in the MES that it would be desirable to have the pipe come out of the top of the mailbox - in order to keep the mailbox more or less beside the MES, not extending in front or back of it. My problem is that I don't see how you can cut a non-ragged hole in the convex top of the mailbox. What tool(s) did you use? I was thinking about getting a 3" hole saw and cutting it with my drill. Will I be able to do this without the saw wandering all over and making a mess of it? Is there a better way? Did you seal it? If so, what did you use? Did you make air flow controls?

I was thinking about doing something like this (not to scale):

mailbox mod.jpg

• rabbithutch
• Sep 2, 2013

 

[daveomak]

RH, afternoon......   I would move the exhaust to the end of the MB..... There has been some talk on here about "recirculating" smoke....  It has some of the Oxygen consumed and could interfere with the combustion in the AMNPS.....   I haven't tested that theory but I do believe it....  When you consider altitude and poor combustion, it makes total sense to me......   Sooooo, I would consider "once through" air to the exhaust for a good combustion process.......

There's my $2 worth......    Dave

 

[hundet]

I used a 3" hole saw.  Gotta have the pilot bit, and it was not the easiest cut to make.  I eventually made it work though.  I had to put a small fan in front of the door to get enough air moving through it to keep the AMNPS lit.  Used it for the first time today, on some 321 Rigs and it worked OK.  Still needs some tweaking and a permanent fan setup, but it's working pretty well on my MES 40.  Much better than the chip dumps on the MES without the AMNPS/Mailbox setup.

 

[rabbithutch]

RH, afternoon......   I would move the exhaust to the end of the MB..... There has been some talk on here about "recirculating" smoke....  It has some of the Oxygen consumed and could interfere with the combustion in the AMNPS.....   I haven't tested that theory but I do believe it....  When you consider altitude and poor combustion, it makes total sense to me......   Sooooo, I would consider "once through" air to the exhaust for a good combustion process.......

There's my $2 worth......    Dave

Howdy, Dave!

I was thinking of putting vents in the door and the rear of the MB while putting the outlet in the middle of the top. That way the AMNPS would draw air from both ends of the MB and vent it out the top. By making the circular disks I should be able to cover part or all of any of the holes.

Does this still raise the "recirculating smoke" issue? Seems to me if there is air drawn from both ends of the MB there should be a good chimney effect, no?

 

[rabbithutch]

Found a round tuit this morning and started my mailbox mod. I used a 3" hole saw to drill the opening in the top center of the mailbox and shoved the 3" elbow into the hole. The saw didn't make a very clean cut so I had some problems getting the elbow inserted in the hole, but after a few minutes with a good file I was able to force the elbow in the hole.

16 Sep 2013 iPhone 014.JPG

• rabbithutch
• Sep 16, 2013

Here's a shot inside.

16 Sep 2013 iPhone 016.JPG

• rabbithutch
• Sep 16, 2013

You can see that there are some small gaps around the elbow. If they are not sealed, I'll lose TBS from the AMNPS. I still have to make the discs for the air vents in the door and the rear because I've got to buy the metal. SInce I only want to make one trip to the blue box store, I'm seeking advice on what sort of sealant to get to close those gaps.

I also plan to put rails along the sides with a solid detente so I'll know when the pellet tray is positioned in the center. This will ensure good air circulation under the pellet tray and from both ends of the box. Gotta get the stuff to do that too.

Thanks for looking. I'd appreciate your advice on the sealant!