- Aug 26, 2014
- 10
- 10
Howdy guys and gals,
I recently got a new offset smoker and in my burn in tests I am having a hell of a time controlling oxygen to the fire. With everything closed up, the temp inside the pit near the firebox was reaching over 500 degrees, after 1 hour! (perfect example of why you should do test burns to learn your pits!) I know there's a lot I can do to make improvements in general to the offset smoker:
- seal lids on firebox and pit
- seal any seams that aren't welded
- seal firebox connection to the pit
- baffle inside the pit to direct heat down and to the other side of the pit
- lower the chimney to the grate
- wrap in welding blankets
- seal 'other' leaks in my firebox
It's the 'other' leaks that I'm needing help with. Here are some pics to explain:
This is my firebox door - there is about a 1/4"+ gap between the door and the firebox itself:
Here is the catch for the door latch - this hole is huge! No wonder the fire was raging even with everything closed up:
How would you guys suggest I fix the door gap? For the latch hole I was thinking I could just use silicone and a small metal square to seal it from the inside, but the gap around the door is confounding me. I don't have a welder or know how to weld, but I'd love the chance to learn. If I can fix this in a simpler or quicker way I'd rather go that route so I can get smoking on this bad boy faster - it's much bigger than the weber kettle I'm coming from!
Thanks for your help,
Gartlesby
edited to add a couple more questions:
1. The silicone recommended by Amazing Ribs is only rated to 500 degrees - is that good enough? http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000DZBLNC/amazingribs--20
2. Hardware store guy said JB Weld wasn't good enough since things would be getting too hot - but this was also recommended as a sealant/glue by Amazing Ribs. Should I not use it?
I recently got a new offset smoker and in my burn in tests I am having a hell of a time controlling oxygen to the fire. With everything closed up, the temp inside the pit near the firebox was reaching over 500 degrees, after 1 hour! (perfect example of why you should do test burns to learn your pits!) I know there's a lot I can do to make improvements in general to the offset smoker:
- seal lids on firebox and pit
- seal any seams that aren't welded
- seal firebox connection to the pit
- baffle inside the pit to direct heat down and to the other side of the pit
- lower the chimney to the grate
- wrap in welding blankets
- seal 'other' leaks in my firebox
It's the 'other' leaks that I'm needing help with. Here are some pics to explain:
This is my firebox door - there is about a 1/4"+ gap between the door and the firebox itself:
Here is the catch for the door latch - this hole is huge! No wonder the fire was raging even with everything closed up:
How would you guys suggest I fix the door gap? For the latch hole I was thinking I could just use silicone and a small metal square to seal it from the inside, but the gap around the door is confounding me. I don't have a welder or know how to weld, but I'd love the chance to learn. If I can fix this in a simpler or quicker way I'd rather go that route so I can get smoking on this bad boy faster - it's much bigger than the weber kettle I'm coming from!
Thanks for your help,
Gartlesby
edited to add a couple more questions:
1. The silicone recommended by Amazing Ribs is only rated to 500 degrees - is that good enough? http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000DZBLNC/amazingribs--20
2. Hardware store guy said JB Weld wasn't good enough since things would be getting too hot - but this was also recommended as a sealant/glue by Amazing Ribs. Should I not use it?
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