Need new regulator

[mrsmith71]

I've got a Smoke Hollow 38202G vertical propane smoker that's about 3 years old. The flames are pure yellow and I think spiders probably got into the regulator assembly during storage. It looks like Smoke Hollow no longer exists and parts are impossible to find. I tried Masterbuilt, but they don't have the parts. I hate to throw away a perfectly good smoker because of one defective part. Is there any way to fix this thing with generic parts?

 

[zwiller]

First off, welcome to SMF!

I used a generic one on my MB gasser. Worst case you might need an adapter. Spiders and debris are quite common and lots of guys use a blast of compressed air to fix. I'd try that before buying anything. Also, be sure to open the gas valve SLOWLY. There is a safety mechanism that will open if you do it too fast and my gasser was really picky about it. All this being said, I got tired of the gassers lack of control and other things and on a whim got a MES and NEVER looked back.

 

[mrsmith71]

First off, welcome to SMF!

I used a generic one on my MB gasser. Worst case you might need an adapter. Spiders and debris are quite common and lots of guys use a blast of compressed air to fix. I'd try that before buying anything. Also, be sure to open the gas valve SLOWLY. There is a safety mechanism that will open if you do it too fast and my gasser was really picky about it. All this being said, I got tired of the gassers lack of control and other things and on a whim got a MES and NEVER looked back.

Thanks for your advice. I'll try compressed air and see if it helps. I guess if all else fails, I'll try to convert to wood/charcoal. Always good to have a project.

 

[crazzycajun]

Tractor supply, orschliens, ace hardware,and several online resources can get you most generic parts. As swiller said spiders in the orfices or air shutters is more common than the regulators don’t give up without a fight

 

[mrsmith71]

Kind of a funny follow-up. I had a small pork shoulder that wouldn't wait for me to figure out how to get the propane working, so I improvised. I grabbed a little stainless steel portable charcoal grill and put it in the smoker above the non-functioning firebox. Filled it up with charcoal and some nice apple wood chunks. About 8 hours later had a nice pork dinner and the pig never knew the difference. I still plan on fixing the smoker, but this was a useful experiment.

 

[OldSmoke]

It would be unusual for the reg to fail, they are pretty reliable. If you do need one, they are easy to find. Make sure you get the low pressure model.

Most likely you have a spider nest in the Venturi tube. Compressed air and a piece of wire to poke around with should have you working in no time.

 

[801driver]

Even my Wall-Mart has replacement regulators with hoses in their grill area, Lowes, tractor supply, and others should have them locally. I agree, try a clean out first.