That could be it .... how do the openings FB/CC and under the RF plate and at the end of the RF plate look ???
You are right about that. They do fall thru I have some extra expanded metal I will put in it like you said.One thing I'm noticing from your pictures is the wood basket... The grating is pretty well spaced out.. i think all your hot coals are falling through before turning to ash.. I would get a piece of flat expanded metal (#9, 3/4") and put that in the bottom of the basket to keep coals from falling through prematurely...
I'm satisfied with the build for sure just want to tweak it to get temps right. I did everything to your measurements and used your advice so I believe it's built right. I should have did like you said and made a regular air inlet instead of pinwheel.With the upper air inlet open on the FB moving hot air into the CC, and the lower air inlet adjusted to control the heat in the CC, the FB should be within 25-50 F of the CC.... Having enough opening in the upper air inlet is what makes it work.....
Here's what woodyg thinks about using the tutorial to build a smoker, and how it works.... Just one of many folks that seem satisfied...
Short/Fat 120 Gallon Build
Had a great day today! After doing a couple small little jobs on the smoker I decided to fire it up. I started with a chimney of charcoal. Once that was going I added 3 small splits of wood. It came up to 200 and just stayed there. They were small so I added 2 more and closed my intake about...www.smokingmeatforums.com
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