Newbie has questions...

[knichel]

I have been reading many posts about building a RF smoker from 275 Oil Tank. Have a few questions as I plan my own.
1) Is it necessary to have a heat shield in addition to the RF plate? If so, what is the purpose?

2) Why is it necessary to have a 24x24x44 firebox if the fire is not going to be huge? I know the calculator and others specify 1/3 volume of CC, just wonder why so large.

3) Is the CC the entire 275 Gallon tank or just the volume above the RF Plate?

Thanks to everyone here for great discussions.

M

 

[old sarge]

Guessing the heat shield is so your fire/hot coals don’t burn through the end of the drum. As for fire box size build it any size you want. Just know that wood size dictates size as well as ash buildup and frequency of filling/cleaning during a long smoke.

 

[knichel]

Guessing the heat shield is so your fire/hot coals don’t burn through the end of the drum. As for fire box size build it any size you want. Just know that wood size dictates size as well as ash buildup and frequency of filling/cleaning during a long smoke.

Thanks for the tips. Any idea on the Cooking Chamber (for calculations using Feldon's Calculator)? Is it the volume above the RF Plate or the entire Tank?