Reverse Flow Smoker... How to calculate build tutorial...

[daveomak]

With the square FB you have, do a half moon opening like below.... Click on the circle calculator in the tutorial and follow the steps..

 

[dwaineb]

So i know this has been asked 20million times so here is 1 more. I have read everything you have posted and modified about smoker builds. I am doing a round 36x60 tank roughly 61.072 in3. doing the half moon FB/CC opening says it needs to be 11" high and i guess that sounds huge. Is that correct? thank you

 

[daveomak]

So i know this has been asked 20million times so here is 1 more. I have read everything you have posted and modified about smoker builds. I am doing a round 36x60 tank roughly 61.072 in3. doing the half moon FB/CC opening says it needs to be 11" high and i guess that sounds huge. Is that correct? thank you

Yep... That's a good number... If it's a propane tank, cut into it past the weld ring about an inch... slide the FB in... skip weld the RF plate to the to of the FB....
Cutting in past the weld seam makes for an easy RF plate fit up....

If you want a "valley" in the RF plate to collect grease, once you lay it in the tank, use a hydraulic jack to make a valley about 1/2" deep.. then install a drain that penetrates the tank and put a gate valve outside the tank... Skip tack weld the RF plate... Weld a dam on the end of the RF plate to stop grease from getting into the CC...

 

[dwaineb]

Yep... That's a good number... If it's a propane tank, cut into it past the weld ring about an inch... slide the FB in... skip weld the RF plate to the to of the FB....
Cutting in past the weld seam makes for an easy RF plate fit up....

If you want a "valley" in the RF plate to collect grease, once you lay it in the tank, use a hydraulic jack to make a valley about 1/2" deep.. then install a drain that penetrates the tank and put a gate valve outside the tank... Skip tack weld the RF plate... Weld a dam on the end of the RF plate to stop grease from getting into the CC...

i am using an oil oil/ fuel tank actually thats 60x36 with flat sides but yes i am cutting the one side completely off so i can attached the FB and a warming cabinet. I will have the stack actually on a plenium in the back of the smoker. As for the RF plate i had planned on leaving it flat but at a slight angle downward with a 2" lip on the opposite end and a drain at that location. i have literally read everything for the past few years here waiting until i found the right tank and opportunity. With my bbq business growing i need something much more. I have a second tank same size i want to build into a pellet smoker. Should hald about 200lbs of pellets with a dbl auger system. That will come in time though as business continues to grow. Thank you for your wealth of knowledge!!!

 

[daveomak]

Ribwizzard built probably a hundred smokers... He said this was the best smoker he built... even cooking,easy on fuel.... It's a propane tank, split in half with about 24" added in the middle... The door is split to open up and down to have great access to the food racks... I don't think is was an RF smoker... don't know but it doesn't look like it... Might have tuning plates in it..... He has a commercial BBQ business in Florida....

He was invited to cook at a NASCAR event and built this smoker for that...

Insulated fire box...

 

[daveomak]

There is NO mention of an exhaust damper... Exhaust wide open, adjust with the air intakes on the FB.... Your smoker MUST be air tight for good temp control...
Upper air inlets are a must to move heat from that overheated FB...
Opening the lower inlets, to get the CC temp up, just burns more wood and does no good getting the FB temp up... if you have a restriction in the air flow route... FB/CC opening... End of the RF plate.... Exhaust stack.... etc....
Check your dimensions compared to the tutorial....

 

[bbqfoodexpress]

Thanks for sharing this info, it is very usefull for my new project.
I have tons of questions, I hope folks with build experience can help me.
See topic: https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/new-rf-smoker-project.313020/#

 

[Piemdp]

Hello,
I beg your pardon for my english.
I'm french so it's complicated for me (inches/cm) but it seems that i understood the first post !

Every thing IS ok, thanks a lot.

My question is about the fb and cc area.
Could i cut a circle between my both fb and cc in place of segment area ?

My both fb and cc will be gaz containers so it seems to be more simple.

However, my RF will be positionned by chord AB like in the tutorial.

Thx for your help

Piem

 

[daveomak]

yes...
Be sure the opening between the FB and CC is the size recommended..

 

[Piemdp]

Thanks you !
My cc is quite litle.
13 gallons only.
I have increased the fb/cc a little bit like in this post.

First Build - 11 Gallon Mini Pig Cooker

This is my new baby, my custom mini pig cooker. 11 gallon cook chamber, 3/16 plate fire chamber, 1/4 steel rod weave fire box basket, and a 30 inch 1/4 inch removable stack (fits perfect in the back of the truck). The cooking chamber has 2 levels of removable stainless steel grates and this...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

I hope it will work.
If not, my rf plate is not fixed so i can reduce it.

 

[Piemdp]

Hello,
Juste a little question, do i really have to weld the RF ?
Is there a problem to not weld it ?

 

[daveomak]

No....

 

[JckDanls 07]

Hello,
Juste a little question, do i really have to weld the RF ?
Is there a problem to not weld it ?

My RF plate is removable... I also have a grate the size of the RF plate... So this way (take plate out, insert charcoal grate) I can use the smoker as a big grill ...

 

[ryanx]

>
Reverse Flow Smoker... How to calculate build tutorial...
By DaveOmak

1. This is a tutorial and you will need a calculator and paper to note desired dimensions... This tutorial has been proven to make an excellent operating Reverse Flow smoker...
   
   Here's to "Alien BBQ" and the folks that first put the calculator together and "1728 Software Systems" for this great "Circle Calculator" and all the folks at "SmokingMeatForums" , with a special shout out to Ribwizzard, that contributed their ideas and feedback while this thing was coming together..
   
   The smoker and how it's supposed to work...... click on pics to enlarge.....
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   Edit: 2-16-2014 ; You will need a hand held calculator, smart telephone, or your computer.... calculator, to use this tutorial.. It does not crunch numbers for you.....
   
   Calculations for a standard design, reverse flow smoker..
   
   Volume of the Cook Chamber.... Use the Inside Diameter of the tank... All smoker calculations are based on the volume of the Cook Chamber....
   
   Diameter X Diameter X 0.7854 X Length = Volume in cubic inches / 231 = Volume in gallons
   
   Volume in cubic inches X 0.004 = FB/CC opening in square inches
   
   Volume in cubic inches X 0.004 = Area under the RF plate in square inches
   
   Volume in cubic inches X 0.004 = Area required at the end of the RF plate in square inches
   
   Volume in cubic inches X 0.33 = minimum volume of the Fire Box
   
   The above areas are necessary for great air/heat/smoke flow.... using less may cause an overheated FB.... Narrow / Long CC may require an increase in those numbers due to increased surface area friction to volume... Wide/Fat Short CC may use smaller numbers due to reduced surface area friction to volume... edit 8-16-16... small volume patio type smokers will need some increases in measurements also.. FB/CC, under RF plate, end of RF plate... ~20-30%..
   
   Volume in cubic inches X 0.001 = FB air inlets in square inches...
   
   Recommended upper and lower air inlets... Upper air inlet directly across from the FB/CC opening to facilitate moving heat from the FB to the CC, and insuring good air flow through the CC.. The lower air inlet should be situated at or below the fuel grate.... The two air inlets can share the designated square inches of opening.... approx. 20% upper and 80% lower...
   
   Volume in cubic inches X 0.022 (0.017 Old value) = Exhaust Stack Volume in cubic inches, above the CC.... (ESV) .. (The increase in volume ~30% shows a dramatic improvement in equalized temperatures across the cooking surface... edit 6/19/15 )
   
   Exhaust Calculation..
   
   ESV in cubic inches_____________________________ ... = Stack Length in inches (36" +/-)
   0.7854 X Stack Diameter X Stack Diameter
   
   Adjust the diameter of the stack, until the proper length is achieved... be sure to measure the actual internal diameter of the pipe used..
   this is for round stacks only..
   
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   This circle calculator is really cool... It does it all.... Just fill in the necessary blanks...
   ......click on this link......
   http://www.1728.org/circsect.htm
   
   For calculating the FB/CC opening.... You are calculating for the GREEN area... that will be the cut-out area in the FB that mates to the CC....
   
   The green area is a segment. It is called a "Segment Area"... That area is the same as the FB/CC opening....
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   When you open the "Circle Calculator" link, Click on the "bullet" to the left of Radius & Segment Height ED....
   
   Circle Calculator
   
   Click on the 2 variables you know
   
   ......Radius and Central Angle...........................Radius & Chord AB
   [X] Radius & Segment Height ED.....................Radius & Apothem OE
   ......................................................Radius & Arc AB
   ......Chord AB & Segment Height ED................Chord AB & Apothem OE
   ......Segment Height ED & Apothem OE...........Chord AB & Arc AB
   
   You should have opened the circle calculator and a bunch of boxes will appear below..
   and a box called [CALCULATE]..
   
   Enter the radius in the box so marked.... If you tank is 24" OD, and has a 3/8" thick steel wall, the ID of the tank 23.25".... the radius is 11.625"..... these numbers need to be accurate if you want stuff to fit... ALSO, take into account the thickness of the FB steel when cutting out the tank...
   
   Enter a guess for the Segment Height ED... I'd start with 6.0
   
   Click on [CALCULATE]....
   
   The other boxes will fill with numbers....
   
   The [Segment Area] box is what you area going to compare with the FB/CC opening in square inches...
   
   If the FB/CC opening number is smaller, change the number in the Segment Height ED box to 5.... continue changing that number until the [Segment Area] matches the FB/CC number.....
   
   Now look at the colored circles above.... Segment height ED is how tall the green area is and corresponds to the area to be cut out.....
   
   Also, [Chord AB] corresponds to the width of the RF plate... NOTE... for ease in fitment, the FB should be at least as wide as the RF plate..
   
   EDIT..2/13/17... A situation recently arose where the round FB was of different diameter than the CC.... In that event, it is imperative to use the radius of the CC to calculate the initial CC/FB opening.. THEN use the radius of the FB to calculate the FB/CC opening for the football dimensions... reason .. the football will NOT fit into the FB because of the larger diameter of the CC...
   
   Smoker Calculator reasoning
   The concept for the changes is below.... Alien and his associates, did an amazing job putting the original calculator together... 100% of my numbers are based on his original numbers... small changes were made for the improvements due to design changes in smokers.....
   The original measurements were taken from SFB smokers with tuning plates I do believe.... The advent of the RF smoker did not make any changes to the calculator... Now the exhaust has to travel twice as far as before, and the original FB/CC opening restricted the air flow from the FB, causing the FB to over heat... Some would get up to 450 deg and higher while the CC wouldn't get over 250.... And then there is the increased friction from the steel.... When using natural draft, any restriction/friction is very detrimental to the flow....
   So, on a whim, the FB/CC opening was enlarged, the area under the RF plate was increased and the area at the end of the RF plate was increased... all by 50%.... That solved ALL the problems.... fuel consumption was reduced.... folks were happy....
   I personally experienced members improvements and fuel usage by the letters/PMs they wrote me on their improvements...... One additional modification was suggested.... members here, tested a second air inlet to the FB.... directly across from the FB/CC opening... That was a significant improvement of some/most smokers.... If the FB was too hot, it could be cooled by opening the upper air inlet.... Also, the fire had a separate air inlet to adjust it's heat output.... It should be installed at or below the wood fire grate....
   All of this has been tested and proven by members building smoker on this forum.... The only place you will find using these numbers... or it used to be... I'm sure many builders are now using these ideas for their builds.... this process has been going for at least 2 years....
   
   Thanks for all your help...... DaveOmak
   
   ================== edit 12/24/14
   
   If you are planning a round FB and round CC.... Follow this.....
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   Volume in cubic inches X 0.004 = FB/CC opening in square inches.... the answer is divided by 2.... then that number is solved for in the circle calculator by manipulating the segment height.. when the radius and segment height box is checked... That will give you the lower and upper halves of the football opening... then double the new segment height number and run the calculator... (if originally it was 4", put in 8").... that's the width of the football, AND the new height of the RF plate... and if you look at the chord AB number, when the 8" segment height was crunched, that is the width of the RF plate....

good