Running Too Hot

[daveomak]

I had a Smoke Hollow brand propane vertical smoker that had the same problem. It had two separate burners, and even using only one of them, I couldn’t get the temp as low as I wanted....UNTIL.... I discovered that I was able to set the dial “in between” the zero (off) and the 1 setting.

The problem with that..... The flame can get so low it is easy to have a "flame out".... Then you create a PROPANE BOMB... By plugging 1/2-3/4 of the holes in the burner, you can keep the flame UP and almost eliminate the BOMB from a flame out....

 

[Joatman]

So what you’re saying is that I’m lucky I didn’t blown my house to pieces!!! Thankfully, I got lucky....

 

[rob gebby]

So what you’re saying is that I’m lucky I didn’t blown my house to pieces!!! Thankfully, I got lucky....

Well, that all depends. If you were $50,000 upside down on your mortgage and just lost your job due to COVID 19 then maybe NOT blowing the house up isnt so lucky! lol

 

[Joatman]

LMAO

 

[daveomak]

Man killed when meat smoker explodes
Colleen Kottke, The (Fond du Lac, Wis.) Reporter 4:49 p.m. EST December 15, 2014

(Photo: The (Fond du Lac, Wis.) Reporter)
TOWN of LAMARTINE, Wis. — A Wisconsin man using a homemade meat smoker to cook turkeys and chickens died when the smoker exploded, police said.
Richard L. Zabel, 55, was found dead Saturday afternoon inside a machine shed.
"The North Fond du Lac Ambulance and Lamartine first responders were called to the scene for the initial report that someone had fallen," said Lt. Cameron McGee of the Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office. "When investigators arrived on scene, they discovered that a 55-year-old man was dead inside the building."
Zabel, a town of Lamartine man, did not live at the building's location, but lived nearby.
"Evidence indicates that the flame on the LP burner went out and as a result the gas continued to accumulate inside the smoker," McGee said. "And when (Zabel) went to relight the burner, the spark from the lighter caused the gas to explode."
McGee said the force of the explosion caused the heavy duty door of the smoker to blow open, striking Zabel in the head, killing him instantly.
"When something explodes, it's going to blow open at the weakest point which was the door, which was triple-latched," McGee said.
McGee said the smoker was larger and better constructed than most store-bought models.
"It was about 4-feet tall and about 3-feet wide and built really solid, including the door. Someone really put a lot of thought into building this thing," McGee said. "We were told that they had been using it for the past three years without any problems."
The Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident.

 

[EdP]

I converted a WSM to propane and I tried putting screws in holes to reduce btu's for low temps but it really didn't work. I started with every other hole and then every third hole, but it must've disrupted the gas flow because it would go out regularly.


And I had a mini daveomak experience, the lid shot up about a foot.

It doesn't flame out unless it's really windy, but now I remove the lid before relighting.

 

[daveomak]

Did you try shortening the screws so they wouldn't block the gas flow ??? ALSO, try blocking 1/2 the holes in a row, leaving the other half of the holes open so the flame can ignite the hole next to it... And, leave the flame up a bit so you don't get a flame out... You will still have reduced heat because of the holes being plugged...

 

[rob gebby]

I converted a WSM to propane and I tried putting screws in holes to reduce btu's for low temps but it really didn't work. I started with every other hole and then every third hole, but it must've disrupted the gas flow because it would go out regularly.


And I had a mini daveomak experience, the lid shot up about a foot.

It doesn't flame out unless it's really windy, but now I remove the lid before relighting.

What they were telling me is you should plug all the holes together so the remaining open ones can keep each other lit, plus you need a needle valve to be able to lower the pressure once you plugged the holes up. If that isnt clear, read Dave's comments above.

 

[EdP]

What they were telling me is you should plug all the holes together so the remaining open ones can keep each other lit, plus you need a needle valve to be able to lower the pressure once you plugged the holes up. If that isnt clear, read Dave's comments above.

I abandoned that experiment before someone got hurt.

It was to try low temp fish smoking, but I found this as a non-explosive way to do it.