smoker WITH OUT a vent???

[sparky30_06]

I've been looking around at commercial electric smokers and getting ideas for building mine.  Do you need a top vent on an electric smoker??  Don't vents help control temps when using propane or wood?? 

 

[bamaboy]

Its got to have an exhaust vent,in order for your chips to smolder/burn.it should pull enough fresh air around the chip loader i would guess.doesn't need much air to smolder but has to have a way of getting it out.

 

[sparky30_06]

What i was thinking is if you had a side box aka smoke generator with some air vent for smolder and used a small fan like from a computer to pull the smoke into the main cooking area.  The main area would have it's own temp control and heat element.  The box isn't going to be 100 percent sealed.  Going to have some leakage around the doors and such.  Not maining a vacuum chamber.