TBS

[nanuk]

well, up here the A-Maz-N products are silly expensive, so before I pull the trigger, I have been doing some research, as well, I made some DIY trays/tubes using metal screen

things I've noticed:

it appears to be impossible to get TBS from pellets. ( Yes, I do NOT have any A-Maz-N pellets, as they too are incredibly expensive )
I have used some Traeger et al pellets and they produce a thick white smoke no matter how I adjust the air
I have some maple planer shavings/dust and in my 1.75" tube, STUFFED, they produce a very nice light blue smoke.
In a tube the pellets are obnoxious.
In my DIY tray, the pellets are not as bad, but still far more smokey than what folks on here think is optimum for TBS.

I have gone on YouTube to watch videos and they ALL seem to say the same thing.... LOTS OF WHITE smoke.

I read many on here use the AMNS tray for dust and pellets in their MES'.
How do you keep the smoke controlled?
Or when using pellets, one has to be resigned to having THICK White smoke?

 

[ab canuck]

I got lucky last summer and hit a Peavy mart that all kinds of the A-Maze-N stuff and clearing out, I bought it all, I ran out of their pellets but have been using Barbeque Dlight pellets, Nuke for 1 to 1:30 min, stir up do it again, Then fill trays and use torch to light. After about 20 min, I have consistently been getting TBS. Starts white but does change. Very happy with them.

 

[nanuk]

I'll check PM. we have one local... see what they got.

 

[wild west]

I see your from Sask. I havnt seen them here at peavy mart but i bought the tray and a 12 in and 6in tube at j.b. sausage supply. They also carry most kinds of lumberjack pellets which are 100% wood they claim to be. Google their web site they have prices for everything on their site.

 

[nanuk]

Yeah... I'm in PA here.

JB is where I looked... and WOW! Over $65 to get a tray? and shipping on top of that?
$46 for a 12" tube? Oy!
Crazy.

 

[Bearcarver]

In my opinion, it doesn't matter if the smoke is more white than blue, as long as it is light to medium.

Heavy (Thick) smoke is bad, no matter what color it is, even for short periods of time.

Bear

 

[wild west]

Ya thats spendy. I bought my stuff a couple years ago amd i think the tray was $45 or so with tax. No shipping cause i live about 5km from the store

 

[daveomak]

If the smoke is thick... you may not have enough air supply or exhaust... Lots of air helps....

 

[nanuk]

As for airflow, I have tried the pellets in open air, and when I used them in the tube, I set my tube inside a 3" dia 5ft alum ducting tube.
I'm pretty sure the air supply was enough. They burn away to almost nothing but fine white ash... and LOTS of white smoke.

 

[Bearcarver]

As for airflow, I have tried the pellets in open air, and when I used them in the tube, I set my tube inside a 3" dia 5ft alum ducting tube.
I'm pretty sure the air supply was enough. They burn away to almost nothing but fine white ash... and LOTS of white smoke.

I believe your problem is Too much smoke (too heavy), not the color.
That's why I don't use the tube in my MES 40---Too much Smoke.
The Tube was designed for bigger smokers, Gassers, and High altitudes.

Bear

 

[nanuk]

I have made up a new tray, and my initial test run with pellets worked very well, not near as smokey.

the change I made was to narrow the channels, make a fold so the channels have airflow between them, and it seems to have worked.

I'm going to remove the chip feeder/tray guts from my smoker, and will make a tray to fit inside if my Version 1.2 won't fit.