Turus's Reverse Flow Smoker Build

[Turus]

I am in the early stage of gathering materials for a reverse smoker. I am a scoutmaster for a local Boy Scout Troop and my intent is to use the smoker as a fundraiser for the boys. I am also planning on building a large (3-4 ft) propane griddle and mounting that on the trailer as well as the smoker. For the smoker I found these two tanks at a local junk yard:

I decided to buy the propane tank on the left [31'diameter, 43.5" tall (outside dimensions)] because it was a heavier gauge metal than the larger tank on the right. Was this the right call? Is the propane tank large enough or should I go back for the larger tank?

I also found these tanks at the junk yard, wasn't sure if I could use those for the firebox or some other purpose.


I appreciate any advice on the choice of tanks, once I know which ones to work with I will start running the calculations posted on this forum for design and will post them as well.

 

[kmmamm]

Depends on how much you want to cook....the heavier gauged LP tank is much more suited to longevity and ease of fabrication. If you can use the smaller LP tanks as a firebox, so much the better. Felton's calculator suggests you will need about 11,000 cubic inches of firebox. Without demensions, it is almost impossible to tell if any of the smaller LP tanks will work. I will say when building a firebox, the larger the diameter, the better ( provided it does not exceed the smoking chambers diameter). Fabricating doors and air inlets for the larger diameter is also much easier.