Will this work?

[kelbro]

I'm looking at a home-built smoker and I am questioning how it will draft. I have not seen it in person and would ask the guy to fire it up so I could see it smoke.

A couple of concerns:

1. The opening from the firebox to the smoke chamber appears to be below the fire grate. Will that draft properly?
2. The firebox vent is on the bottom. Seems like it would clog up with ashes or drop the ashes onto the ground.

Thanks for any insight. My old smoker was built in a way that it drafted very well. I'm not not sure of the dynamics of this design.

 

[JckDanls 07]

Both of your concerns are legit...
FB to CC opening on the bottom will not work worth a darn... All the heat will be trapped in the top of the FB ... Which is to high on the smoker to begin with.. That's why the opening is on the bottom...

As for the vent on the bottom.. That's exactly what's going to happen (clogging with ash).. Let alone the good possibility of starting a fire if/when hot embers drop out of the vent...

If it were me... I'd keep looking...

 

[SmokinEdge]

Both of your concerns are legit...
FB to CC opening on the bottom will not work worth a darn... All the heat will be trapped in the top of the FB ... Which is to high on the smoker to begin with.. That's why the opening is on the bottom...

As for the vent on the bottom.. That's exactly what's going to happen (clogging with ash).. Let alone the good possibility of starting a fire if/when hot embers drop out of the vent...

If it were me... I'd keep looking...

That and the chimney placement on top of CC, I’d pass as well. Keep looking, or if you have skills and tools, if cheap enough to buy it’s a good platform for modification.

 

[kelbro]

Thanks guys. I asked the guy if he had any issues with the drafting and he said that it was his late mom's and he had never used it (another concern :)). It's priced low enough that I'm going to go take a look at it to confirm what I'm seeing in the pix. Often the camera angles distort things. The cost of adding a firebox and making it reverse flow would still work out very well at his price.

 

[DougE]

Worth giving a look if the price gives you plenty of room for re-working it.

 

[WhoaNelly]

I'm looking at a home-built smoker and I am questioning how it will draft. I have not seen it in person and would ask the guy to fire it up so I could see it smoke.

A couple of concerns:

1. The opening from the firebox to the smoke chamber appears to be below the fire grate. Will that draft properly?
2. The firebox vent is on the bottom. Seems like it would clog up with ashes or drop the ashes onto the ground.

Thanks for any insight. My old smoker was built in a way that it drafted very well. I'm not not sure of the dynamics of this design.

View attachment 701991View attachment 701992View attachment 701993View attachment 701994

i watched this just the other day. It’s a little long but you can FF to the point he discusses the design of his offset grill that has the firebox inside the grill. Hope it helps

This might help or might be close to your issues