Heading out to the shop this morning and hopefully will have the vents done and the firebox stiffeners in and if it goes really well the front on and start cutting the doors!
Thank you for your input. This being my first reverse flow smoker I am learning as I go and I appreciate any and all information that anyone wants to give. I am not insulating my firebox but I do plan on adding a top plate that will taper downward into the cook chamber and add a couple inches of airspace between the firebox and the reverse flow plate that is also the top of my firebox. Going into this I knew in my mind that I was not going to be able to build a fire in one end and not expect it to run hotter than the far end of my smoker. I do understand it is not a perfect science and I certainly do not expect perfection, hell that would make it boring if you ask me. For what I have into this thing in time and material I could have bought one of those computer controlled smokers with those little biscuit things that get fed into it but I love the challenge of building something I have never done before and finding just the right recipe to make the best pulled pork and brisket and smoked salmon that I can.Didn't read your entire thread yet just wanted to tell you my experience with sinking the FB into the CC. Keep in mind my build was using a small 60 gallon tank. But by burying my FB into the CC it created some space issues. My FB is insulated. To get the outer top skin on took a bit of cutting some steps into everything. Doubt this will be of a concern to you. What may be is the temperature. I mounted a thermometer wight on top of firebox...which is now part of the cook chamber. I also have a thermometer in the center and on the far side, and inch or two from the end of the plate. Once my cooker is warmed up the closest I can get the 3 thermometers to read are, firebox side, 350*....Center, 300*, opposite end of FB 285*. I have asked several folks about this....one of them a very respected commercial RF builder...and was told that this is why the FB should not be buried under the CC. Stop and think about it....your firewood will be in the cook chamber..that end is going to run hot...keep in mind my FB is insulated....including the area of the FB that is "in" the cook chamber. I am sure a person or 2 on here will disagree with me...but what I am saying is based on my own experience.....countless hours screwing around with fire placement in the FB, raising and lowering the nose...and a conversation or 2 with one of the busiest Cooker builders around....believe who you choose...should also add I bought it to that whole split I take deal...and despite my omission of this in my thread about it have not seen any benefit to the upper air intake. I have tried running the smoker with it in several different positions and have noticed 0 effect on the CC temps...nor smoke thru put...
Do you still have that reverse flow? I converted my offset to reverse and initially had the same problem with temperatures. I think it was 250 on the far end and 295 on the firebox side. 45 degrees difference on a 42 inch long cook chamber. No better than before I converted. I tried several things before I finally tried reducing the opening between the end of the reverse flow plate and the cook chamber end wall. Now my temps are within 10 degrees from end to end minus 4 inches each side where it's hotter.Didn't read your entire thread yet just wanted to tell you my experience with sinking the FB into the CC. Keep in mind my build was using a small 60 gallon tank. But by burying my FB into the CC it created some space issues. My FB is insulated. To get the outer top skin on took a bit of cutting some steps into everything. Doubt this will be of a concern to you. What may be is the temperature. I mounted a thermometer wight on top of firebox...which is now part of the cook chamber. I also have a thermometer in the center and on the far side, and inch or two from the end of the plate. Once my cooker is warmed up the closest I can get the 3 thermometers to read are, firebox side, 350*....Center, 300*, opposite end of FB 285*. I have asked several folks about this....one of them a very respected commercial RF builder...and was told that this is why the FB should not be buried under the CC. Stop and think about it....your firewood will be in the cook chamber..that end is going to run hot...keep in mind my FB is insulated....including the area of the FB that is "in" the cook chamber. I am sure a person or 2 on here will disagree with me...but what I am saying is based on my own experience.....countless hours screwing around with fire placement in the FB, raising and lowering the nose...and a conversation or 2 with one of the busiest Cooker builders around....believe who you choose...should also add I bought it to that whole split I take deal...and despite my omission of this in my thread about it have not seen any benefit to the upper air intake. I have tried running the smoker with it in several different positions and have noticed 0 effect on the CC temps...nor smoke thru put...
I do indeed still have it. Extending my Reverse Flow plate is,going to be a bit of a problem with the way I constructed it. I am in the planning stage of my next one, going to do things completely different this time. I have always wondered if the port size was right.Do you still have that reverse flow? I converted my offset to reverse and initially had the same problem with temperatures. I think it was 250 on the far end and 295 on the firebox side. 45 degrees difference on a 42 inch long cook chamber. No better than before I converted. I tried several things before I finally tried reducing the opening between the end of the reverse flow plate and the cook chamber end wall. Now my temps are within 10 degrees from end to end minus 4 inches each side where it's hotter.
What I did was take another piece of steel and overlap the plate. That way you can slide it side to side to close or widen the gap until you find the right spot.I do indeed still have it. Extending my Reverse Flow plate is,going to be a bit of a problem with the way I constructed it. I am in the planning stage of my next one, going to do things completely different this time. I have always wondered if the port size was right.
This time, no angle on the plate, no grease drain, not going to weld the plate in solid til I burn it once or twice.
Only way I need my grease drain is if I run the temperature way up.way over cooking temperature. I only cooked for the two of us. Have recently just foiled or put a drip pan on the plate...thanks for the advice, I will be sticking my head in it today to see about extending the plate...
I listened to a "know it all" and welded, all the way across, a piece of angle iron to act as a grease stop....What I did was take another piece of steel and overlap the plate. That way you can slide it side to side to close or widen the gap until you find the right spot.
I grabbed a tape measure and did some checking. The FB-CC port is the width of the tank by a tick or so under 5". The other port is the width of the tank by a tick over 6". And I did weld a piece of angle iron across it to act as a grease stopper....just one of many things that I did because I listened to a certain someone on here that was not necessary....I didn't just stitch this angle iron down...I welded the entire edge of it. I am going to get my angle grinder in there when I get a chance and try to remove it.....and bolt an extension on to the plate to see if it helps...Thanks again....Do you still have that reverse flow? I converted my offset to reverse and initially had the same problem with temperatures. I think it was 250 on the far end and 295 on the firebox side. 45 degrees difference on a 42 inch long cook chamber. No better than before I converted. I tried several things before I finally tried reducing the opening between the end of the reverse flow plate and the cook chamber end wall. Now my temps are within 10 degrees from end to end minus 4 inches each side where it's hotter.
No problem. Hope it works like it did for me. I'm not 100% sure why it works but I think it has something to do with the back pressure of a smaller opening. It causes the heat to build up more at the end of the plate. After my experience, I ssuggest all reverse flow builders should have an adjustable plate in order to take advantage of all that hard work. It's an easy adjustment with big effects.I grabbed a tape measure and did some checking. The FB-CC port is the width of the tank by a tick or so under 5". The other port is the width of the tank by a tick over 6". And I did weld a piece of angle iron across it to act as a grease stopper....just one of many things that I did because I listened to a certain someone on here that was not necessary....I didn't just stitch this angle iron down...I welded the entire edge of it. I am going to get my angle grinder in there when I get a chance and try to remove it.....and bolt an extension on to the plate to see if it helps...Thanks again....
Learned a lot from my build. Going to do things quite a bit different on the next. One of them will be ano adjustable end on the plate. Plate is going to be completely flat. Far easier to put a drip pan to catch the drippings,than all that angle crap. The only way I can get the grease to come pit the drain on mine is to run the temperature WAAAAAAYYYYY up. No,drain on the next one. Definitely not going to weld the plate in completely until I do a few test burns...No problem. Hope it works like it did for me. I'm not 100% sure why it works but I think it has something to do with the back pressure of a smaller opening. It causes the heat to build up more at the end of the plate. After my experience, I ssuggest all reverse flow builders should have an adjustable plate in order to take advantage of all that hard work. It's an easy adjustment with big effects.
Hoss, morning...... The two plates, under the fire grate, is going to be a problem..... I would remove them now, before the FB is welded up...