Like you I found that my small offset burned a lot of fuel when I first got it. To do a 4 to 8 hr cook it would use more than half a 20 lb bag of charcoal and a bag of wood chunks. Keeping constant temp was hard when refueling. I did figure out how to manage fuel efficiently and maintain constant temps. Small splits of good dry seasoned wood made the difference. When I added large pieces/chunks of wood temps would drop then overshoot when they burned. Now I use 1 chimney of charcoal and feed small splits of dry seasoned wood to the fire one at a time. They start burning as soon as you put them in and temps stay stable. I think you said your paint was peeling. I thought it could be caused by over fueling with larger pieces or too much wood causing an over temp spike when they burned.
IMO a reverse flow is best for and offset. I did a mod to mine and have been happy with it ever since. I also made a wood splitter that works like a charm and turns my large splits of wood into small splits. It will take some time to figure out how your rig runs. This is what I have learned with mine. Hope this helps.
Boykjo
IMO a reverse flow is best for and offset. I did a mod to mine and have been happy with it ever since. I also made a wood splitter that works like a charm and turns my large splits of wood into small splits. It will take some time to figure out how your rig runs. This is what I have learned with mine. Hope this helps.
braunfel reverse flow modification
Got busy this morning and decided to turn my braunfel into a reverse flow. Not happy with the way its hot at one end and cold at the other..... so I found some free plate steel and went to work..... removed the smoke stack and cut out the stack holder and cut a new hole for holder prepped...
www.smokingmeatforums.com
Boykjo