# Masterbuilt Propane Smoker - need parts



## beparrish (Dec 21, 2020)

I have a 30" Masterbuilt propane smoker. I've used it for several years now, and it does exactly what I need it to do.

However, it's starting to show signs of wear. There is a protective ring around the burner that the Flame Disk Bowl sits on, and it is disintegrating. See the picture below:








Any tips or suggestions as to how to address or repair this ?? This ring is part of the structure, and according to the manual, isn't a separate part that can be ordered.

Thanks....


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## JLeonard (Dec 21, 2020)

Watching, as I have propane smoker also from Masterbuilt. I dont have that problem of yet.
jim


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## Murray (Dec 21, 2020)

Not familiar with the propane smoker.  Looks to me that you would have to cut the protective ring out and tack weld a replacement. Another option might be a piece of pipe slightly larger than the existing ring and slightly taller.  Slip the new ring over the existing rotted out old ring and tack weld the new ring in place. Not even sure if you need to weld the new ring on. Could it just sit there?  The new ring would only move side to side by the difference in diameter from the old vs new ring and gravity would hold it down.


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## cmayna (Dec 21, 2020)

Were you resting a pan or the on the ring?   If so, I would cut the old ring out, build a self standing water pan frame that will sit on the floor surrounding the burner. Then place the water pan on top of the frame.   If you feel you need a ring to protect/block the flame, then you could incorporate a new ring with the  frame.


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## beparrish (Dec 21, 2020)

cmayna said:


> Were you resting a pan or the on the ring?   If so, I would cut the old ring out, build a self standing water pan frame that will sit on the floor surrounding the burner. Then place the water pan on top of the frame.   If you feel you need a ring to protect/block the flame, then you could incorporate a new ring with the  frame.




Yes, a bowl/disk sits on top of this ring, and the bowl/disk holds the wood chunks for smoking.

The bowl/disk has feet, so it will stand by itself. I think the purpose of this ring is to keep the heat concentrated so that it exits via the slits in the bowl sitting directly above it. Here is a stock photo of a new Flame Disk Bowl:







And here is a picture of it in use:







What I'm thinking about doing is cutting the feet off of the bowl, and then using bricks to encircle the burner, and then place the bowl upon the bricks.


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## DanMcG (Dec 21, 2020)

remove all the rusted out metal and make a new one out of sheet metal. it wouldn't be to difficult to do with simple tools


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## cmayna (Dec 21, 2020)

Also looking at the pic,  I would scrape/clean the floor really well to inspect it's durability.  If too holey, you might consider welding in a new floor while you're at it.


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## bill1 (Dec 21, 2020)

I wouldn't even remove the remains of the old one, (although any job requiring a dremel tool is usually hard to pass up.)   Instead clean it up with a wire brush and vacuum and use what's left standing as a template for a new made from sheet metal.  The roofing repair section of a hardware store should have some options.  Could be a good excuse to get a pop riveter if you don't have one.  

I think I've seen fish come in steel cans about that size.  A can opener on top and bottom could give you a 30-second fix.  A 3# coffee can is probably a bit undersized and you'd have to cut it down.  

Good luck and show us the finished work.


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## crains (Dec 21, 2020)

It looks fully rusted. I think you need to replace the full ring.


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## beparrish (Dec 21, 2020)

bill1 said:


> I wouldn't even remove the remains of the old one, (although any job requiring a dremel tool is usually hard to pass up.)   Instead clean it up with a wire brush and vacuum and use what's left standing as a template for a new made from sheet metal.  The roofing repair section of a hardware store should have some options.  Could be a good excuse to get a pop riveter if you don't have one.
> 
> I think I've seen fish come in steel cans about that size.  A can opener on top and bottom could give you a 30-second fix.  A 3# coffee can is probably a bit undersized and you'd have to cut it down.
> 
> Good luck and show us the finished work.



Will check out the roofing section of the local hardware store and see what options it offers. I know my brother has some pop riveters from my dad that I should be able to use.


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## normanaj (Dec 21, 2020)

bill1 said:


> I think I've seen fish come in steel cans about that size. A can opener on top and bottom could give you a 30-second fix.



Yes.

Food service industry cans are just about the right diameter.One can will give you two rings.Most restaurants will have these size cans in abundance.

If you want the factory part it can probably be found here:





						Repair Your Grill: Shop Replacement Parts for 24,880 Models
					

Shop for genuine replacement parts to exactly fit your grill and 32 other appliances. 3 Clicks. It's that Easy.  ✓ Select your Brand and Model, then view all our parts. Also view part photos and download diagrams and owners manuals. 700+ Brands and 170k+ Models. Live Chat with our techs.




					www.appliancefactoryparts.com


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## HalfSmoked (Dec 21, 2020)

I had the same problem and I replaced the ring and I use a grate from an old propane grill side burner as a grate. The chip pan was a water pan from a old MES 30" Electric that died.














Had a friend make the ring.

Warren


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## bill1 (Dec 21, 2020)

I'd be curious to hear from other propane smoker owners if they even have that ring.  I'm not sure it serves any good purpose so you could quite possibly remove it and not miss it.  (Although I recommend you maintain circular symmetry within at least at least a few inches of your round flame so I wouldn't leave just half of it there.)  

You do need something to hold your chip/chunk pan above the flame, with room for the flame, heat, and air to flow around the sides of the pan and into the smoker interior.  But that be a couple small rebars attached from the side or something that has legs and rests on the base (away from the flame hole).


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## HalfSmoked (Dec 22, 2020)

To me it was a part of the design  so the manufacture had a reason for it.  If you look at the chip pan in post #5 of this thread you can see it had vent holes. Which also allowed the flame to set the chips unfire. The reason most of us went to the cast iron fry pan.

Warren


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## HalfSmoked (Dec 22, 2020)

HalfSmoked said:


> I had the same problem and I replaced the ring and I use a grate from an old propane grill side burner as a grate. The chip pan was a water pan from a old MES 30" Electric that died.
> 
> 
> View attachment 476360
> ...




Thanks beparrsi I appreciated the like.

Warren


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## cmayna (Dec 22, 2020)

I use a cast iron to help distribute the heat.  No  wood chips.  I use one of my AMNPS tubes just inside the lower front door.


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## bill1 (Dec 22, 2020)

HalfSmoked said:


> To me it was a part of the design  so the manufacture had a reason for it.  If you look at the chip pan in post #5 of this thread you can see it had vent holes. Which also allowed the flame to set the chips unfire. The reason most of us went to the cast iron fry pan.
> 
> Warren


Thanks Warren.  MB put some vents/slots in that ring (I missed that in BParrish's first rusted-out pic) so you can place a chip pan directly on top saving them a separate support part.  And you can also see the flames burning up all his chips with minimal smoke and maximal heat.  Trying to get the balance right between flame size and pan spacing to avoid flare-up only gets harder with pellets.  I think that's why wood chunks with a flat face resting down on a pan is the way to go with these propane smokers (unless you use an AMNPS or other method that completely separates the propane heating flame from the smoking source.)  

It helps a bit to place a flat steel plate over the pan with only a few small holes in it.  Starving off the airflow to nicely smoldering/smoking wood is a good way to prevent/postpone that transition to flame.


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## jpr46815 (Dec 22, 2020)

The ring on my 40" disintegrated so I removed what was left and used some gas pipe fittings to make a stand and placed rebar across it.  I have always used a cast iron skillet for my wood chips so this now holds it well.


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## HalfSmoked (Dec 23, 2020)

bill1 said:


> Thanks Warren.  MB put some vents/slots in that ring (I missed that in BParrish's first rusted-out pic) so you can place a chip pan directly on top saving them a separate support part.  And you can also see the flames burning up all his chips with minimal smoke and maximal heat.  Trying to get the balance right between flame size and pan spacing to avoid flare-up only gets harder with pellets.  I think that's why wood chunks with a flat face resting down on a pan is the way to go with these propane smokers (unless you use an AMNPS or other method that completely separates the propane heating flame from the smoking source.)
> 
> It helps a bit to place a flat steel plate over the pan with only a few small holes in it.  Starving off the airflow to nicely smoldering/smoking wood is a good way to prevent/postpone that transition to flame.



Not sure why they made the chip pan the way they did or why they continue to build it that way. Maybe they have stock in a cast iron co.     

Warren


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## beparrish (Dec 23, 2020)

So my first attempt is going to be to buy the following from Home Depot, and cut a section 1.5" high from it.







I'll also drill some vent holes in it, then place it over the burner and put the chip pan on top of it. Not sure how long it will last, but with a 5 foot pipe, I should be able to get a lot of rings out of this. We shall see !!


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## HalfSmoked (Dec 23, 2020)

Check the diameter of the ring if I remember correctly mine was 7" round so check before buying pipe.

Warren


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## beparrish (Dec 23, 2020)

HalfSmoked said:


> Check the diameter of the ring if I remember correctly mine was 7" round so check before buying pipe.
> 
> Warren



I measured it at 7" round. So I'll buy the 7" round duct pipe, and if it's a touch too tight, I'll just cut a small slit in it and force it over the remaining lip in the smoker box.


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## bill1 (Dec 23, 2020)

beparrish said:


> So my first attempt is going to be to buy the following from Home Depot, and cut a section 1.5" high from it.
> 
> View attachment 476570
> 
> ...


The stuff is sold as a flat sheet that you roll up and stick one end in another to form the "seam".  The flatness will make it easy to shear to 1.5" height.  But there's not a lot of overlap at the seam  See if you think the joint you'll get will hang together.  If not, get the 8" dia and just overlap the edges and use a sheet metal screw or rivet where they come together  
I use a lot of this flat duct pipe...it's cheap sheet metal.  And you can make lots of different diameters by piecing together various sizes.


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## beparrish (Dec 29, 2020)

So here is what I did. I bought a piece of 28 gauge galvanized sheet metal (24" x 36") from Home Depot, and cut a 1.5" strip from it. I made a circle 7" in diameter, and fastened the overlap using pop rivets. I then drilled some ventilation holes in the ring. Below is the finished product:














The chip bowl set on it correctly, so it looks like it's ready to go.

I'm not sure how long this will last, but it was easy to construct and I have plenty of leftover material for replacement rings.

The only other thing that I may need to do is to enlarge the ventilation holes. I'll find that out the next time I smoke something.

Thanks for everyone's help and suggestions !


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## cmayna (Dec 29, 2020)

Nice ring job.  Glad to see you have been able bring the smoker back to life.  Unless the chip tray seals up the top of the ring that much, I can't imagine having to enlarge the existing holes.    But then again, it's been awhile since I have looked at my set up.


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## HalfSmoked (Dec 29, 2020)

I'm sure you are going to hear about using galvanized metal. But I think ones you fire that smoker for while it should be fine. That is with no food in it.

Warren


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## bill1 (Dec 29, 2020)

beparrish said:


> ...only other thing that I may need to do is to enlarge the ventilation holes...


I'd just double or triple  the number you already have.  That's the same as enlarging the existing holes 41 or 73%.  
Large holes in thin metal, esp when close to edges, have a way of going awry.  (Unless you have Greenlee panel punches.)


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## beparrish (Dec 29, 2020)

HalfSmoked said:


> I'm sure you are going to hear about using galvanized metal. But I think ones you fire that smoker for while it should be fine. That is with no food in it.
> 
> Warren



Thanks - I didn't realize that there could be an issue using galvanized metal. I'll fire it up tomorrow and let it burn for several hours.


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## beparrish (Jan 5, 2021)

Guys, would it be acceptable if I were to spray paint the galvanized metal ring with a high heat grill paint ?? I figure that would be easier than buying more metal and fabricating another ring.

TIA !!


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## HalfSmoked (Jan 5, 2021)

With the ring being more or less right in the fire I don't think there is any type of paint that wouldn't burn off. Just my $.02

Warren


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## Amos_Moses (Jan 5, 2021)

Did you use steel pop rivets?  Being that close to the fire I imagine that would soften aluminum up quite a bit.


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## beparrish (Jan 5, 2021)

Amos_Moses said:


> Did you use steel pop rivets?  Being that close to the fire I imagine that would soften aluminum up quite a bit.



My brother did the pop-riveting, so I'll need to ask him. Knowing my luck with this project, he probably used aluminum.  LOL


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## HalfSmoked (Jan 5, 2021)

Don't think he used aluminum.

Warren


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## HalfSmoked (Jan 6, 2021)

Thanks for the likes bill1 and beparrish they are appreciated.

Warren


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