# Air flow issues



## Paulie Walnuts 440 (Sep 3, 2020)

Hey all I wanted to pick everyone's brain about air flow in my offset standard flow smoker. I have a nice bed of coals inside and I have the door cracked and usually maintain temps around 275 to 250 all around. However sometimes when needing to add some more wood I notice my wood will smolder when I lay on the coals and I see that there isn't much air flow and I adjust to try and move coals around etc..i took out the fire wood grate inside and just burn directly on the bottom. Any ideas to keep good airflow ?


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## bill1 (Sep 3, 2020)

Refueling tends to disrupt the natural draft, that's just the way it is.  I don't think it's a crime to have a small desk-sized fan blowing nearby to force a little flow during and after refueling.  It should definitely not be powerful enough (or close enough) to blow ash into your cook chamber.  Depending on the size of the wood you added, you may want to run this for .5-2 minutes, verifying good burn and flow, based on observing the smoke out the stack. Gradually pull it away, verifying steady smoke, until you can turn it off, at which you've developed a good natural draft once again.   You can stick your face in the intake and blow from your lungs to do the same thing (the traditional approach) but an electric fan just seems a bit more civilized and easy.


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## Smokin Okie (Sep 3, 2020)

I tried burning in the bottom of the FB on my Brazos.   It had positives and negatives.    And I also had trouble getting new splits to ignite,  no matter how long they sat warming on top of the FB.

What I tried to do,  was created a " ditch " in the coal bed and then lay the split across the ditch.    But it was still a process every time I added a split.

I've since bought an LSG Fire Basket and don't worry about it ,  anymore.


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## tjbrasher (Sep 3, 2020)

You might want to try Lone Star Grilz fire management box.  A little pricey but made of heavy metal and is well constructed.  Check it out on their website, works as described.  It concentrates the coal bed which facilitates lighting add-on sticks.  I have an OKJ Longhorn, so I got the 20" model.  I have only used it once, but maintaining fire seemed to be much easier.


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## tjbrasher (Sep 3, 2020)

Correction, Lone Star Grilz Fire Management "Basket"


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## Alphonse (Sep 3, 2020)

Yes, you need a grate or even better a fire management box.
It is all about combustion air flowing under the coal bed.    Keeping the flame going gives you good smoke. 

Here's a photo of the Lone Star Grillz fire management box at work.  It sits on top of the grate so it gets great air flow from underneath.   I found the cost of it to be relatively inexpensive for the value it represents.


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## D.W. (Sep 3, 2020)

You'll need the grate or basket to get proper airflow. Also, warming your split on top of the firebox will help with quick combustion and a clean burn. When you add your split keep the door open a bit wider until the split ignites, and then close the door to cracked or whatever your preferred preference is.  Also make sure the wood isn't green, maybe it isn't fully cured.  I cook with firebox door cracked and dampers fully open.


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## Paulie Walnuts 440 (Sep 3, 2020)

Ok thanks for the tips everyone and I was doing ok with doing directly on the FB just as long as I had a decent coal bed but it seems that after a while the coal bed isnt as good which is weird because I figured all that burning i would..ill look into those baskets . I also noticed some small ash on my grates and even little pieces of wood and I made sure the splits were free of debris.


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## Smokin Okie (Sep 3, 2020)

Is your firebox round or does it have a flat bottom ?

I was told by the barbecue intelligentsia elsewhere,  that the LSG made their basket because of a design flaws in the fireboxes,   which have a flat bottom.   And the basket really wasn't meant for round fireboxes where the coals will center.

The primary value of the LSG basket for me, is it helps me build my fire away from the cook chamber,  the basket is 12" long,  my firebox is 20".     And I locate it near the door end.   

But it also helps me build a good coal bed and the splits ignite quickly.

My next experiment,  is to turn the LSG Basket sideways,  at the door end of the firebox.    That would get the fire even further from the cook chamber.


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## Paulie Walnuts 440 (Sep 3, 2020)

Smokin Okie said:


> Is your firebox round or does it have a flat bottom ?
> 
> I was told by the barbecue intelligentsia elsewhere,  that the LSG made their basket because of a design flaws in the fireboxes,   which have a flat bottom.   And the basket really wasn't meant for round fireboxes where the coals will center.
> 
> ...


I have a flat bottom firebox and I see many who burn on firebox have the rounded firebox. I actually put the grate back in and I'm burning a lot better in there right now. I'm going to purchase the Lonestar grillz basket tomorrow and try that. I noticed a lot of ash is traveling throughout my cook chamber..any ideas on why ?


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## Smokin Okie (Sep 3, 2020)

Here's where the idea came from .........


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## Paulie Walnuts 440 (Sep 3, 2020)

Hahahah great video thanks a lot ..it makes perfect sense and that's what ive been trying to achieve and now they make something to make life easier I'll go ahead and give it a try..


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## Smokin Okie (Sep 3, 2020)

I just checked LSG site,  and the 20" is out of stock.   Has been for some time.   All they have is the 24".     But I heard there suppose to have them available soon.


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## daveomak (Sep 3, 2020)

Paulie Walnuts 440 said:


> I have a flat bottom firebox and I see many who burn on firebox have the rounded firebox. I actually put the grate back in and I'm burning a lot better in there right now. I'm going to purchase the Lonestar grillz basket tomorrow and try that. I noticed a lot of ash is traveling throughout my cook chamber..any ideas on why ?




I'm gonna guess because I can't see your smoker.....
The lower air inlet is too low and stirring up ash....   Weld a plate inside the smoker just below the lower air inlet holes at a 45 deg. angle to deflect the incoming air upward....  
If you do not have upper air inlet hole, which I think you do not have because you would not have the ash problem, put the upper air inlets in your fire box....




















*This set of inlets is my choice*..... but they all work...


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## Paulie Walnuts 440 (Sep 3, 2020)

No upper inlet as you guessed..could it be all that ash from a coal bed directly on firebox that eventually just turned to dust and when I try and create airflow inside the box for proper flow with the wood im kicking up the ash or just like you mentioned the design?


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## Paulie Walnuts 440 (Sep 3, 2020)

Here some pics


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## tjbrasher (Sep 3, 2020)

Smokin' Okie is right, coals do tend to center in a round box if you are making your fire on the floor of the box.  Seems most folks, myself included, have a grate in their round fire boxes 2-4" off the bottom to facilitate airflow around the wood.  That essentially creates a flat surface for the fire similar to a rectangular box.  I too like that the LSG basket allows you to position the fire with greater flexibility.  Being a little OCD, I just put mine in the center.  I have a LavaLock baffle plate that diverts the heat downward anyway.  The basket certainly concentrates the fire exactly where you want it!


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## Paulie Walnuts 440 (Sep 3, 2020)

Lavalock baffle plate? What one do you have ?


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## Paulie Walnuts 440 (Sep 3, 2020)

I don't believe my fire box is insulated.. Weird question but would fire bricks help with that? Like build something to insulate inside ?


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## tjbrasher (Sep 3, 2020)

BBQMods.com.  Click on pit section.  I purchased the one that fits the Oklahoma Joe Longhorn that I bought 20 years ago.  My pit is 3/16" thick which is better than current models, even though mine was post Charbroil buyout.  I lined my firebox with 14gauge stainless on the bottom half, and 1/8" on the door, top quarter section opposite door. quarter section above the air inlet door, and the quarter section below the CC(inspired by Created thread, I think back in 2015 or so).  I made cardboard templates of each section and to show my machine shop guy the circumference to roll to for the curved sections.  I have had similar experience that Created had, pit cooks much better with less fire.  No experience with fire bricks, but would think they would help in rectangular box.  Hope this helps.


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## Paulie Walnuts 440 (Sep 3, 2020)

Thanks for all the information and I think I'm going to have some custom work done like daveomak mentioned also ..i purchased a smoker from Piggy Back smokers and so many issues with the quality of work done..its already showing rust


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## tjbrasher (Sep 4, 2020)

Just be sure to check out end cost of your mods.  I really had not used my OKJ Longhorn much because I was never really happy with the uneven temps across the CC and difficulty in keeping enough fire to keep temps up.  After installing the baffle plate, door gaskets for fire box and CC door, toggle clamps for CC door, and the additional plating in the firebox, it is an entirely different smoker!  Easy to control fire and keep even temps in CC.  I now find myself enjoying cooking more than ever.  A major shoutout to all of the great threads on smoker mods that made all of that possible.  I put around $400 of mods into a $450 smoker, but I feel it was certainly worth it.  Only thing I am thinking about now is enlarging the 3" smoke stack.  Can't decide if I want to cut the old one completely off so it will be 4" all the way, or to just sleeve inside of a 4" elbow and go from there.  Think I will get a few more cooks under my belt and then decide.  Happy smoking'!


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