Extra ventillation ... vents added


 
Shawn W

Shawn W

TVWBB Emerald Member
I added two top vents to my WSM today. I'll get some pics posted up later.

It went ok, but not perfect. One of the holes moved on me, I swear!! The center hole for one of the vents is off but not too much. The other thing ... ugh ... I used an 18V cordless drill with adjustable torque. I should have turned the torque down because the step bit grabbed on twice and bent the metal a bit and marked up some the enamel surrounding the affected holes. I think I'll touch up the finish with high temp black bbq spray paint.

I've got three additional vents to add to the bottom but I have a cook to do tonight so that will have to wait.

What am I trying to do? I've always had trouble keeping temp up. So between all the extra ventillation and the new clay pot saucer I got I hope to finally fix that .. even with 32 lbs of butt in the WSM.

Second I'm hoping the extra airflow will allow me to grill or try pizzas on stones up to around 600ºF of so. Extra airflow might even give up some great poultry skin.

Once all the vents are added I'll do a test burn to see how hot I can get it and post my results.
 
Shawn,
I have been wanting to do this for a while now for the same reasons. Question did you puruchse actual WSM vent controls and rivit them in? Please email me or send me pics.
 
Originally posted by Rick Soliman:
Shawn,
I have been wanting to do this for a while now for the same reasons. Question did you puruchse actual WSM vent controls and rivit them in? Please email me or send me pics.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I bought Weber damper assemblies, they are bolted on instead of riveted.
 
dude I think thats sweet, I have a big ? to ask though. what if a guy wanted more bottom vents... so the ? is w/ HIGH HEAT COOKS control would I be ahead to add two more vents on top to level out the 'flow' of the cooker if there were lets say and additional two on the bottom? or I wonder if one vent would be suffice (or whatever the word) you know what I mean?, or no..? and could you explain more about how that would help you control your temp. on big loads, as I always just thought it was the amount of air (bottom vents) + water/sand/etc. and the top vent was to a)keep the "flow" or whatever going to maintain a hot fire and b)damper only somewhat the temp and flow for temp. control./ or as instructions say "steaming" (which is sorta funny to me) but anyway just wandering more about it in general. thanks, i think its badass. -Dan

I read your post closer and realize you are adding bottoms as well.. (I was just obsessed w/ the pic mostly) so I guess I think I understand, you just want more horsepower like I do. so nevermind just keep us posted and hurry, lol. get ta cookin'!
icon_smile.gif
thanks.
 
sorry to comment twice but as I sit here at this very moment wishing my temp. would get past 300 for my bb's I am more intrigued. If this works out for you I may have to bug you for help w/ mine as my ONLY mod. to me the handles are a "nahh" and pokin holes for therm's "nahhh" etc. etc..... but this is sweet unless it bombs! hehe. but really this is my fav. idea of a mod. And I thought my built in grill was as cool as it gets. honestly i've thought of more vents but never had the guts therefore it seems your the originator, but i'll follow. maybe I could like turn my lid upside down and cook w/ the handle inside the cooker and for some odd reason it would do something awsome to the food and it could be called the "Dan Method" and you could be the "ventilator" and we'd be right up there w/ Jim Minion. thanks for posting all this
icon_biggrin.gif
 
6 bottom vents?
icon_confused.gif
you could always just take the door off
icon_wink.gif
I dont think I'd go as extreme, but adding a lid damper would be fun if nothing else. Make sure to post some photos when you get all 9 dampers (27 holes)
icon_eek.gif
drilled/installed. Somebody call the guinness book too, I think this is going to be a new world record.

Brandon
 
Originally posted by Dave/G:
Shawn,
Please tell that thing to stop looking at me
Click to expand...
I didn't notice before, it does sort of look like a face ... Aztec artish?

About all I can suggest to make the face go away is rotate the image.
icon_biggrin.gif
 
Originally posted by Brandon A:
6 bottom vents?
icon_confused.gif
you could always just take the door off
icon_wink.gif
I dont think I'd go as extreme, but adding a lid damper would be fun if nothing else. Make sure to post some photos when you get all 9 dampers (27 holes)
icon_eek.gif
drilled/installed. Somebody call the guinness book too, I think this is going to be a new world record.

Brandon
Click to expand...
I'm only adding 5 dampers @ 4 holes per for 20 holes total. geeze man.
icon_biggrin.gif


Your point about propping the door .. I meant to mention that as one of the reasons why I'm doing this. I don't like propping it open but I did it all the time. It falls down sometimes and a couple times I didn't notice and got a runaway fire. Not too severe later on in the cook but it really 'stinks' if it happens at the start of a MM cook.

I want to increase the ability to make heat without propping the door and without losing the ability to regulate temps (still run low if I want to). As long as the dampers close up tight it should work just fine. I would like to be able to hot smoke at 500ºF.


Here's how I see it:

At this point I've tripled exhaust capacity. The coals should be able to burn at least as hot as three vents worth of airflow will allow because there are an equal number of vents.

I'm going to double the air intake capacity. Weber gave us three bottom and one top vent .. 3:1, 33% (venting). I wouldn't go any 'leaner' than that like 4:1 (25% venting) because I recall Jim Minion saying 'backpressure on venting can cause creosote production'. So, I'm going to 6:3 (50% venting). With three top vents it should be okay to have 9 bottom vents. I'm not ruling it out yet but I don't think it's likely I will need to go there.
 
Originally posted by Dan H.:
sorry to comment twice but as I sit here at this very moment wishing my temp. would get past 300 for my bb's I am more intrigued. If this works out for you I may have to bug you for help w/ mine as my ONLY mod. to me the handles are a "nahh" and pokin holes for therm's "nahhh" etc. etc..... but this is sweet unless it bombs! hehe. but really this is my fav. idea of a mod. And I thought my built in grill was as cool as it gets. honestly i've thought of more vents but never had the guts therefore it seems your the originator, but i'll follow. maybe I could like turn my lid upside down and cook w/ the handle inside the cooker and for some odd reason it would do something awsome to the food and it could be called the "Dan Method" and you could be the "ventilator" and we'd be right up there w/ Jim Minion. thanks for posting all this
icon_biggrin.gif
Click to expand...
Sure thing Dan and thanks. BTW: myself and others may have been thinking about adding extra top vents, but Bob Hunter in this thread is the first I know to actually do it.
 
I added 1 extra vent to the top of mine earlier in the year. I did this mainly to cook in the 350° - 375° range.

you can check this topic out for the mod.
Vent Mod

Works really good. I use the Stoker for temp control, and with both vents open its sits nice and stable 375°
 
Shawn,
What water pan are you using with this mod? Are you using water, sand, clay, or nothing at all.
I use no water and can keep 300-350 all day long with one vent but I cant get above 400. So I have been planning on this mod for over a year.
Cant wait to do it.
Thanks
 
Originally posted by Rick Soliman:
Shawn,
What water pan are you using with this mod? Are you using water, sand, clay, or nothing at all.
I use no water and can keep 300-350 all day long with one vent but I cant get above 400. So I have been planning on this mod for over a year.
Cant wait to do it.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Hey Rick, my first cook with two extra top vents was 6 picnic halves and it was my first use of foiled stock water pan + foiled 12.75" clay pot saucer. I ran all three top vents at 50% (50% more top ventillation than a stock WSM) for the first couple of hours then dialed it back to 3 open at 33%.

Before the mod when I would throw in say a 15lb turkey with two lit chimneys of lump or briqs and a couple of quarts in a water pan it would start around 325ºF - 350ºF and settle down to around 250ºF within a couple of hours.

Next up on the testing path is some roadside chicken or a turkey with top and bottom vents at 100% and two chimneys of lit to see how high it will settle at with an empty foiled pan.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top