Off Topic - Build Mod for HM


 
WBegg said:
Dang John! I was supposed to have finished mine before you, since I started over a year ago. Looks great!!
Click to expand...

Technically, it's not finished yet, lol. I still need to paint the bottom legs, but I need to get the expanded metal and weld it in then I can finish the painting.

John
 
I'm pretty sure I've solved my grease leak. A 2 gallon water test in the grease pan yesterday succeeded without leaving any trace on the concrete, but it's still going to be a couple of weeks at least before I weld up the bottom. Smoking for 15-20 people next weekend just because.

Figured out why my cooks have been running so stinkin' fast.... looks like my pit thermocouple is reading about 50 degrees F lower than actual. If I get the chance this week, I'm going to run a boiling water test on it. Fortunately, I have spares and alternatives.
 
It's finally Done!!!!!

rpPrL1S.jpg
 
I've owed some brisket to some folks around town for some time, so I started last night with 3 full packer briskets, and managed to run myself into several problems at once.

I tried a different power supply on the HeaterMeter. In theory, a 1 amp supply should be sufficient, and this one is desirable as it's got a right angle barrel connector so the HM fits in the pocket on the smoker better. Turns out that it just doesn't enough oomph for the fan & damper assembly. I went back to the 2 amp supply with the straight through barrel connector.

Next problem.... pit sensor location. AIR FLOW...... had it sitting above and too close to one of the briskets, it was reading artificially low for most of the night, so the cook chamber was hotter than the HM thought it was. Fan & damper were 100% WFO for the entire cook so far, as far as the HM is concerned, it's never gotten up to temp.

Briskets were wrapped around 2:30 AM in butcher paper, first brisket hit 200 degrees around 8:00 AM, 2nd hit around 10:00. Given what the HM thought the cook chamber temps were, and that the briskets went in at 8:00 PM last night, I know the chamber is a lot hotter than the HM thinks it is. Now that the brisket probes are hanging out, it's plain to see that, they're reading 310 to 320, down around flue level.

I'm also suspecting a fuel problem. When I pulled the 2nd brisket, I'm getting a pretty good spark pile out of the firebox. Not real happy about that.
 
Long overnight smoke. 2 packer briskets, 2 pork butts, then 4 quartered chickens. Power supply issue.... use a 2A supply. Air flow... check. I went back to my previous brand of charcoal, not a hiccup.

I lit it off a couple of hours before a major straight line storm rolled eastward over the top of me. Only a brief power outage here, but less than a quarter of a mile away, they're still without power 15+ hours later. Internet service for me was down for 15 hours. The village here looks like a disaster area, trees 2' in diameter have been tipped out. Chainsaws have been running all day.
 
JKalchik said:
Next problem.... pit sensor location. AIR FLOW...... had it sitting above and too close to one of the briskets, it was reading artificially low for most of the night, so the cook chamber was hotter than the HM thought it was. Fan & damper were 100% WFO for the entire cook so far, as far as the HM is concerned, it's never gotten up to temp.
Click to expand...

<scratches head> Got another brisket running tonight (playing games with the firewall, sorry, no online visibility.....) and having issues getting the cook chamber up to temp. Looks like I may be having problems with ash bridging over the firebox grate, preventing airflow from the inlet through the firebox into the cook chamber. I gave the grate a healthy shake and a shot from a 50k BTU propane burner and the cook chamber temp is going back up nicely again.
 
What are you all using as insulation for these? It appears maybe a rock wool product? I have considering adding insulation to my vertical smoker for better efficiency.
Thanks.
 
And for the wool, buy a good bread knife. It cuts the wool very easily, plus, it's an easy sell with the wife. Just tell her you're buying a bread knife.
 
Been a while since I've been on the heater meter forum but nice to see a smokerbuilder.net build going on over here! I've been thinking about building one of these cabinet smokers.

How hot does the heatermeter shelf get? how hot would it get if it were enclosed some what for weather protection? (sorry if this has already been asked)
 
Yes, warm enough that the steel is uncomfortable after a couple of seconds. No noticeable change to the HM case, stand, or a plastic bag if it's raining. If I do this again, I'd wrap even more insulation around the backside of the pocket. I had thought about an RF transparent cover, but that might not be such a good idea.
 
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