top vent flow issues

[George Curtis]

at times when i'm smoking or indirect cooking I notice that when there is a breeze that the flow of smoke out the top vent can be messed up. even seen times where the flow just about stopped. so I usually stick something round over the vent and that works perfectly. the other day I was smoking in my mini but this can apply to any grill, I saw this happening. so I noticed a small cheap metal pail near me and it was the perfect fit for the sj vent. I quickly cut the bottom out and stuck it on and all was good. so i got these at the dollar rack at target but just keep an eye out for these cheap pails that will fit the vents and use them to help the air flow out the top vent when there is a breeze that is messing with the air flow.

 

[Geir Widar]

With all respect George, are you sure this will make any influence on the cook? Just asking.

Charcoal cooks are quite forgiving, and not very accurate. That's what makes it so fascinating. If you want to carefully measure the cooking environment, sous vide baths are my first choice.

 

[Gary S]

I tried these out to see if I noticed any difference

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I'm not so sure it did. Two dome vents made a big difference when I wanted HH

 

[George Curtis]

I had a previous cook that I had some issues and the cook took longer than normal in the same situation. but no can or pail. I know it seems funny but when I see no flow regularly during the cook then I have to assume it will have some effect. this time I used the pail and with the breeze the same I now saw a nice constant flow of smoke. my cook this time was around the same time as i'm used to. just an observation. use it or not, just sharing my experiences.

 

[Gary S]

George I've found sheltering the lower vent from wind seems to make a bigger difference for me. I read about the chimney effect with cans so decided to give it a try. I know Peter Z uses a much longer chimney on his WSM. I only used the cans once or twice, they made by vents black from the smoke. Like you I enjoy trying different ideas or setups. I'm not using my WSM nearly as much now since I bought the 26 inch kettle. I've played with the venting on it for better LNS.
Having burned wood for a number of years as a heat source when I lived further north I know you can create a lot of draw with a chimney.