Hello everyone,
I'm currently pondering the idea of building a smoker out of one of those old all metal refrigerators.....you know the ones with the one handle and the freezer is in the inside. Has anyone done this already? I'm thinking I would need the smoke generator, a fan, heating element, and a PID for control. Any thoughts?
If you can post some pics of it and measurements.
Anything is possible.
PF,
my thoughts are
1) be sure that everything inside the box is paint free, do not want food to become contaminated by paint
2) be sure that there is no plastic inside the cabinet as it may melt and contaminate the food
3) remove the refrigeration system to prevent problems there
4) consider putting on a magnetic high temperature door gasket on the door
and as far as your thoughts I think your on the right track depend on the size of the unit im thinking 1500 watt heater, 250 + cfm blower, timer, pid , smoke generator, and dont forget the vent on the top
good luck
Quote1) be sure that everything inside the box is paint free, do not want food to become contaminated by paint
2) be sure that there is no plastic inside the cabinet as it may melt and contaminate the food
3) remove the refrigeration system to prevent problems there
4) consider putting on a magnetic high temperature door gasket on the door
Those are some good points.....the only one I never thought about was the door seal. I'm just tinkering with the idea.....my mother-inlaw has the frig. I'm just debating if it's going to be worth the time and effort to build it or if I should just get another Bradley and be done with it.
Quote from: pfowl01 on January 22, 2011, 06:31:27 PM
Quote1) be sure that everything inside the box is paint free, do not want food to become contaminated by paint
2) be sure that there is no plastic inside the cabinet as it may melt and contaminate the food
3) remove the refrigeration system to prevent problems there
4) consider putting on a magnetic high temperature door gasket on the door
Those are some good points.....the only one I never thought about was the door seal. I'm just tinkering with the idea.....my mother-inlaw has the frig. I'm just debating if it's going to be worth the time and effort to build it or if I should just get another Bradley and be done with it.
Nothing like building your own.
(quote)Those are some good points.....the only one I never thought about was the door seal. I'm just tinkering with the idea.....my mother-inlaw has the frig. I'm just debating if it's going to be worth the time and effort to build it or if I should just get another Bradley and be done with it.
If you do decide to convert the fridge you won't regret it, if you like to do large batches of anything the extra space you have is
great. It takes a little bit of work to get one working correctly but you will be happy. I was going to scrap mine for a Bradley but decided just to do an over haul.
My 2 cents
Hey i dont know how many of you remember a place online that was called SmokeHousePlandotcom. The guy had plans to convert an old fridge into a smoker. Very detailed and with part numbers for the controllers. Detailed measurements and the whole parts list needed.
I think the site is long gone.
I bought these plans way back then for $19.95 and have the PDF of the plans with the password to open the PDF up.
If ya want em just PM me and i will send the PDF file and PW to you.......FREE OF COURSE ;D
Well here it is....
(http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l596/pfowl01/DSC03385.jpg)
[/img(http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l596/pfowl01/DSC03386.jpg)
(http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l596/pfowl01/DSC03390.jpg)
(http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l596/pfowl01/DSC03389.jpg)
(http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l596/pfowl01/DSC03388.jpg)
(http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l596/pfowl01/DSC03392.jpg)
That's perfect. Looks virtually the same as the one I use. Now you get to start stripping it.
Its going to work like a dream.
Corey
I got one about the same age in my smokin shed, keeps my beer real cold. ;D
What is the coating inside? Is it enamel coated? If so that is great.
Those old fridges are great, the only plastic in them is usually the door stuff and just around the lip of the main cabinet.
Everything else is enameled metal. Putting a sheet of stainless or something in the door is pretty simple.
Keep the pics coming as you go.
Corey
Perfect for a keg-o-rator!
QuotePutting a sheet of stainless or something in the door is pretty simple.
Why would I have to do that?
QuoteWhat is the coating inside? Is it enamel coated? If so that is great
I believe it is ;D
QuotePerfect for a keg-o-rator!
MAAAANNN I never thought of that!!!...........Well this one is going to become the SMOKEINATOR :D
The only reason you would need to replace the door panel is if it is plastic.
If the inner layer of the door is also metal, like the rest of the interior, you have it made!
I smoked for years in a converted frige.
Jim
True about the door panel, but usually the doors have provisions for butter and all the rest. These are usually molded from plastic. Gotta get that out. Maybe take a picture of the inside of the door. Plus if there is anything on the inside of the door it usually protrudes into the fridge cabinet, taking up space. If you put a flat piece of sheet in the door you gain some room. However, you may have been lucky and the door has nothing on the inside.
Pics will help but the inside door panel should be screwed in place, just remove the screws pull the panel completely out. Then cut a piece of sheet material to cover the inside of the door. I used pop rivets, could use sheet metal screws I guess.
Corey
I've got it made............
(http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l596/pfowl01/DSC03387.jpg)
So what your telling me is that inner door panel is metal? Wow you did luck out. If it is then that parts done. ;D
Corey
Looking at the picture of the back I see that the compressor is under the unit. have you considered putting you heating system and smoke generation system down there and keep all the room in the main unit for sausage. I have done something similar with a railroad signal box I placed it up on a concrete box and concrete blocks. This gave me enough room to place my heating system under the unit. I have a propane burner which is thermostatically controlled and I also have a smoke generator in the same space. If you ever decide to use Propane give me a PM and I can give you a plan for a control system. It is quite simple and has all the heating capacity that I need. I can cook at 220 for the smoke cook process.
Kirby
QuoteSo what your telling me is that inner door panel is metal?
Well I thought it was until I inspected more closely and checked it a magnet to know for sure.............nope it's plastic :( Well I guess I'll be replacing that......thanks for the caching that!
Quotehave you considered putting you heating system and smoke generation system down there and keep all the room in the main unit for sausage.
I have considered that and I haven't decided yet. What I know for sure is that I'm using a Bradley smoke generator, electric heat, a fan, and PID control.
Quotethe only plastic in them is usually the door stuff and just around the lip of the main cabinet
Well I had some time today and I decided to ripe the guts out..........Corey you where right about the plastic.
(http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l596/pfowl01/DSC03395.jpg)
Not sure but I'm hoping I don't have replace the inside plastic molding next to the door. I'm not sure if this would be an issue? I also have a light and a door switch I'm trying to save....got it ready to fish some high temp wire in.
(http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l596/pfowl01/DSC03398.jpg)
(http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l596/pfowl01/DSC03399.jpg)
I might build some kind of racking to hang sausage off of using the four bolts in the ceiling. they use to support the frezzer.
(http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l596/pfowl01/DSC03406.jpg)
And these plastic nobs will have to go......but I might be able to use the bolt for racking.
(http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l596/pfowl01/DSC03404.jpg)
Sounds like the plan is in motion.
Always fun to watch these projects.
Keep the pics coming.
I didn't bother doing anything with the inside plastic moulding around the cabinet on mine, never had any issues. I just sheeted the inside of the door. You will have to figure out a new door seal though.
Looking good keep at it.
Corey
Corey,
If you left the plastic molding around the door and never had a problem I'm wondering if I would really need to re-panel the entire inside of the door. Couldn't I just resurface the part that is exposed to the interior of the fridge and not worry about outside edges, since those two come together and are not exposed to the interior? In other words....just the raised portion of the door panel in this picture?
(http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l596/pfowl01/DSC03403.jpg)
It looks like your well on your way Paul!
If it was me, I would remove all the plastic. Plastic doesn't have to melt in oder to give off toxic fumes. Any of the builds I have done we removed all plastic on the interior.
Before you trash the door seal, have a good look at it. I have seen some of these used without any problems. If you do have to replace it you can find rope gasket for woodstove doors at a fireplace store. I've used this before and it works well.
I like the idea of housing the heat and smoke generator in the bottom section. You could set it up similar to the one in the picture below (just how they have the lower cabinet vented to the main chamber).
(http://www.alliedkenco.com/catalog/images/SAU45300.jpg)
For hanging sausage I would just use some aluminium angle on each side wall near the top. (for that matter the aluminium angle works well at multiple levels for racks as well). Then you can hang your sausage on sticks. This way when they are done you remove the entire stick and hang it to bloom. Here's a picture of a blooming rack I built to hold up to 100 lbs of sausage from my big smoker. You can easily build it any width to utilize the size of sticks you using. It just made out of 1 & 1/4 ABS pipe. The legs are the only joints not glued so it can be easily stored.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing%20Photos/IMG00034-20101204-1151_800x600.jpg)
Mike
WOW! Mike.
That is a load of Sausage.
Thanks Sonny
I think that was 80 lbs. For me (and everybody who raids my freezer) I usually do any where from 75 to 100 lbs at a time.
Mike
WOWSERS
Mike the sausage looks great.
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/drool.gif)
Thanks Rick!
That's definitely a compliment coming from you!
Man... luv the the smiley!
Mike
QuoteI like the idea of housing the heat and smoke generator in the bottom section
Mike,
I was leaning that way also....I would have to seal up a few things first though
(http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l596/pfowl01/DSC03393.jpg)
(http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l596/pfowl01/DSC03401.jpg)
Question is....where do I install the fan? Main cabinet or lower cabinet?
I would also like to build this to have the capability to hot smoke if I want to......say up to 250-275deg. What is going to catch the grease? Thought about maybe putting a water bowl in the main cabinet similar to a gas smoker setup........any thoughts? I'm totally open to ideas and suggestions here ;D
Mike
That is a good load. Looks like you think big. I like to make it worth while when I break out the equipment.
Is that Moose meat?? Just a guess.
Kirby
Yes, you do have to design something into the smoker to look after any grease that may drip. If you designed it with the smoke and heat in the bottom portion of the cabinet you could easily foil the lower portion of the main cabinet (meat area).
As far as the circulation fan goes, to me, the circulation fan simply circulates the air in the main portion of the cabinet to keep the heat more balanced. For placement you need to consider where you will draw the air from and also where you will be blowing the air to. You can easily create a channel in the back of the cabinet to either suck the air from the top of the cabinet or vise versa. Some other things to consider is the type of fan and cfm of the fan as well.
Just to throw another screw into things... the second big smoker I built does not have a circulation fan and functions great.
Mike
Quote from: pikeman_95 on March 06, 2011, 06:58:05 PM
Mike
That is a good load. Looks like you think big. I like to make it worth while when I break out the equipment.
Is that Moose meat?? Just a guess.
Kirby
Hi Kirby
Moose meat from Moose Jaw.... that would make perfect sense! ;)
I think that load was a mixture of deer and pork.
Mike
QuoteYou can easily create a channel in the back of the cabinet to either suck the air from the top of the cabinet or vise versa. Some other things to consider is the type of fan and cfm of the fan as well.
Mike,
I'm not familiar with these fans and how they work. What did you use and how did you install yours? I've looked at your thread on your first smoker and your fan seems to be installed different than the pic in the grainger catalog that you had a link to.
looking good so far, id build a channel along the back, install the heater near the top draw the air over it and down to the bottom and place the smoke generator near the bottom, the area where you took out the refrigeration unit id put the controls and remote a pid and possible timer
Quote from: pfowl01 on March 07, 2011, 03:37:50 AM
QuoteYou can easily create a channel in the back of the cabinet to either suck the air from the top of the cabinet or vise versa. Some other things to consider is the type of fan and cfm of the fan as well.
Mike,
I'm not familiar with these fans and how they work. What did you use and how did you install yours? I've looked at your thread on your first smoker and your fan seems to be installed different than the pic in the grainger catalog that you had a link to.
Paul
The second big smoker I built did not have a blower in it and still doesn't have one. It functions fine with out it and it is a lot higher cabinet than yours. You just want to make sure you heat is coming into the upper cabinet in the center and that the cap spreads it evenly in all directions. With the Bradley smoke generator poking through into that bottom cabinet that virtually gives you the air intake as well. Add the heating element in the lower cabinet and with a 5" or 6" hole in the center going from the lower cabinet to the upper cabinet and a 4" vent in the top you should be creating a pretty good draft. I think I would give it a shot with our a circulation fan first. You could always add a circulation fan afterwords if you found you really needed one. It would save a few $ too.
Even with a circulation fan, if you have a big load, for me that's 100 lbs of sausage, the lower level will be complete first. Not really a big deal for me, especially now that I finish them in a hot water bath.
Mike,
OK..........the cabinet measures 19"w 34"h 16"d. Punched it into the BTU calculator..... http://www.heatershop.com/btu_calculator.htm (http://www.heatershop.com/btu_calculator.htm)
And it gives me anywhere from 750-1500btu, depending how you punch it in.
I'm thinking 1500w of heat should be enough. I'm going to use a PID to control them using two SSR's, a Bradley smoke generator and a fan is yet to be determined. I think I'm going to mount all of this in the lower cabinet ( except the PID of course ) and cut a hole from the lower cabinet to upper cabinet and fabricate a diffuser that Nepa sent me plans for.
When I'm going to hot smoke.........I think what I'm going to do is have a extra large removable water pan that would cover most of the floor area to catch all the drippings. When I'm not hot smoking ........take it out. I will get rid off all the plastic in the unit, get ride of the door seal and replace......... but what are your thoughts on the light?........keep it or get rid of it? Would be a nice feature, but not sure if would cause a problem down the road or not.
The only thing I would add with regards to a fan is it will help circulate the smoke more. I feel this is also a benefit other then leveling out the heat. I feel that the circulation helps attach the smoke molecules to the sausage. As you can imagine some of the smoke enters the smoker and never comes in contact with the surface of the meat. A fan increases this contact therefore increasing the smoke saturation. I have found it has helped in my smoker because I have tried it both ways and can see a difference.
Kirby
Sounds like your getting a pretty good plan together Paul.
Those old fridges actually had pretty good insulation in them so I wouldn't be surprised if a 1500 watt element would work. You should only require one SSR though.
As far as the light goes I don't know why you would leave it in there. The bulb would be constantly covered in smoke residue and would very likely seize the bulb in the socket.
Mike
Quote from: pfowl01 on March 06, 2011, 05:01:52 PM
QuoteI like the idea of housing the heat and smoke generator in the bottom section
Mike,
I was leaning that way also....I would have to seal up a few things first though
Question is....where do I install the fan? Main cabinet or lower cabinet?
I would also like to build this to have the capability to hot smoke if I want to......say up to 250-275deg. What is going to catch the grease? Thought about maybe putting a water bowl in the main cabinet similar to a gas smoker setup........any thoughts? I'm totally open to ideas and suggestions here ;D
I was planning on adding a small duct fan in mine out the top. I'm going to use a 4" chimney top with a damper in it, then if I need more flow just pop the chimney top off and pop on the duct fan. Putting it on a fan control rheostat will control the speed. I can see the only time you would need a fan would be for say doing jerky when you need to dehydrate. Regular smoking shouldn't really need one. You can get duct fans for pretty cheap.
Just a thought
Corey
Mike,
Yea I guess your right about the light....I could see it becoming a problem also. Just would have been a nice feature......although what about a housesold range light? They are covered by a removable glass dome.......you would just have to clean it every so often. Hmmmmmm....I think I'll let that one simmer for a bit ;D
What do you think about installing the fan where the light use to be....
(http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l596/pfowl01/DSC03406.jpg)
make a channel going down and have it blow just above the diffuser in the main chamber?
(http://i1125.photobucket.com/albums/l596/pfowl01/DSC03400.jpg)
How about this fan? http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/1TDU9 To big?
76 CFM @3040 rpm wow it would be a wind tunnel. Would work if you can slow it down a bit.
Corey
Mounting the fan in the light hole might be interesting. That blower motor will handle intake temps up to 450 degrees which would work great. The only thing to keep in mind is the motor portion of the blower needs to be on the outside of the smoker.
CoreyMac
76 cfm may not be that high. If you read the specs it shows the cfm is 76 but the cfm quickly drops to 50 when there is flow restrictions. I don't full understand it but longer the run you try to flow air through, the more the cfm slows down. Add corners and its even more. Also, using a rheostat would control it as well.
Mike
Quote from: Mr Walleye on March 09, 2011, 05:18:12 PM
Mounting the fan in the light hole might be interesting. That blower motor will handle intake temps up to 450 degrees which would work great. The only thing to keep in mind is the motor portion of the blower needs to be on the outside of the smoker.
CoreyMac
76 cfm may not be that high. If you read the specs it shows the cfm is 76 but the cfm quickly drops to 50 when there is flow restrictions. I don't full understand it but longer the run you try to flow air through, the more the cfm slows down. Add corners and its even more. Also, using a rheostat would control it as well.
Mike
Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan/hvac expert but it seems that by my calculations the cabinet is 6 CU/ft and even 50CFM would give 8 1/2 to 9 air changes per minute.That would almost blow all the smoke out of the cabinet. Its a nice little fan ,and it would definitely need to be slowed down to almost nothing.I have yet to test my deal but it seems to me that now that I have calculated everything (correctly I hope) If the smoker is outside, if there is enough vents properly installed a fan is almost not necessary. Different story for dehydrating however. But this is all my opinion, I have never done any actually testing so I could be completely wrong (happens a lot ;D)
Guess it boils down to put the fan in and let us know how it works ;D
Corey
Would a small 12V computer case fan be a better option? You would just need a 110AC to 12DCV voltage regulator. They are inexpensive and widely available...
Quote from: muebe on March 10, 2011, 08:31:59 AM
Would a small 12V computer case fan be a better option? You would just need a 110AC to 12DCV voltage regulator. They are inexpensive and widely available...
Thats exactly what I was considering, they are cheap and flow faily low cfm. Why spend $100 plus on a fan that you have to turn down to almost nothing. Again just my opinion.
Corey
I do computer repair work and have quite a few extra fans available. All different sizes and all 12DCV. Let me know if you want me to ship a couple to try for your mod..
(http://i752.photobucket.com/albums/xx169/muebe/IMAG0671.jpg)
Quote from: CoreyMac on March 10, 2011, 07:40:36 AM
Quote from: Mr Walleye on March 09, 2011, 05:18:12 PM
Mounting the fan in the light hole might be interesting. That blower motor will handle intake temps up to 450 degrees which would work great. The only thing to keep in mind is the motor portion of the blower needs to be on the outside of the smoker.
CoreyMac
76 cfm may not be that high. If you read the specs it shows the cfm is 76 but the cfm quickly drops to 50 when there is flow restrictions. I don't full understand it but longer the run you try to flow air through, the more the cfm slows down. Add corners and its even more. Also, using a rheostat would control it as well.
Mike
Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan/hvac expert but it seems that by my calculations the cabinet is 6 CU/ft and even 50CFM would give 8 1/2 to 9 air changes per minute.That would almost blow all the smoke out of the cabinet. Its a nice little fan ,and it would definitely need to be slowed down to almost nothing.I have yet to test my deal but it seems to me that now that I have calculated everything (correctly I hope) If the smoker is outside, if there is enough vents properly installed a fan is almost not necessary. Different story for dehydrating however. But this is all my opinion, I have never done any actually testing so I could be completely wrong (happens a lot ;D)
Guess it boils down to put the fan in and let us know how it works ;D
Corey
Corey
I'm definitely not an expert either. Just my personal experience and opinions as well.
Here's a picture of the exact same high temp blower on my big smoker. The only exception is mine is 130 cfm blower and is running full tilt with no rheostat.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v158/mmike/Fishing%20Photos/IMGP0503.jpg)
I think something you need to keep in mind is you are recirculating the air in the cabinet as opposed to pumping air through the cabinet.
I don't think the computer fans would stand up very well because of the temps.
Mike
Interesting, obviously I never would had thought that much CFM would be good. But like you said its not necessarily once through air, its circulating. I stand corrected. Gotta love that real world reality stuff (blows that theoretical math stuff completely away) ;D
For an electric smoker that seems to work perfect. I'm going to have to be more careful with fans due to the fact that I'm natural gas heated (blowing the pilot out )
Thanks for the pic.
Hy jacked this thread enough ;D
Corey
CM that is what is so great about this forum, we all share knowledge with others via our own personal experiences. It is no good to know something if you can share it.
I used a 110 volt muffin fan from a VFD on the outside of my smoker and it works very well....I will post pictures when I get a chance...
Mike,
QuoteI don't full understand it but longer the run you try to flow air through, the more the cfm slows down. Add corners and its even more. Also, using a rheostat would control it as well.
What kind of rheostat did you use on yours?
Paul
Mine runs full tilt without a rheostat. I was going to add one if I needed it but I've never felt it was required.
Mike
I would just like to thank everyone for their help and suggestions so far ;D I'm not exactly sure when I'm going to be able to finish this project ( hopefully before this fall ), but I'll be sure to keep it updated as it progresses.
I have been searching the net for detail Refrig smoker plans. This seems to be the best I have found.
Some rookie questions:
How will the heat plate fit in the bottom chamber where compressor was? Just sit in in and cut a hole?
Do you seal the open areas at the bottom of the chamber? I would suppose you do to keep in the heat?
How big a hole to cut in bottom? And I am pretty sure you remove insulation in the bottom?
I have read several that say just sit hot plate in the bottom of cooking chmaber and drill a hole for electric cord or run it out the door and it will still seal. In hot smoking will the cord and controls on the hot plate not melt in the heat chamber?
If you need to adjust the temp on the hot plate will the controls not be too hot to touch? I guess use an oven mitt.
As I said very rookie questions but I would like to build a game smoker. Tired of paying $8.50 for a 3lb stick of Jalapeno venison summer sausage.