Self refilling water tray?

Started by queball, April 27, 2010, 10:33:01 AM

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queball

Has anyone on the forum done any experiments on a retro fit too refill the water bowl during long smokes,  :) . This would also save the heat from opening the smoker up to check level. Something similar to what they have for pet dishes. Just thinking out loud after my dish dried up over night. ;D

DTAggie

Sure would be handy if someone could figure that out.

FLBentRider

I'm not so much for the filling but the emptying, I've not had one run dry in a while.

An aluminum baking pan (disposable type) instead of the bowl works great for long smokes.
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ArnieM

I dunno queball.  Maybe you have a new add-on product there.
-- Arnie

Where there's smoke, there's food.

classicrockgriller

Come on! You got to have something to do. Geez.

I mean you don't have to worry about adjusting the temps with the pid.

You don't have to worry about putting wood on the smoker with the smoke generators.

You have your temps remoted to you by way of the maverick.

Like FLBR said if you use a disposible cake pan for a water bowl, you will only have to refil

once on a  l o n g  smoke (plus 20 hrs).

I can handle that.

Adult beverage in one hand and a picture of hot water. ;D

Captainslug

#5
Just an idea..... And maybe someone else could work out the details.....  

An upside down 2 liter pop bottle with the bottom (neck) above the water line and some how piped so that the end of the pipe is just below the water level in the bowl.  Once the water starts to evaporate and exposes the end of the pipe, a "glug" of water would flow down and top off the water until again the end of the pipe is below the water level.  Pipe would have to be copper or some kind of metal and go through the side of the smoker so that the water bottle would be kept out of the smoker.  Seen pet water dishes like this but without the pipe.

Whacha think?  Would something like this work?
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Captainslug

#6


With the brown line being some type of flexible hose/pipe and the black pipe being something like the copper pipe they use for icemakers.  All you would need is a stand to hold the bottle upside down and a way to connect the flexible hose to the bottle.

Again,  Just an idea.
Bradley Digital 4 Rack Smoker, 8 Std Racks, cold smoke adapter, 3 alum. pucks, 2nd element, circ. fan, Dual probe PID

ArnieM

Quote from: classicrockgriller on April 27, 2010, 12:27:10 PM
... and a picture of hot water. ;D

I don't think the picture would work Sonny  ;D ;D ;D
-- Arnie

Where there's smoke, there's food.

ArnieM

Captain, I'm sure it would work.  I have a humidifier that uses the same principle.  Water reservoir on the bottom with a water bottle to feed it in the same manneer.

Of course, you might have a flood instead of a fire  ;D
-- Arnie

Where there's smoke, there's food.

Captainslug

#9
Well you would have to keep the tip of the pipe lower by a little bit than the top of the bowl/pan to prevent floods.  And if you use the icemaker copper tube and leave it long enough you could use what ever size of pan you like just bend it to your needs. Also some sort of clothes line clip to pinch the flexible hose to shut it off for the removal of the pan.
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BuyLowSellHigh

Get an old carburetor float body - use a large pan in place of the old float bowl portion - support float body ass'y so floats rest in the pan - hookup water instead of gasoline.  Voila!
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Captainslug

#11
Better be from a V-8 at least!

I was thinking some sort of float mechanism as well but all you need is a puck to land there and hold the float down and then you have new version of FTC - Flood The Cabinet
Bradley Digital 4 Rack Smoker, 8 Std Racks, cold smoke adapter, 3 alum. pucks, 2nd element, circ. fan, Dual probe PID

pensrock

You could mount a water level sensor in the bowl and have it connected to the PLC then using a small pump and a solenoid.......
;D ;D ;D A little too much?  ???

Captainslug

Could have the sensor set up to set off an alarm and/or flashing light.  Neighbours would be wondering why the cops are in my back yard at 3am. ;D  :D
Bradley Digital 4 Rack Smoker, 8 Std Racks, cold smoke adapter, 3 alum. pucks, 2nd element, circ. fan, Dual probe PID

BuyLowSellHigh

Well, you could place a level sensing bowl with a float/sensor on the outside and connect it to the inside, bottom-to-bottom.  The level at the top outside = level at the top inside.  Just need to get the level on the outside level bowl right.   
I like animals, they taste good!

Visit the Recipe site here