My Latest Project.........

[Mr Walleye]

What can I say.... I just always have to play! 

And.... Iceman is my hero! 

I'm in the process of modifying a used Lockwood Proofer/Warmer Cabinet into a smoker. My main purpose for this is to do larger batches of sausage, although it may get used for larger batches of anything.

I haven't got very far yet, more in the planning stages than anything. I picked up this Proofer from a guy who was no longer using it. It's been sitting outside for a while so it has lots of oxidization on it, but it cleans up fine using steel wool and a mixture of vinegar and water. I should have taken a photo of it before I got started ripping it apart but I didn't. So far I have removed all the heating elements out of the bottom of it and removed the blower which was seized. The unit was too tall for where I want to locate it so I removed the top portion (about 5 or 6 inches) which housed the controls. It was a simple case of drilling out the rivets. Later, I will shorten this section and reinstall it for the top. I have also removed the casters that were under it because I will permanently mount this in my garage as well. When I removed the top controls I wasn't very impressed with the insulation in it. It was insulated with fibreglass insulation and very little of it. So, I have now removed the back, sides, bottom and door as well and will be re-insulating with mineral wool insulation which has a much higher temperature rating.

So far so good.... Now the plan....

Heating & Air Circulation
I thought I would tackle these together. My thought is to use a high temp blower, draw the air off the bottom of the smoker and return the air blowing it across two 725 watt finned strip heaters. The blower would run full time and the elements would be controlled by a PID. The CFM of the blower is 76 and the maximum air intake temperature is 450 degrees. By using the blower and finned strip heaters I should be able to consolidate the exposure to the heating elements from any grease and in turn reduce the risk of fire. The reason I felt two 725 watt elements was because of overall size.
Here is a link to the finned strip heaters I was going to use...
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/2E924
Here is a link to the high temperature blower I was going to use... There is also a slightly larger blower available with 82 CFM and the blower itself is a larger diameter. I'm not how much air movement I want. I know the circulation fan I installed in the Bradley is about 30 CFM and this cabinet is a lot larger.
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/1TDU9 This is the 76 CFM blower.
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/items/4C723 This is the 82 CFM blower.

Smoke Generator
I have an OBS smoke generator that I just purchased from Bryan at Yard & Pool which I will be mounting on it.

Vent
I felt I would make a 4 inch vent in the top of the unit, similar to the style of the one in the top of the Bradley. I think a 4 inch is enough???


Let me know what any of you guys think... Go ahead and shoot holes in my plans... I would sooner change my plans now, rather than later... Ice... What do you think?

Thanks guys

Mike

[Habanero Smoker]

Wow! Look like a great project.

[pensrock]

Mike, Sounds like a great project. How big is this thing? The reason I'm asking is if it is say the size of a double door cooler, like they sell soda out of, I would consider a vent over each side. Then by adjusting the vent openings you can assure the smokes is flowing around all the product and not just in up and out. Hope you understand my thinking. If its just about the size of a regular fridge than I would think the one four-inch would be plenty.

[Mr Walleye]

I'll have to take some actual measurements but off the top of my head its about 66 inches high and about 26 by 36 inches. It's a little larger than a standard fridge but not as big as a double door cooler. If you have seen Iceman's units it is very similar except it's the size of the one door unit.

Mike

[pensrock]

Cool, if you want I can check at work to see if 1450 watts is enough to handle that size of a unit. I think all we need to know is the cubic feet of the unit, the desired temp and how long expected to get to temp. I know there are heat loss calculations that deal with the insulation, load size and so forth but I think I can at least get a ball park idea for you. Let me know the variables mentioned and I'll see what I can come up with. It would be a shame to order two 725 watt heaters if two 1000 watt heaters may be whats needed.

[Mr Walleye]

Thanks Pensrock

I would really appreciate that. I will take some actual interior measuements tonight.

Before I tore the unit apart I fired it up with out the blower working. I'll have to check but I believe it only has a 1200 watt element in it and even with the almost non existant insulation it would maintain a 200 degree temp but it take about 45 minutes to get there.

Mike

[westexasmoker]

Mike,

You're gonna have to put a pic up of this new project, its got me curious, I love building(breaking!) stuff!

C

[Mr Walleye]

Here is a little more information.
The outside measurements are 25" W x 31" D x 66" H
The inside measurements are 21.5" W x 28" D x 61" H
The insulation in the sides, back, top and bottom will be 1 1/2 inches of Roxul Mineral Wool and the door will be the same insulation but it will be 1 1/4 inches thick.

Click on the Photos to enlarge them

In this picture I set the top portion that I have removed back on just to give an idea of the original height. When the wheels were under it, it was about another 4 inches higher.




This picture shows the interior. The inside of the door has been removed for insulation. You can see off to the right in the photo both the back panel and inside of the door leaning against the wall.




This picture shows the top control panel area removed. You can see the oxidization on the top of the control panel part of the cabinet (lower left of the photo). The clean spot is where I gave it a quick scrub with fine steel wool and a little vinegar & water.




This photo shows the unit laid down waiting for insulation and to be riveted back together.




Mike

[Mr Walleye]

I came across this BTU/Watt calculator. I thought some of you guys might be interested in it.

http://www.heatershop.com/btu_calculator.htm

According to this for average insulation and leakage I would need 1547 watts.
If it had good insulation and tight leakage I would need 773 watts.
This was based on a temp increase of 120 degrees above ambient (ambient being 70 degrees).

Mike

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

Mr. Walleye,

Somehow, I think you need more electronics on this...   

Arcs_n_Sparks

[West Coast Kansan]

well call me a worry wort but I worry about ventilation.  4 inch out is fine for the SG In.  But the ventilation is driven by temperature difference unless you are powering that too.  If not I would put addition adjustable vents in both at the top and bottom.  Mike, keep in mind I have no clue what I am talking about but it is easy now vs later. Sausage wont see a huge tower temp, But then the moisture will be lower so condensation may not be a big deal... you have fun and I will worry       

[Mr Walleye]

Hi WCK

I will be setting this up under my range hood, similar to how my DBS is setup. So, it is kinda a power vent. 


Arcs

I agree... more electronics !    I just need to figure out what?

Mike

[Arcs_n_Sparks]

Arcs

I agree... more electronics !    I just need to figure out what?

I think you need humidity sensors with feedback to a stepper motor controlling the vent. That way, the brain can figure out relative humidity and avoid condensation. 

Arcs_n_Sparks

[Mr Walleye]

Arcs

I agree... more electronics !    I just need to figure out what?

I think you need humidity sensors with feedback to a stepper motor controlling the vent. That way, the brain can figure out relative humidity and avoid condensation. 

Arcs_n_Sparks

But... But... But... What would I do then?   

    

Mike

[iceman]

Arcs

I agree... more electronics !    I just need to figure out what?

I think you need humidity sensors with feedback to a stepper motor controlling the vent. That way, the brain can figure out relative humidity and avoid condensation. 

Arcs_n_Sparks

But... But... But... What would I do then?   

    

Mike

You could then use the left over brain space to develop an automatic beverage delivery system to the smoker.