Ok gimmies some input. I really dont want to use the original element cuz it draws 15 amps :'(
The heater. There is a plate that site over the heater.
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00029-1.jpg)
The left knob is the temp, right is the timer which is not working.
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00028-1.jpg)
Bottom of electronics. There is a 20 cfm blower in there to.
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00026-1.jpg)
This is looking across the heater at the hole in back, the blower pushes air thru this and up the back wall channel (not shown) and thru louvers in the channel to distribute heat to each tray per louver.
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00027-1.jpg)
There is a thermocouple under this plate.
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00030-1.jpg)
The cabinet is double door and totally insulated.
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00031-1.jpg)
Temp bulb on top door.
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00022-1.jpg)
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00025-1.jpg)
Bottom with electric slide out removed.
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00023-1.jpg)
Dimensions.
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00019-1.jpg)
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00020-1.jpg)
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00021-1.jpg)
I'm thinking 2 brinkman 1500 watt elements and just hard wiring the blower?
I'm thinking my 70 cfm blower might be a bit much for mine.
That is one nice cabinet there!
Won't two 1500 watt elements take 25 amps? Or are they 220 elements?
I have had to tame the fan down on my beast a bit, but really like the fan running.
It seems to cut down on my total time in smoker.
Keep us posted.
Jim
If I remember correctly that is a 120 VAC cabinet.
If the heating element alone draws 15 amps, then it should be ~ 1800 watts. If the total draw is 15 amps then a low side estimate (not knowing how much the fan draws) might be 1500 watts.
I am NO expert, but I think both the current element and the Brinkman element are simple resistance heaters. If my thinking cap is on right then I believe the way to determine the expected current draw is to use Ohm's Law.
A 1500 watt element at 120 VAC should have a resistance of ~ 9.6 ohms an draw 12.5 amps. If you wired two in parallel you would have a net resistance of 4.8 ohms giving 3000 watts and the current draw should be 25 amps. But, if you wired them in series the resistance would be 19.2 ohms giving 750 watts of power drawing 6.25 ohms amps.
If it less power, meaning less heat, that you want I think it would be cheaper and easier to just install one lower power element. or two much lower power elements in parallel - like the double element setup many have used on the Bradley to get 1000 watts.
Quote from: BuyLowSellHigh on January 01, 2011, 11:56:31 PM
If I remember correctly that is a 120 VAC cabinet.
If the heating element alone draws 15 amps, then it should be ~ 1800 watts. If the total draw is 15 amps then a low side estimate (not knowing how much the fan draws) might be 1500 watts.
I am NO expert, but I think both the current element and the Brinkman element are simple resistance heaters. If my thinking cap is on right then I believe the way to determine the expected current draw is to use Ohm's Law.
A 1500 watt element at 120 VAC should have a resistance of ~ 9.6 ohms an draw 12.5 amps. If you wired two in parallel you would have a net resistance of 4.8 ohms giving 3000 watts and the current draw should be 25 amps. But, if you wired them in series the resistance would be 19.2 ohms giving 750 watts of power drawing 6.25 ohms.
If it less power, meaning less heat, that you want I think it would be cheaper and easier to just install one lower power element. or two much lower power elements in parallel - like the double element setup many have used on the Bradley to get 1000 watts.
Ummmmm...................yeah :D
Quote from: NePaSmoKer on January 02, 2011, 05:35:19 AM
Quote from: BuyLowSellHigh on January 01, 2011, 11:56:31 PM
If I remember correctly that is a 120 VAC cabinet.
If the heating element alone draws 15 amps, then it should be ~ 1800 watts. If the total draw is 15 amps then a low side estimate (not knowing how much the fan draws) might be 1500 watts.
I am NO expert, but I think both the current element and the Brinkman element are simple resistance heaters. If my thinking cap is on right then I believe the way to determine the expected current draw is to use Ohm's Law.
A 1500 watt element at 120 VAC should have a resistance of ~ 9.6 ohms an draw 12.5 amps. If you wired two in parallel you would have a net resistance of 4.8 ohms giving 3000 watts and the current draw should be 25 amps. But, if you wired them in series the resistance would be 19.2 ohms giving 750 watts of power drawing 6.25 ohms.
If it less power, meaning less heat, that you want I think it would be cheaper and easier to just install one lower power element. or two much lower power elements in parallel - like the double element setup many have used on the Bradley to get 1000 watts.
Ummmmm...................yeah :D
Did you get all that ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???
Quote from: SL2010 on January 02, 2011, 05:41:47 AM
Quote from: NePaSmoKer on January 02, 2011, 05:35:19 AM
Quote from: BuyLowSellHigh on January 01, 2011, 11:56:31 PM
If I remember correctly that is a 120 VAC cabinet.
If the heating element alone draws 15 amps, then it should be ~ 1800 watts. If the total draw is 15 amps then a low side estimate (not knowing how much the fan draws) might be 1500 watts.
I am NO expert, but I think both the current element and the Brinkman element are simple resistance heaters. If my thinking cap is on right then I believe the way to determine the expected current draw is to use Ohm's Law.
A 1500 watt element at 120 VAC should have a resistance of ~ 9.6 ohms an draw 12.5 amps. If you wired two in parallel you would have a net resistance of 4.8 ohms giving 3000 watts and the current draw should be 25 amps. But, if you wired them in series the resistance would be 19.2 ohms giving 750 watts of power drawing 6.25 ohms.
If it less power, meaning less heat, that you want I think it would be cheaper and easier to just install one lower power element. or two much lower power elements in parallel - like the double element setup many have used on the Bradley to get 1000 watts.
Ummmmm...................yeah :D
Did you get all that ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ??? ???
Well i know how to wire from a switch panel, plugs, lights, switches but i am pretty electronically challenged when it comes to what BLSH said :D
one thing i would consider is to reverse the flow of the air and bring it from the top down and across the heater since heat naturally rises.
as for more hear, id convert it to 220 and run 2 - 1500 watt 120 volt heaters one on each leg and each heater controlled by a pid , with one pid being set 10 degrees lower then the other. , run the fan full time
Let me try this ... in a circuit the heating elements behave basically as resistors.
There are two basic ways to wire a resistor in a circuit, as shown in the image below. The squiggly lines labeled R1 and R2 represent the heating elements.
(http://www.spec2000.net/text118fp/new-2.jpg)
The top one is parallel wiring, the bottom one is series wiring.
In parallel wiring one end of each element (R1 and R2) connects to the same + supply, and the other end of each element connects to the same - supply (this is how the second heating element addition on the Bradley is commonly done).
In series wiring one end of one element (R1) connects to +, one end of the second element (R2) connects to -, and the two elements are connected two each other in between.
In parallel wiring the power of each element is preserved and additive 1500 watts + 1500 watts = 3000 watts, which at 120 VAC would draw ~ 25 amps
In series wiring the total power is reduced as the resistacne for current flow is the sum of the resistance for each element, which reduces total current flow and resulting net power. In this case using two 1500 watt elements would give you not 3000 watts but 750 watts of heating power, which would draw ~ 6.25 amps (I mistakenly wrote ohms in the original post, now fixed).
Rick, a few questions -- how do you plan to use this beast, how much will you be putting in it and how hot do want it to be able to get with a full load?
Wow......this is heavy conversation.
I'm going back to the sausage thread :D :D............something I understand
Good luck Nepas ;)
Quote from: lumpy on January 02, 2011, 08:46:25 AM
Wow......this is heavy conversation.
I'm going back to the sausage thread :D :D............something I understand
Good luck Nepas ;)
Yeah i think i need to drink a few woodchucks, sit and stare at the cabinet and figur it out :D
I see no benefit of wiring the heating elements in series. He could just use a smaller heating element and get the same results.
I guess the question is..... What are you trying to do? Double the heat? Keep the heat the same? Or reduce the amount of heat?
Do you want to use 220VAC or 110VAC?
Maybe I missed something in the first few posts? ???
Quote from: pensrock on January 02, 2011, 03:56:44 PM
I see no benefit of wiring the heating elements in series. He could just use a smaller heating element and get the same results.
I guess the question is..... What are you trying to do? Double the heat? Keep the heat the same? Or reduce the amount of heat?
Prexactly what I said, then asked.
Bottom line - to reduce current draw means less power and less heat.
Increasing heat means more power and more current. If that is desired than a change to 240 V would be the way to go.
If less power/heat is desired, then either a smaller element or possibly a rheostat are options.
110v
Doing sticks, SS and maybe jerky in it. I know there is going to be a Bradley smoke gen on it. The element just needs to get to 180*
Rick, I don't have a good idea of how low you can go on heating power and still get to 180 °F with a meat load. If the current 15 amp current draw is your concern then I believe that is the question. MY complete WAG is that it is a combination of cabinet volume and meat load (lbs).
That cabinet is pretty good size, nearly 20 cu ft interior volume by my calculation looking at your measurements in the pictures you posted. Currently a reasonable estmate of the heating element power would be ~ 1600 W. That gives you about 80 W/cu ft.
Here are some comparisons:
Bradley six rack: 625 W with the SG, 3.15 cu ft (measured interior on mine) = 198 W/cu ft
Sausage Maker : from their smokehouse specifications interior measurements and stated power:
20 lb model = 358 W/cu ft
50 lb model = 198 W/cu ft
100 lb model = 203 W/cu ft
Smokin' Tex 1500 = ~ 240 W/cu ft
Cookshack SMO66AmeriQue = ~229 W/cu ft
The common number seems to be about 200 W/cu ft, your current cabinet has ~ 80. I think you can get it hot without a load in it, but as soon as you start loading meat to smoke and cook it's going to become a mass limited issue.
Quote from: NePaSmoKer on January 02, 2011, 07:46:06 PM
110v
Doing sticks, SS and maybe jerky in it. I know there is going to be a Bradley smoke gen on it. The element just needs to get to 180*
BLSH is on track regarding the Watts per cubic feet. It is not about keeping the element at 180 degrees it is about how much heat you are able to put into the cabinet and maintain that heat. Perhaps you were meaning maintaining the cabinet temp at 180 degrees and not having an element at 180 degrees.
Think about putting a small sauce pan on the stove and you turn the stove on to low. You will heat the sauce pan to say 180 degrees at that setting however if you add water you will drop the degrees of the pan and it will take lots of time to bring the water up to 180. The more water you put in the pan the more heat you need to bring the water up to temp. Once you bring a pan full of water up to temp it is not going to take as much heat to maintain. But you will never be able to bring that water up to temp using low temp element. I am thinking that you need the power and element capable of bringing the temp of the cabinet up and to maintain it. The bigger load you put in the cabinet the more wattage you need in the element.
Ok more woodchuck :D
Nepas, I finally smoked some sausage in my big smoker and only used one 110 element (1200 watt) to do it.
The load was 10 lbs of 32mm venison sausage and 5 lbs of snack sticks.
I started there and next time will increase the load of sausage till I find the Poundage number that the element will
not handle and I guess that will be my stopping point. I am thinking with a warm (pre-heated cabinet) and sausage
at room temp and starting at a low temp and ramping the sausage in 4 to 5 steps, I should be able to limit out at 40
to 50 lbs in the cabinet. This load was finished in 9 1/2 hrs using :
130* for 1 1/2 hr drying time
140* for 3 hrs applying smoke
150* for 2 hours
160* for 2 hours
170* for 2 hours
175* till done (152*)
I used the power vent to draw out the moisture during the drying stage and I feel comfortable adjusting that time down to
1 hour and possibly down to 45 minutes.
If 15 amps is the max load you want to reach, then subtract the amp usage of the SG and find an element that falls in the range.
CRG, do you have the approximate dimensions for the interior of that beast?
Rick
My thought on a cabinet that size and keeping a load size of 50 to 100 lbs in mind, I think a minimum of 3000 watts. You can use 2 - 1500 watt, 110v elements controlled by a single PID by using 2 separate SSRs that are powered by 2 separate 110v circuits. On my large smoker, which is pretty much identical in size as yours, I'm currently running 220v and 3000 watts. I plan on building another one from scratch but a little larger and I will power it with 6000 watts, 220v.
Mike
Quote from: BuyLowSellHigh on January 03, 2011, 10:52:11 AM
CRG, do you have the approximate dimensions for the interior of that beast?
Inside dimentions of mine are 59 1/2" tall x 23 1/2" wide x 29" deep.
All the corners top, bottom and side are SS welded. It is tight.
So 1300 watts + 125 from the SG = 1325.
I calculate ~ 23.5 cu ft, so ~56 watts/cu ft.
As you ramp up it will be good info for how much of a meat load it can handle and keep the times reasonable.
I guess i skipped a couple chapters in the book, Electronic heating, controllers, Ohm's and such For Dummies :D :D
Thanks Mike for putting it in regular jahmoke terms for me.
I'm thinking it would be easier to pack all the stuff that I have onto a UPS truck and send it to Mike and have him put it all together and send it back.
If I needed a big smoker I would just buy this sucker and plug it in!!! My little 5 lb batches just does not need a big boy like that.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bfs/2132792116.html (http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/bfs/2132792116.html)
Ok, I'll step in it. Reading through the threads I didn't see any mention of heat retention, such as insulated walls and such. So saying you need such and such watts to get to a certain point might not be as much as you think. My little Bro has a converted warming box made for rolling sheet tray cabinet and can get it to 240 degrees with one 1500 watt element. It is 72x36x36. It's an old Hobart and well built.
The boiling water in a pan example doesn't work because you are loosing heat to the air, put a lid on it and it will stay hotter with much less heat.
My head hurts......
Ok lemme re do this
The proofer was from a cafeteria where they ran this at temps to 280* i can go low like 100* As most of you know i dont do sticks and SS above 180*. The element in it pulls 15 amps (just the element) i have no idea what the blower pulls. I'm trying to do this simple (for electronically challenged dummies) and cheap.
The entire proofer is 1 1/8" insulated top, bottom, sides and doors. There is no vent and is a closed unit with heat seal around the doors.
I will be back or side venting this when i get it all going.
I am still listening to everyone opinions and thank you all ;D
Rick, I don't think anyone has a good idea of how much heat power you need beforehand. I believe you will just have to start and do as CRG is doing to find what works with what you put in it versus what you need. It may work just fine as it is, or even at lower power for your use.
Being able to hold 240 or 280 degrees with a cooked product or empty isn't a good measure of how hot or fast you will be able to get it versus time with an uncooked product. Given enough time, it will get up to those temps. The question in part is how long it will take and is that acceptable to you ?
It's more than just heating the mass. During the cooking process as the meat temps increase there are conversions that soak up heat (e.g., the classic stall). As those processes take place every additional Btu flowing in gets soaked up without increasing the temp. When the conversion is complete then the temp starts up again. How fast that takes place is largely influenced by how much heat (Btu's) is provided above that needed to maintain the temp where it is. More heating power just means you can increase the capacity or tolerate more heat loss (ronbeaux's point). You may have enough already, or you may hit a capacity wall that you don't like. Then it's back to the drawing board.
I think you just need to run the experiments and find out if/where you hit a practical limit.
Rick
If you have 2 separate 110v circuits you can use, you should be able to run the existing 15A element on one circuit and the blower, PID, etc, on the other circuit.
If the existing element draws 15A then it's approximately a 1650 watt element.
Mike
Quote from: Mr Walleye on January 03, 2011, 05:55:28 PM
Rick
If you have 2 separate 110v circuits you can use, you should be able to run the existing 15A element on one circuit and the blower, PID, etc, on the other circuit.
If the existing element draws 15A then it's approximately a 1650 watt element.
Mike
I have a 6 slot panel in the garage that has 15 and 20 amp breakers in it. I do run the pool pump, freezer and fridge from it. The winter should not be a problem cuz the pool is not going.
The garage panel is run off the house panel which has no more open slots in it.
I'm thinking put a smoke gen on it, vent and keep everything else like it is, run it and see where it goes.
The only thing wrong I see doing that is if you decide to take OUT the slide in
electronics and install you own element then you will have cut a 5" hole alot
higher than you might want it.
Quote from: ronbeaux on January 03, 2011, 05:14:31 PM
Ok, I'll step in it. Reading through the threads I didn't see any mention of heat retention, such as insulated walls and such. So saying you need such and such watts to get to a certain point might not be as much as you think. My little Bro has a converted warming box made for rolling sheet tray cabinet and can get it to 240 degrees with one 1500 watt element. It is 72x36x36. It's an old Hobart and well built.
The boiling water in a pan example doesn't work because you are loosing heat to the air, put a lid on it and it will stay hotter with much less heat.
My head hurts......
Yup...
insulation makes all the difference in the world...
I can hold 225 in the stretch with a TINY fire.
QuoteI'm thinking put a smoke gen on it, vent and keep everything else like it is, run it and see where it goes.
I agree, put some bricks or something in to simulate a load and see what she can do.
Water would probably be a better choice for a simulation. Typical bricks or sand have about 2X the density of water, about the same as sand, but water has ~ 5X the heat capacity of bricks. Water has the highest volumetric heat capacity of common materials - meaning for a given volume it takes more heat to increase the temperature of water. Typical whole muscle meats are ~ 70% water.
Maybe a mix of 7 lbs water + 3 lbs sand to simulate ~10 lbs of meat ?
I think pensrock's idea of using bricks should work fine.
The goal is to see how the cabinet will heat up with a simulated load after the vent is installed and the smoke generator in place.
Heat capacity of water would seem to pertain more to how fast the meat in the smoker comes up to your desired final IT.
If it gets to Rick's top temp of 180 OK, (With bricks, water, meat, cast iron) he should be good to go.
Maybe. But meat represents a heat sink , and I doubt bricks simulate well the heat sinking capacity of 70% water laden meat. I think you would be able to more easily heat the cabinet with bricks than an equal weight or volume of meat.
Quote from: BuyLowSellHigh on January 04, 2011, 07:20:47 PM
Maybe. But meat represents a heat sink , and I doubt bricks don't simulate well the heat sinking capacity of 70% water laden meat. I think you would be able to more easily heat the cabinet with bricks than an equal weight or volume of meat.
Sorry I said any thing!
Rick, this has been gnawing on my brain since last night, so I bit the bullet and went back to heat transfer basics, which for me is very rusty but I gave it a try anyways. The issue in my mind is not about being able to get the cabinet hot enough - so long as your vent is anything reasonable with something like 1600-1800 watts of heating power you should be able to heat the heck out of the cabinet. The issue is heat transfer to meat - how fast can you get the meat to heat up.
After playing with this for a while there are too many variables (like heat lost through venting) to be able to do much other than make an semi-educated guess or rough approximation, for which I concluded simple is best.
I don't think it's about heat per unit volume (watts/cu ft) of the cabinet that is the issue, but heat per unit weight of meat. At 1600-1800 watts of heating power (in the range of 5500-6100 Btu/hour), you have about 2.5-3X the heating power of an unmodified Bradley smoker.
That leads me to a best guess that your project will handle a load of ~ 3X whatever your comfortable with in a Bradley and do about as well or better (at smaller loads) for temp of the meat versus time . Beyond that I suspect the performance (rate of heating the meat/sausage) will start to suffer. How far you can go will depend upon what you want and your comfort with temp of meat versus time.
Rick,
As you know I have the exact same box as yours. I will get some more pics taken and post them here for you. The original heating element in mine is the same as yours. I hooked that element up and it took a little over an hour to achieve 200 degrees. After a little bit of modifying (20 minutes) I added a 1500 watt Brinkmann element. This brought the 200 degreen mark down to 15 minutes. I borrowed CRG's 5" hole saw and cut in a Bradley Smoke Generator which works awesome for this box. In the top I cut a 4" hole and installed an adjustable slide for the opening, even though I have only left it fully open so far.
So for hooking up my electrical. Luckily I have a 220V line in my garage, 40 amps on each leg. I can run both of my elements on one of the legs with no problem. I am sure yours would work with two 20 amp 120v lines from the box. I tried a couple SSR's and melted them both because I didn't have the heat sink for them yet and got impatient. Now I installed an Allen Bradley Contactor (4 pole). I can send you one of these if you want, just let me know. Mine did not come with a blower so I am not running one yet, I may try covering the elements and installing a blower, not sure yet.
I only ever plan to do sausage in this box but if I have to do pulled pork or somethign that requires 250 degrees for a big gathering I am confident this box will do the job for me.
These pics are before some more mods that I have done, and I still have a bunch left, but its useable now. I have done 50lbs of summer sausage and 10lbs of snack sticks with no problem.
(http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp141/smokeitall/th_bigsmoke2.jpg) (http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp141/smokeitall/bigsmoke2.jpg)
(http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp141/smokeitall/th_bigsmoke1.jpg) (http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/pp141/smokeitall/bigsmoke1.jpg)
SIA
Yup Scott
Thats what i have to the "T".................Nice smoker ;D
Someone before i got it wired it all from 220 to 110? Why i dont know.
I'm going to use a digital smoke gen and have the shroud and adaptor for the hook up. Going with a back wall slide vent so i dont get any black rain issues.
I got the 5" hole hog BTW and TY. I will get it back home as soon as i get the hole cut.
Ive repaired a few of those units and all the ones I have worked on are 120 Volts. The biggest problem is loose spade connectors, if they get loose the amp draw is so high it fries the wiring at the connectors. They get loose at the schools because they wheel the hot carts from the kitchens to the Gyms where all the kids eat and the cracks in the side walks kill them. I don't work on those much anymore.
So. It's just a matter of a preventative maintenance program to make sure the connections are secure and you are good to go. ;)
Quote from: ronbeaux on January 06, 2011, 06:13:03 PM
So. It's just a matter of a preventative maintenance program to make sure the connections are secure and you are good to go. ;)
Well said Ronbeaux :)
Quote from: NePaSmoKer on January 06, 2011, 04:50:38 AM
Yup Scott
Thats what i have to the "T".................Nice smoker ;D
Someone before i got it wired it all from 220 to 110? Why i dont know.
I'm going to use a digital smoke gen and have the shroud and adaptor for the hook up. Going with a back wall slide vent so i dont get any black rain issues.
I got the 5" hole hog BTW and TY. I will get it back home as soon as i get the hole cut.
I think maybe Chris wants to use it after you get thru.
Check with him before you send it back.
Hey Rick I am using my elements with 120 Volts. I am using one leg of the 220V line, each leg is a 40 amp 120V. This is just single phase 220 so it just uses two 120 Volt lines to get 220. From the circuit breaker to the garage its 8 gauge (red 120V, black 120V, white Neutral)
I thought about using the 220V heater that I have but its heating so well I probably won't upgrade unless one of my 120V elements goes bad.
SIA
Quote from: classicrockgriller on January 06, 2011, 07:27:44 PM
Quote from: NePaSmoKer on January 06, 2011, 04:50:38 AM
Yup Scott
Thats what i have to the "T".................Nice smoker ;D
Someone before i got it wired it all from 220 to 110? Why i dont know.
I'm going to use a digital smoke gen and have the shroud and adaptor for the hook up. Going with a back wall slide vent so i dont get any black rain issues.
I got the 5" hole hog BTW and TY. I will get it back home as soon as i get the hole cut.
I think maybe Chris wants to use it after you get thru.
Check with him before you send it back.
Ok
I will contact him about the community hole saw :D :D
Quote from: NePaSmoKer on January 07, 2011, 10:57:03 AM
I will contact him about the community hole saw :D :D
Since it may snow here this weekend, do we have a community snowblower that someone can send me? ;D
We just got 4" :-\
NEPA, where can I guy look to find a cabinet like that or what do you call them, would like to have a larger smoker.
Quote from: bundy on January 08, 2011, 08:50:10 AM
NEPA, where can I guy look to find a cabinet like that or what do you call them, would like to have a larger smoker.
Here are a couple links of where they sell surplus items:
http://www.govdeals.com/eas/ (http://www.govdeals.com/eas/)
http://gsaauctions.gov/gsaauctions/gsaauctions/ (http://gsaauctions.gov/gsaauctions/gsaauctions/)
Quote from: bundy on January 08, 2011, 08:50:10 AM
NEPA, where can I guy look to find a cabinet like that or what do you call them, would like to have a larger smoker.
Try searching for "Crescor food warmer" On craigslist :)
I found mine at a used restaurant equipment store.
Rick, we got 8-10 inches of white stuff today. I may get to fire up the snowblower in the morning. :)
Quote from: pensrock on January 08, 2011, 03:00:17 PM
Rick, we got 8-10 inches of white stuff today. I may get to fire up the snowblower in the morning. :)
we got about 5 now.
bundy
I got mine from a friend. These are food warmers or proofers and easy to find on craigslist.
I will be working on mine as soon as my neighbor gets un-sick ;D
Here is the one my brother built from a food warmer he found at a used restraunt supply place for $250.00. Note the temp probe he found in the thread.
http://bubbakeg.com/bboard/index.php?topic=4254.0;topicseen
Quote from: ronbeaux on January 09, 2011, 07:41:46 AM
Here is the one my brother built from a food warmer he found at a used restraunt supply place for $250.00. Note the temp probe he found in the thread.
http://bubbakeg.com/bboard/index.php?topic=4254.0;topicseen
WOWSERS
I gotta get mine going.
That is one very nice smoker Randall. Care to share your mods on it or did I miss it in another Forum?
Quote from: bundy on January 09, 2011, 05:31:55 PM
That is one very nice smoker Randall. Care to share your mods on it or did I miss it in another Forum?
Randall (ranbreaux) is ronbreaux brother.
Quote from: ronbeaux on January 09, 2011, 07:41:46 AM
Here is the one my brother built from a food warmer he found at a used restraunt supply place for $250.00. Note the temp probe he found in the thread.
http://bubbakeg.com/bboard/index.php?topic=4254.0;topicseen
Very nice!
Ron, you know what that green material is that the probe wire is made of?
With the temps it withstands, it must be GOOD... (?)
Quote from: hal4uk on January 09, 2011, 09:23:42 PM
Quote from: ronbeaux on January 09, 2011, 07:41:46 AM
Here is the one my brother built from a food warmer he found at a used restraunt supply place for $250.00. Note the temp probe he found in the thread.
http://bubbakeg.com/bboard/index.php?topic=4254.0;topicseen
Very nice!
Ron, you know what that green material is that the probe wire is made of?
With the temps it withstands, it must be GOOD... (?)
This doesn't say that I saw.
http://www.amazon.com/Cole-Parmer-Remote-Monitoring-Thermocouple-Thermometer-Deg/dp/B003NV2LU0
Cole Pamrer makes some of the finest thermocouples and temperature measuring equipment around. We used them extensively for l chemical R&D labs and process control applications. The common insultations are PVC and PTFE. I doubt they are food-grade insulation, but the the insulation isn't supposed to be in contact with the food anyway.
Breaux does not intend for this probe to be exposed to higher than 200F and the coating should be good for that. It doesn't touch the food, only the tip which should be no different than any other probe.
He used an Allied Kenco controller with a 1500 watt burner and added a hot plate to smoke the sawdust. At last conversation he says he has two hot plates so when one plays out he can unplug it and switch to the other one to keep it smoking and not have to open the door.
He is able to follow the directions in the Rytek book to the letter as far as temp goes and his first batch was top notch.
He has a heat shield over the burner element so fat can't drip on it and is currently exploring a tray of some sort so all he has to do is remove it and clean it after a smoke.
I might be working on mine tonight.........YAY
Hope you get the time, would be nice to see some smoke rolling out of that big boy.
SIA
I been waiting cuz my neighbor has a couple broke ribs and i didnt want to bother him, but he text me this morning and said he would like to work on it some. What a guy ;D
Will take some pics while working
Dang Rick, I want to move next door to you too. Between you and that incredible neighbor of yours, you guys have a great time helping each other.
Working on my project. Want to give a special THANK YOU to all the forum members who gave some great suggestions and some i didnt understand. Also a special TY to a member who really helped with this. Wont say who but he knows who he is. If he wants to post i will let him say. TYVM again my friends.
Here is the work in progress. I do have a wire in the wrong place which i cought after the pics. You might have seen it ;D
The inside with all the racks in place.
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00109.jpg)
These pics are of all the original old workings.
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00111.jpg)
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00112.jpg)
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00113.jpg)
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00114.jpg)
Installing the new parts
Timer replaced with a switch.
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00115.jpg)
New relay being placed and wired.
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00116.jpg)
New thermostat.
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00120-1.jpg)
Ok catch my mess up :D
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00121.jpg)
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00122-1.jpg)
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00124-1.jpg)
Both Wires from the new switch go to the same lead on the relay?? No an Electrician by any means just guessing
Quote from: Tenpoint5 on January 16, 2011, 06:21:53 AM
Both Wires from the new switch go to the same lead on the relay?? No an Electrician by any means just guessing
good catch.
i fixed the problem :D
Good job!!! Is it making heat yet?
That box is gonna rock!!
Quote from: Keymaster on January 16, 2011, 07:21:24 AM
Good job!!! Is it making heat yet?
getting real close to heat.
Going to finish here in a few.
Looks like you got things going your way, freepas! ;D
A Smoker is being conceived right before our eyes!
All wired before power up.
Look ok?
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00126-1.jpg)
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00127-1.jpg)
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00128.jpg)
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00129.jpg)
As far as I can tell by the pictures ;D Fire in the hole ;D
Its close to smoke in the hole :D
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00134.jpg)
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00135.jpg)
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00136-1.jpg)
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00137-1.jpg)
Here is my low low budget video :D
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/th_M4H00146.jpg) (http://s868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/?action=view¤t=M4H00146.mp4)
Cool video, Next comes the smoke generator and then a Boat-Load of sausage stix ;D
That is looking great Rick.
SIA
Thats gonna be one heck of a smoker NePas.
NICE!!!!
We got heat, smoke to come soon! Congrats! ;D
Hinges on now and a couple more pics. Next a smoke gen and one of my smoke daddys. I have sumpn up me sleeve for the vent ;D
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00141.jpg)
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00148.jpg)
(http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/DSC00142.jpg)
Cool its got wheels so can wheel it over to my house
Oh Heck Yeah...Looking good Rick!
Quote from: SL2010 on January 17, 2011, 04:31:38 PM
Cool its got wheels so can wheel it over to my house
It dont have an easypass though :D
80 aint a toll road yet
It's all down hill to my house ::)
Nice lookin rig there Rick. Waiting to see what you come up with next.
Where did you get your door locks? I need to get 2 for my rig.
Thanks,
SIA
Quote from: smokeitall on January 18, 2011, 10:32:18 AM
Where did you get your door locks? I need to get 2 for my rig.
Thanks,
SIA
Looks like a lock for a double hung window, check Lowes or Home depot
Quote from: OU812 on January 18, 2011, 12:35:25 PM
Quote from: smokeitall on January 18, 2011, 10:32:18 AM
Where did you get your door locks? I need to get 2 for my rig.
Thanks,
SIA
Looks like a lock for a double hung window, check Lowes or Home depot
Yup
like a sash lock for a window. Like $4 at homepeepot
It's looking really good, Rick. Can hardly wait to see the first load out of that thing. Have a plan for what it will be ?
Had a minor setback with the wood chip pan not getting hot enough, so the huge smoke daddy is on it. will have photos later.