Need help with building a large smoker from a proofer

[kastaway]

New to site and need help with converting a large bakery proofer and want to buy. It is a 2 door unit that I can put carts in. Want to do 200#'s of deer sausage. Looks like the unit max. temp is 170. Can I replace the heater  to a larger one if needed. Also will the Bradley smoke generator be large enough for this sized box.

[standles]

There are others here with similar projects and I am sure they will bounce by shortly. 

O would think at a minimum additional heaters are needed for higher temps.   
Also a PID controller (AUBER) to keep stable temperature especially for sausage making.
Finally one smoke gen might not be enough you might need duals.

That's my 3 cents  worth.
Here come the others to say differently  ;D

BTW..  Welcome to the board and since there are project folks here do a quick search on AUBER and PROOFER and you can see similar

[Tenpoint5]

A single Smoke Generator should be enough. I believe Mr Walleye only has one on his and I haven't heard any complaints. I would also suggest that you upgrade the heater.

[Mr Walleye]

Hi Kastaway and welcome to the forum.

If I understand correctly the proofer you have is a double door. If this is a side by side style unit (double wide) you may need 2 generators on it similar to this link that belongs to Iceman.
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=8300.msg87639#msg87639

Here's a couple that I have built using a single wide unit. These all run off a single smoke generator.
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=7616.msg82164#msg82164
I later converted it to 220 volt.
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=7616.msg174922#msg174922
This one I built for a friend.
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=16075.0

Mike

[Quarlow]

Hey any prolems with that glass doored one? Is there any pros or cons to the glass?

[Mr Walleye]

Q

We assumed the glass was tempered but it wasn't. It is double pane and did last a couple of months before cracking. My friend has since replaced it with a double pane tempered glass unit and so far hasn't had a problem with it.

Mike

[Quarlow]

That was my suspicion. I bet it wasn't cheap for that tempered unit. Being it would have to be custom made.

[Mr Walleye]

I never heard the final price but I thought it was around $150 to $200. He had a sheet of stainless that he could have used but he liked using it with the glass.

Smoking is a great spectator sport! providing of course you keep properly hydrated during the event.  ;D

Mike

[dumdum]

Hello Pros! I'm new here and have been following this post with great interest thinking about my plans to convert a proofer. You fellows are obviously pioneering and forefront with professionalism and technical innovations in this field! I love it! Anyway, I'd be most pleased to get all the direction I can as I prepare my project which I'd like to includes these components I've found here/there: Lang Proofer; Dayton Blower, a pair of 750 or a pair of 1100 watt strip heaters, a Bradley Smoke Generator and SSR's. My first three questions are:
1) Someone mentioned their plans to construct from a proofer with a glass door. My Lang is all stainless, rock wool insulated but also having a tempered glass door. What problems are with glass?
2) There's mention here & there about installing vents top and bottom of your units. Can anyone elaborate on the placement, size and hardware or control of these? Any pics available?
3) This proofer has a humidity control and built in 'sump' or well for adding water. Is that something that can be beneficial and if so, how should I plan to incorporate it? Or should it be removed?
I look forward to your thoughts and will one day share the details on construction of my first smoker build in the unlikely case there could be anybody dumber than me out there starting the hobby in hopes of saving the poor soul a complete failure! (I'd tell you all now but I'm afraid I might get run off the forum for stupidity before you guys help me build a successful project)!

[GusRobin]

(I'd tell you all now but I'm afraid I might get run off the forum for stupidity before you guys help me build a successful project)!

Naw, we like stupidity, especially when documented with pictures. ;D ;D

[Mr Walleye]

DD

Nothing wrong with doing your home work, then diving in with both feet!  ;)

1) We had expected the smoker I built with the glass door had tempered glass in it but in fact it wasn't. It did last a few months before cracking one day when it was running a hotter temp. We replaced it with tempered glass and so far it hasn't been a problem. Here's a link to the build. http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=16075.0

2) If you are using a Bradley Smoke Generator it will provide an adequate vent for the bottom of the unit. You will need to install a vent in the top though. On the ones I have built I installed a 4 inch vent in the top with a butterfly style damper to control it. I built my own but they are similar to this http://www.alliedkenco.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/89_367/products_id/738

3) The humidity could be useful in finishing sausage but in the ones I have built I removed them mainly because they were in poor repair so I don't have a lot of experience with this.

Mike