Looking for members that has fan installed

[lumpy]

I am looking for members that have fan kits installed in BDS.
Want to do it myself but want more opinions on the change.

thanks in advance
Lumpy

[beefmann]

lumpy,

here is my fan heater mod

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=17329.0

and yes you do need to run it with a pid and timer and here  is that

http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=17304.0

the timer switches on the smoke generator for 4 hours then turns it off as it turns on the fan and pid in turn controls the heater

[lumpy]

Thanks Beefman
This is more complex than I would like to do. I have added the second element already, just want to add the fan.
Not sure how the fan gets its power? On its own or is it tied into the BDS somehow?

[OU812]

I have fans in my smoker and just plug them into the wall outlet.

[Mr Walleye]

Hi Lumpy

Here is the post I did a few years ago on adding the fan.

http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?186-Fan&p=848#post848

Certainly adding the fan helps by moving the air in the cabinet around and especially getting it off the back wall. Although it doesn't completely eliminate the need for rack rotations it does help. I think when we start to crowd the cabinet is when we see more temp differences in various areas because the meat is influencing/blocking a fair bit of the air movement in the cabinet. Either way I think the fan mod helps.

Mike

[beefmann]

on mine the fan gets its power off the  timer and the heater gets its power from the pid, anyway good luck with your setup on either way you go

[lumpy]

thanks for the tips guys!
I have a tendency to overload the BDS which causes the hot/cold spots. Go big or go home eh!
This spring I will install the fan kit and try not to overload the smoker. Either that or get myself a proofer like some of you have.

Lumpy

[Mr Walleye]

Lumpy

You could also just buy a 2nd Bradley like some of the members here have done. That way if you only need one, you only use one.

Not a bad idea for sure but I'm already planning my next build....

Mike

[pikeman_95]

Lumpy

I have a non Bradely smoker where I use a metal squirrel cage fan which is external of the smoker cabinet. I suck hot air out of the smoker and then blow it back into the smoker just over the smoke generator inlet. This spins the air in the smoker. I feel it helps the smoke saturation on the sausage and evens out the temperature of the smoker.

here is the fan with a weather cover.



this is the fan inlet and discharge.

[NePaSmoKer]

I wanna move next door to Kirby  ;D

[muebe]

Pikeman.....That circulation fan setup must make a mini "Smoke Tornado" in that cabinet :o

[Tenpoint5]

That's kinf of the same idea I have going for my proofer smoker when I get back to working on it. Kirby, what is the cfm for your fan? The one I have is a 70 cfm. I will be blowing the air inthrough the back of the unit reheating the air and sending it back out of the louvers like nepas has in the back of his unit

[beefmann]

Pike ,

your fan / blower set up is like mine, though i have mounted the actual blower inside of the smoker while the motor sets on the outside

[TedEbear]

This is more complex than I would like to do. I have added the second element already, just want to add the fan.
Not sure how the fan gets its power? On its own or is it tied into the BDS somehow?

Did you add a PID controller when you did the dual element?  My fan turns on/off via the high temp alarm output on the PID.  I have it set so that if the chamber temp gets to 100*F or above it turns on the fan.

[lumpy]

Yes I have a PID and was thinking to put a reostat on the fan so I can control the cfm's. I would also like to make the fan temperature controlled.