Fire box vent mod

[Brauma]

Hey guys, I'm going to have to replace the entire bottom of my firebox and smoke chamber. Rusted out. I have a half sheet of 1/4" plate laying around from a previous job that I intend to use just because it's laying around.

Anyway, while I am re-doing the entire bottom of the firebox, I had an idea to install vents on the bottom of the unit like a Weber (adjustable of course) for more breathability options.

Has this been done before? What are your thoughts?

[thillin]

I wouldn't mess with vents on the bottom. The firebox will have the ash pan on the bottom, and the smoke box will have a grease issue.

The new bottoms will probably need some support due to the weight.

Just get some more 1/4" and make a whole new Bandera. If I had the tools and knowhow, I might try. :D

[Brauma]

I'm going to have to replace a little more than the bottoms actually. The area around the smoke hole is gone too - the area where the 2 boxes meet is rusted out and it's sagging inward on itself. Seems this unit was left outside a long time. I'm thinking of just doing the whole lower end in 1/4" and welding it all up as one unit instead of repairing the 2 boxes seperatly and then bolting them back together.

I think I read somewhere that the smoke hole needs to be a certain size and so high off the floor. I think 2" on the heigth of the hole. Is that right? If you were redoing the smoke hole area would you make the hole higher of lower than where it comes from the manufacturer? Now is the time. Give me some dimensions and I will report back.

[kcquer]

I think I read somewhere that the smoke hole needs to be a certain size and so high off the floor. I think 2" on the heigth of the hole. Is that right? If you were redoing the smoke hole area would you make the hole higher of lower than where it comes from the manufacturer? Now is the time. Give me some dimensions and I will report back.

Mark, I don't think the placement is ultra critical. The stock arrangement is more or less 4" of overlap with the 2" opg being 1" off the floor of the smokebox. If you look at smoker mfgr sites, e-Bay etc.. you'll see about every possible firebox arrangement. The one dimension of the whole thing I would change in your situation is the firebox height. Granted this will require some shortening of the legs or alternate mounting to the legs but an extra 4-6" added to the depth of the firebox would be of real practical benefit, particularly if you have thoughts of basket burning (Minion Method). Linear pattern baskets are only marginally effective as they are difficult to control (easy to get too much fuel burning at once) and don't keep the hottest part of the fire between the newly igniting fuel and the food as would be ideal.
By adding firebox height, you'll have the room to basket burn from the top of the fuel pile downward which is vastly superior to a linear burn.

Take some pics as you build, I'd really like to see your progress as well as the finished product!!

[Brauma]

Oh yeah. This is what I'm looking for. I can easily drop the fire box and change the leg heigth. I'm thinking of discarding the base altogether and mounting my Bandera on a small metal trailer. So I will make the legs whatever heigth I need them. The thing is too darn heavy to roll around where I need to take it. We have an outdoor kitchen area planned so this is where the Bandera will sit most of the year. But twice a year we throw a big outdoor bash that is about 100 yards away (see my thread in Cattle call, "Spring Session"). There is no way I would try to roll this thing that far. When I get it mouted on a trailer, I can take it to friends houses or where ever.

I had wondered how the smoke travels from the firebox to the smoke chamber. Looks like it has to go down to go into the smoke chamber. (As you can see I have not used it yet) I definatly want to build a basket or 2 so lowering the firebox makes sense.

Any more design changes?

[BBQchef33]

most important think to remember is that the opening to the smoke chamber is Higher than the fire. when u said

I'm thinking of just doing the whole lower end in 1/4" and welding it all up as one unit instead of repairing the 2 boxes seperatly and then bolting them back together


i interpert that as the firebox bottom and smokebox bottom being the same height. if thats what u meant, don do that. Look at the pictures of my custom built bandera in our photo gallery. First one had the one piece intergrated bottom and it didnt work well, heat doesnt travel well sideways. The second version, i lowered the box and had the heat rise into the chamber, that one works perfectly.

the photo album has a second "version II" album to show the differences.


http://www.bbq-brethren.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album26&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php

[Brauma]

Phil, thanks for the reality check. I wasn't planning on making the bottoms of the 2 boxes flush. I was just thinking of cutting out all the rust and welding a piece of 1/4" plate in between the 2 boxes keeping the existing relationships of the 2 boxes and smoke hole as was. Yep, I got it, the fire box needs to be lower. Looking at the position of the stock Bandera hole, it looks like the hole is almost even with the fire grate. Maybe a squeak higher. I will lower the fire box as much as possible. That'll be a great mod.

Note - Im trying to insert a photo here but Im having one of those computer moments. It'll let me add any photo except the one I want. Unbeleivable. Sometimes I hate these little farking machines.