Working on fire box mod need input

[kcquer]

Fire box mod in progress. My specific question is... the fire box is 12" tall (nom.) the door opening is 9.5" tall, my fire grate is 1" thick, this leaves me 8.5" to divide between air space under and acessibilty for adding fuel above. My b'mann 'dera doesn't have the adjustable hangers so I gotta fashion legs under my new grate and I need to know how tall they should be. :?:

[willkat98]

Would you happen to have a digital camera to post a pic?

Are there any flanges on the firebox walls at all?

I can stop by and check the BMann model you have at Menard tomorrow

My first question though is how high is the opening into the smoke chamber? I will check mine, but I beleive my grate is at, or slightly above, the opening into the smoke chamber, and that is on the lowest rack level.

If you are too low, you run the risk of flames entering into the smokebox. Someone posted here about a grease fire up the wall of the smokebox.

Since your making permanent "legs" I would want to check this at home before I can give you any hard advice. The trick is to fashion a leg or support system that is adjustable (not necessarily during a cook), which you can raise up or down, maybe removable legs with different sizes?

I'll get out the tape measure before tomorrows brisket.

[kcquer]

Would you happen to have a digital camera to post a pic?

No, do have 35mm and scanner if that will work?
how high is the opening into the smoke chamber

7.5 inches from fire box floor to bottom of exchange opening. If i put fire grate that high, that only leaves 2 inches to feed fuel through end door. Would really like to have more room than that, I would like to avoid having to open fb lid ever during cook if possible.

[BBQchef33]

My advice.... .Dont overthink this mod.
The firegrate in my bandera is about 1-2 inchs below the opening to the chamber. In the Klose pits, its about 6 inchs. The key is to have the heat below the opening so it rises into it and still leave enough room for ample airflow below the fire as well as room for ashes. As long as the grate is lowetr than the opening, airflow underneath is the more important factor. And as long as the baffle is installed, a little flame going in for a few minutes is dampered by the baffle and waterpan. I avoid that by loading new fuel in the midlle of the firebox, then pushing just coals closer to the opening if I need to.


IMHO, the bandera and bmann side doors are too small to bother using for reloading unless its a quick toss of a chunck or 2. Heat recovery from opening the top of the firebox is quick as long as you have a coalbed. its not like opening the cook chamber. And if you dont have a coalbed, you will need to reload from the top anyway. i've always reloaded the bandera from the top.

The BYC however, you can drive a Buick into the firebox from the side door. So thats always worked on from the side.

[BigAl]

My advice.... .Dont overthink this mod.
.

Hail Mary! :shock:

[jt]

I haven't had a chance to get expanded steel yet so I made 4 "S" hooks out of 9 gauge wire and hung the grate that came with the 'dera a little higher. I cooked a 7.5# brisket and didn't run out of ash/air space underneath. I also did most of my loading from the top - I was in there such a short amount of time it didn't seem to affect the temps much. And it recovered very quickly.

[kcquer]

I'm went with 5.5 inches grate to door just because of how some other parts worked out. Would like to share my photos if some one wants to talk me through how to get them through the scanner and to the site.

[BBQchef33]

easy to post to the site, jsut use tha ATTACH option on the post reply. Not the 'quick post" window, but the post reply buttom at the bottom of the thread.

if u need help with the scanner, I'll walk ya thru it over the phone. let me know.

[kcquer]

Well fellas here is how it came out, I installed 8x8 unglazed quarry tile 2 deep around the perimeter of the fire box. Used cut tiles for grate support. Tiles 77 cents ea. Bought 2 boxes of 16, 1 box 50% off it had been dropped and a few edges were chipped, bought 2 abrasive saw blades for table saw $4 ea. Total cost 30 bucks. Lined fire box bottom and 3 sides, smoke box bottom. Did short test fire last night 2 tiles cracked where I cut them too tight but still in place. Got that sucker hot 350 plus a little in the smoke box, if they survived that figure they'll withstand lots of cookin temps. Not shown in this picture are 2 pieces of 1x3 angle 13 in long bolted to grate to hold tiles in place. Held heat much better, took lots less fuel to hold 235. I hope its decent tomorrow (rain in the forecast) this baby is gonna lose her cherry (pork butt & beef roast).Thanks for the help, scott

[tommykendall]

Very impressive.

[racer_81]

that's one bigass picture....

[kcquer]

that's one bigass picture....

Mod, how do I keep that at a more reasonable size next time?

[brdbbq]

Someone has a resizer somehere ?????

[willkat98]

Won't let me upload it.

[brdbbq]

Why :?:

[willkat98]

.exe extension.

[Solidkick]

I copied it, resized it, and sent it to him in an email. He should have it fixed shortly. :)

[kcquer]

He should have it fixed shortly.

Should being the operative word...finally got it, thanks for the solid, Solid and apologies to every one else I'll try to get my **** together when I try that again.

[racer_81]

He should have it fixed shortly.

Should being the operative word...finally got it, thanks for the solid, Solid and apologies to every one else I'll try to get my **** together when I try that again.

No problem. I have broadband, so bandwidth is not a problem.

[smokemeister]

that's one bigass picture....

Mod, how do I keep that at a more reasonable size next time?Some of us appreciate the larger detailed photos...

[kcquer]

:? here goes, firebox mod phase 2

[kcquer]

Tiles in the smoker box, note screwed together baffle, made from 16ga steel so made in 3pcs as I didn't see anyway in hell I could bend that stuff to make from 1pc.

[colt45]

when we comment on big pictures it is usually because we have to scroll left to right not because of bandwidth issues... you should always simply reduce your picture to say 640x480 or so maybe smaller... but dont reduce the quality of the image... make sense?

josh

[kcquer]

because we have to scroll left to right

I can relate to that for sure its a hassle not to be able to read the text w/o scrolling but I'm a dial up user and page load time shouldn't be a hassle for others like me either. Just find learning new things at my age frustrating and struggling with new stuff even more so.

[kcquer]

Found a good use for that factory ashpan, way less heat lost through fire box lid with this in place.

[Bigdog]

Nice simple mod kc.

[willkat98]

KC,

I like it. is the pan sitting on the rim, created by the new side slate panels?

Your gonna add a ****load of years to your cooker with those mods brother, and save a crapload in fuel and farking around. Unfortunately,(?) you'll now have more time to drink. :)

[kcquer]

Yes, the new or brinkmann model at least has a lip for the firebox cook grate to sit in, that pan just fit like a glove, Did have to bend the front edge in a bit so the inside lip on the lid would clear it. The tiles just had to be shaved a bit to set right in. The tile was kinda tough to work with but I got good tools, cut them on the table saw with abrasive blade.

[kcquer]

KC,

I like it. is the pan sitting on the rim, created by the new side slate panels?

Your gonna add a ****load of years to your cooker with those mods brother, and save a crapload in fuel and farking around. Unfortunately,(?) you'll now have more time to drink. :)

Just putting into practice a few tips I got from some friends of mine :wink: ,appears to have been sound advice.

UNfortunately, yeah and it would be unfortunate to find I won powerball last night?

[BigBelly]

I know this sounds silly but how did you get the tiles to adhere to the sides of your firebox, and to eachother? Was it only those 13 inch long angle iron holding the tiles in place?

I just recently got mah baby and will be doing the mods prior to cooking in her for the first time. Home Depot will be my new best friend for a few days. Let me know what I need to buy in order to get the deed done. Take a gander at my shopping list. This one and a few other mods I am looking to do to my baby here within the next week.

So far my shopping list looks like this:

Firebox Mod:
- 8x8 unglazed quarry tile (2 deep around the perimeter of the fire box)
- Abrasive saw blades for table saw
- 2 pieces of 1x3 angle 13 in long (bolted to grate to hold tiles in place)

Firebox Charcoal Basket:
- Expanded steel and assorted angle iron
- 4 steel bolts, 2 inch (these will serve as the legs to the basket)
- 8 steel nuts for bolts

Silicon Door Mod:
- High Heat Silicon
- Vaseline

Baffle Mod:
- Old cookie sheet from the kitchen

[kcquer]

Was it only those 13 inch long angle iron holding the tiles in place?

Yes, wasn't really angle, just bent leftover 16ga sheet from my baffle mod.

BB, I don't really recommend the tiles in the firebox, they eventually crack due to the insides heating faster than the outside. They work great just not for a long time. I strongly suggest you take the time to find firebrick splits (1 1/4" thick) instead, as I need to do now. The tiles work well in the smokebox but that's not without hassle either. I spent $20 on dremel bits to make the 2 recesses to go around the bolts in the smoke box bottom.

I thought I had posted this update before but apparently not here.

Feel free to PM me if you have questions, like I said it will work just not as long as the firebricks.

[BigBelly]

Words of wisdom, thank you. I am glad I decided to hold off on buying those when I was at Home Depot last night. I had that uneasy feelin' about the tiles.

In other news, my hands are killing me this morning. I use straight, left, and right snips to cut out my baffle from 22 guage sheet steel last night. OUCH!!!

[tommykendall]

Hey Scott - like I said before, very impressive. All ya gotta do now is use the farking thing. My 'dera looks "used".

[kcquer]

Hey Scott - like I said before, very impressive. All ya gotta do now is use the farking thing. My 'dera looks "used".

TK, those pics are 5 months old, but the queer doesn't look much different. Ask Bro Kick, I have a bit of OCD when it comes to maintaining my gear.

[Bellybro]

KC,

It looks as though your dera is in Beam me up MOD!

[Bellybro]

Found a good use for that factory ashpan, way less heat lost through fire box lid with this in place.KC,

The Brinkman is in Alien beam me up mod!

Looks Good!

[MrSmoker]

I use the ash pan for a heat shield also it leaves about 2.5 in across the back of the smoker and can be put just above the top shelf your cooking on. BTW since i did the fire stop on the smoke box and the fire box i have charcoal left the next day when i close it up after the cook, the WSM was the only one to do that before.

[417bullelk]

Nice work. Where can a brother get those tiles!! I gotta get me some!!

[BigBelly]

Man, I need to get on the good foot once I get my Dera unpacked in CO and add some quarry tile to the firebox and cooking chamber.

I didn't see anyway in hell I could bend that stuff to make from 1pc.

BTW - I had the same problem once I cut out the "brethren baffle" from my 16 ga. steel. What I did was use a center punch to make small little dimples on each crease I wanted to bend. By doing so on the side that was bending I was able to get the 45 degree angles I was looking for. Hey, it still was a pain in the ass and I wish I did think of screwing one together instead.

[kcquer]

Nice work. Where can a brother get those tiles!! I gotta get me some!!

About the tiles, I don't recommend them for the firebox. Overtime the warming faster on one side than the other has caused some cracking. Nothing that has them crumbling but the majority of them are in 2-3 pcs. Also they are difficult to cut. Fire brick splits are much easier to cut and more durable.
I got them at Lowes and they weren't terribly expensive.
In the smoke box they do well but you have to make recesses for the 2 bolt heads and again the fire bricks are much easier to work with. I think I spent $20 on dremel bits making the 2 clearance pockets for the bolt heads.