Wondering about heat loss

[ButtBurner]

Talked to the mfg and he confirmed they are making the move to 5" exhaust which might extend the temp range 15-20 degrees but said the pit was designed to cook at 200. He said that if I brought it back he would exchange out the exhaust. I asked him to send me the new exhaust and I would pay for shipping vs the 10 hr round trip worth of gas I would spend. He said no problem! I"ll get the auto mechanic guys from the school I work at to weld it on for me. Ill keep you updated!

its only designed to go to 200f?

 

[rexbbq]

I was just looking at the pics and I was wondering about the accuracy of those thermometers. Have you checked them with some boiling water to see if they are accurate. Also you may want to put a small oven thermometer on the grates to see what they are reading. I never trust a thermometer that I haven't checked the calibration on.

 

[dwfisk]

Talked to the mfg and he confirmed they are making the move to 5" exhaust which might extend the temp range 15-20 degrees but said the pit was designed to cook at 200. He said that if I brought it back he would exchange out the exhaust. I asked him to send me the new exhaust and I would pay for shipping vs the 10 hr round trip worth of gas I would spend. He said no problem! I"ll get the auto mechanic guys from the school I work at to weld it on for me. Ill keep you updated!

:crazy:Boy, that is pretty amazing, I've been doin this a while and I thought 225*-250* was low-n-slow! If it is not just an excuse, it seems to me the mfg should at a minimum disclose that kind of info prior to making a sale. I bet the mod to get the 5x5 exhaust will significantly improve the draft, much more than +20*.

 

[PalmettoSmoke]

Talked to the mfg and he confirmed they are making the move to 5" exhaust which might extend the temp range 15-20 degrees but said the pit was designed to cook at 200. He said that if I brought it back he would exchange out the exhaust. I asked him to send me the new exhaust and I would pay for shipping vs the 10 hr round trip worth of gas I would spend. He said no problem! I"ll get the auto mechanic guys from the school I work at to weld it on for me. Ill keep you updated!

That's odd, and sounds like an excuse. When I picked up my pit from them, they specifically told me to season it at 300+ degrees. I never made it that high!

 

[boiler93]

Yeah I told him the same thing-"thats not how it was advertised" it was definitely an excuse. When asked why they decided to go to the 5" exhaust he gave me another excuse and said they were able to get them at a lower price instead of telling me they were making a design improvement. I hope the new exhaust will solve the problem because other than the temp issue i am very happy with the setup.

 

[dwfisk]

Sound like you have a plan, sorry the mfg was so weird. If your buds in the auto shop can't get-r-done, we got a torch & a mig available. I'm pretty confident the larger exhaust will get the stars in alignment and I agree its a really good lookin pit.

 

[boiler93]

Thanks for everyone's wealth of knowledge and support with my question. I will keep you updated. If anyone else with an A1 figures it out sooner please also post updates.

 

[PalmettoSmoke]

boiler93,

I just sent you a PM.

 

[mikeleonard81]

If this thing was designed for 200 I'm taking mine back! 275 is not to much to ask for in my opinion?? I got mine up to 300 when i seasoned it saturday but I had to take a leaf blower to the vent and after that I had to keep opening the fire box door to let it breath. I deffinatly didn't have it over filled either.

 

[ButtBurner]

I am new to offsets so i am no expert

But another thing I noticed right away on this pit is that the firebox does not sit as low compared to the smoke chamber as mine, or other pits I have seen

I wonder if that has some affect also? I have always been told that since heat rises, its better to have the firebox low for better flow and to keep the heat from getting trapped in the upper part of the firebox

makes sense, although I dont know if its really an issue or not

 

[Smokin'Butts]

As long as you have good airflow, no heat should be getting trapped in the firebox. BUT, with the undersized stacks on this smoker.....airflow I think is a serious issue

 

[boiler93]

Lets hope the air flow correction fixes our problem! Stay tuned.

 

[ButtBurner]

As long as you have good airflow, no heat should be getting trapped in the firebox. BUT, with the undersized stacks on this smoker.....airflow I think is a serious issue

I just question is since I have never seen a fire box mounted even with the smoke chamber before.

I thought they were mounted below the smoke chamber for better airflow and heat transfer, thats all

 

[PalmettoSmoke]

I just got off the phone with the Custom Pits guys. They have not even gotten any of the 5-inch pipe in yet. They are looking at taking one of the stacks away, and just leaving a 5-inch stack by the firebox. I think I want to keep both stacks.

I found a welder here in Columbia that said he could do the work. I may just get him to provide the larger pipe as well.

 

[boiler93]

Thanks for the update because i haven't gotten a price back on the shipping yet starting to think they were avoiding me like the plague.

 

[PalmettoSmoke]

Thanks for the update because i haven't gotten a price back on the shipping yet starting to think they were avoiding me like the plague.

They are. He didn't seem happy to talk to me. That's why I've decided to just procure the parts elsewhere.

Also, look at this site below (measurements may not be exact). According to this, we need a 6" pipe at 20" long (I'll get exact measurements when I get home).

Link to BBQ Pit Calculator

 

[PalmettoSmoke]

It's a shame. With the few modifications, this really is a nice cooker. However, I'm not sure I can recommend them to anyone...

 

[boiler93]

If you find a good deal on the parts, please share

 

[Smokin'Butts]

What additional mods if any are you thinking of making besides the stack?

 

[PalmettoSmoke]

What additional mods if any are you thinking of making besides the stack?

Right now, just the stacks. I'll probably also go ahead and seal it using red silicone around the smoker door. And, just for my own personal preference, I'd like to add latches to the door.