Muzzlebrake said:
A./ your heated mass is above the stuff you are cooking how much effect does it have on things below it and
B./ will having your thermal mass inside give you a more constant temperature then one that is subject to exterior influences such as rain snow and wind ?
Mark's Answer
Part A.
Mass is good (like 1/4" plate steel) but R-value is even better. R-value is an indication of the resistance to heat transfer. The outside and inside of the firebox surface has an air film that provides some R-value. Air-flow, both inside and outside of the firebox, scrub some of that air film off. The more air-flow, the less R-value.
Having 2 surfaces more than doubles the R-value because there is little if any air-flow between the surfaces.
My Bandera has a 1/4" aluminum plate on top and 2 layers of stainless-steel sheet beneth the lid in the form of arches. The first arch goes from front-to-back and the other goes from end-to-end. Both ends of the arches are pop-rivited to the original steel.
The side pieces of stainless-steel sheet just slip in. They are held in place by slipping another stainless-steel sheet inside the firebox where it enters the smoke chamber and then slipping in the grate. BTW (and this is important): the grate if off the bottom of the firebox by an old piece of grill. That gives me a 2-surface bottom.
Heat rises. That's why your house has more insulation in the roof than the walls. Mass is important in desigining passive-solar architecture, but much less important in designing a smoker. Besides, that's what the water pan is for.
That said, use sand if you want instead of water (or even use kitty litter) for the contents of the water pan. As far as I'm concerned, that's your business. However, water is a miracle substance in terms of thermal mass plus the amount of energy it takes to evaporate it. So I use water; unless of course, I'm trying to dehydrate something (like hot peppers or jerky).
BTW: My original water pan shot craps along time ago. I found a perfect fit, even a little deeper, in a stainless-steel mixing bowl made by (having a CRS moment, sorry).
Mark's Answer
Part B.
See part A.
Where I smoke is basically weather proof. Wind, rain and snow are problems which have been eliminated. No moisture and just enuf air gets in so that in case I pass out while smoking, I won't suffocate. It's on a concrete pad under a sunroom extension of my house. Above it is galvanized roofing and it's surrounded by some metal office cubicle panels that I salvaged Then there's a fence behind that and I took the acrylic panels and steel frames off some standard 4-bulb, 4-foot fluorescent light fixtures to go from the top of the fence to the galvanized roofing. The only thing that wasn't salvaged was my Bandera. Even my wood is salvaged. Wait, I take it back; I bought 2 plastic lattice 4X8 panels outside the acryic light frames (to make everything look purty from the outside).
Actually, the whole area doesn't look like $hit; not that I care. But the neighbors might. You should already know how to solve pesky neighbor problems.
Once I put up my hammock, I can live out there year round.
