What do you do with the exhaust vent?

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qnbiker

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Just wondering. I was taught to leave the exhaust (top) vent fully open and control temperature with the intake (bottom) vents. It has always worked for me. I know people control their ceramics with both, but I thought that was just for ceramics. Then I noticed that Hunsaker recommends keeping the exhaust barely open, and Weber recommends keeping the intake wide open and controlling temperature with the exhaust vent. I'm not changing what works for me, but what do you guys do?
 
Fire / flame is controlled by controlling the air and fuel ratios and enough exhaust to allow proper flow.

I am in the exhaust wide open camp.

We fire rotary kilns and the same principles apply, just the same as a oxygen / acetylene torch
 
Didn't know Weber recommended using the exhaust vents to help control temp, but that's how I've always done it. The only time I close the intake some is if I put too much charcoal in for the temp I want.

On my over and under, I keep the exhaust vents around a quarter to a third of the way open. Never more than a third. I use them like the damper on my fire place to keep as much heat in as possible without choking the fire. I cut and season almost all my own wood and don't have any problems with white smoke and don't have to mess with preheating splits.
 
I use both on the kettle and I couldn't imagine trying to keep the Hunsaker at temp with the exhaust wide open. Set the vents as Mark suggests once you get to your desired temp and it will sit there for the entire cook.
 
I very rarely close the exhaust at all, but the exhaust is always open at least twice as much as the intake when I do.
 
It all depends on the cooker. A Jambo, for example, with or without the boiler door is usually controlled by manipulating the exhaust. Cheaper offsets I've either left the exhaust open, or adjusted the exhaust to where I wanted it and generally left it alone and controlled temps by adjusting the intake. On my BGE I use both whether I'm smoking or grilling as needed.

It all depends on the cooker, and the desired results.
 
Jorge said:
It all depends on the cooker. A Jambo, for example, with or without the boiler door is usually controlled by manipulating the exhaust. Cheaper offsets I've either left the exhaust open, or adjusted the exhaust to where I wanted it and generally left it alone and controlled temps by adjusting the intake. On my BGE I use both whether I'm smoking or grilling as needed.

It all depends on the cooker, and the desired results.
Click to expand...

Since I have a "cheaper offset", my exhaust is kept wide open. :icon_smile_tongue:
 
On my offset, both wide open and control temp with size of log. With UDS (Hunsaker clone) follow their directions. On my pellet cooker, control temps with up or down temp button. HAHA
 
When I learned how to use the Hunsaker drums it was using a combo of intake and exhaust for control. For my drums, intake at 50% and exhaust open about 1/4" will get me 275 every time. It works, so I keep doing it, but I was always in the exhaust wide open school on other cookers except for the BGE.

The next time I do a 'fun' cook on one of my drums I am going to run it with the exhaust open and see how well I can control it with just the intake.
 
Ron_L said:
When I learned how to use the Hunsaker drums it was using a combo of intake and exhaust for control. For my drums, intake at 50% and exhaust open about 1/4" will get me 275 every time. It works, so I keep doing it, but I was always in the exhaust wide open school on other cookers except for the BGE.

The next time I do a 'fun' cook on one of my drums I am going to run it with the exhaust open and see how well I can control it with just the intake.
Click to expand...

A bit off topic here. I don't own a drum, but this sure sounds like controlling temps on a BGE....lots of ways to do it between top and bottom vents.

I'm out....back on topic. :-D
 
Ron_L said:
When I learned how to use the Hunsaker drums it was using a combo of intake and exhaust for control. For my drums, intake at 50% and exhaust open about 1/4" will get me 275 every time. It works, so I keep doing it, but I was always in the exhaust wide open school on other cookers except for the BGE.

The next time I do a 'fun' cook on one of my drums I am going to run it with the exhaust open and see how well I can control it with just the intake.
Click to expand...
Can't wait to see the results!
 
The air flow rate through your grill or smoker is determined by the greatest restriction no matter where that might be. If you close down the exhaust, the amount of air coming into the intake is reduced as well. Close the intake and it restricts flow out the exhaust. Which one you use doesn’t really matter, other than hot air is less dense and needs a bigger opening than the cold intake air for the same mass flow rate.

On a Weber, I leave the bottom vents wide open all the time and use the exhaust vent on the lid for control. This is mainly because it is a heck of a lot easier for me to adjust the top. On the kamado, I set the top in the ballpark and fine tune with the intake. I never touch the exhaust on the stick burner. I do dial back the intake sometimes to lower the flow rate, but the main temp control is from fire management.
 
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