Stumper repairs required

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 5:45 pm

Wow Jim, that looks like quite a project. But you are right, since we built these, we know what we are getting into when you cut the side off. I know where my framing pieces and such are.

I guess the next time I have the chute empty, I better do a complete check of my chute and firebox area to make sure I don't have something like this forming. I use this smoker quite a bit and I'd hate to find out during a cook that I've blown holes in the chute.

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 5:59 pm

I wonder Jim if you wouldn't be better off not insulating the firebox area. Since there is such intense heat there, it doesn't have anyplace to go or relieve the steel from the intensity contributing to the burnout. With regard to this blowout, the high temperatures you more typically cook at with such a big box to heat is no doubt putting extra heat stress in your fire box.

I have to say, seeing your plight, really concerns me and I don't think I'll ever cook pizza in the Stump's again or self clean it. That's now what the 200.00 WSM will be for.

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 6:08 pm

Well, the problem happened because of a couple of factors.
1--light gage material at the point of the burnout.
2--using the hair dryer to get up to temp faster, made it into a forge with temperatures so high that the metal crystallized and failed.
3--forgetting the hair dryer was still running and getting the temp up over 700F didn't help anything Exclamation

4--should have been heavier material in the beginning and I don't think the problem would have developed.

Once the repair is complete, I don't think this will happen again. And I will insulate the fire box, just the way it was in the beginning. BUT I have been thinking about making the whole thing a double walled fix.

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 7:10 pm

Yea those aren't best scenarios and with the hair dryer and insulation that heat hod no place to go. Go a little easier on the forge situation and insulation probably wont be a problem.

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 9:42 am

Jim, are you going to do some changes in the hot box area? I believe your pictures are worth thousands of words to the guys who are building their own cookers.

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 9:58 am

Yes Tom, I am making some changes. I had thought about taking the end right off the cooker and making the chute and firebox a removable unit like Stumps is doing with his new ones. But because the way everything is built this would be a major undertaking. SO, what I am planning on doing is welding a flange on the vertical chute so I can bolt the new fire box on. Then when closing up the outside skin I will be using 1/8" material and will drill and tap and bolt the new skin on. This will make future inspections quite easy and if, and I say IF, I ever have to replace the unit again, the job should go fairly quickly. I am also thinking about flaring the actual fire area walls out for the last 4". I hope you know what I mean. In other words, the lower part of the chute (that I now have cut off) will be welded to the ash box and a flange welded to the top to connect it to the existing chute. This I plan on making on an angle to prevent hangups. It is either that or I am going to make this area wide enough to incorporate a fire brick liner to prevent further burn outs. I think using the hair dryer to get the fire going is the problem and I need a lot lower volume of air (ie: smaller fan) to do this. I may also build in a small port that will allow a small fan to be attached and blow directly on the fire, just to get up to temperature.

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 10:42 am

smokinJim wrote:

I may also build in a small port that will allow a small fan to be attached and blow directly on the fire, just to get up to temperature.

One word "Stoker".

It would really help your business Jim and it's only a 5 cfm fan that doesn't create a forge.

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 10:51 am

Bill, I would like to get a 5 cfm fan, BUT I only want it for start up and not to "run" my pit temperatures. I am quite happy with the way the stumper controls itself with the intake air valve. I don't want to have to rely on electricity. I like to keep things simple. Not that I don't think the Stoker isn't a good product, on the contrary, but I believe electronics are not what "true bbq" is all about. And I'm not trying to get into a "pi$$ing" contest about it. It is just the way I feel.

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 11:05 am

smokinJim wrote:

I don't want to have to rely on electricity.

Yea I guess coking on site could be a problem with the electric.

smokinJim wrote:

I believe electronics are not what "true bbq" is all about.

That's interesting; I might say that about an electric or gas smoker but not a charcoal smoker. I think some people even think that about the Stump's type of smoker too because it's so easy to control; there are Forums that are real hostile towards Stump's owners.

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 12:29 pm

It being kind of offensive to not be a "true BBQ'er because of how I control my temperature makes me think that I guess gas and electric smokers still use wood to smoke the food. Where I draw the biggest line to "true BBQ" is smoke flavor created by a smoker (and I guess I give a greater weight to a charcoal or stick burner); not liquid smoke. I personally would have trouble boasting about my smoked foods when the flavor came out of a bottle.

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 6:38 pm

It is not that I think less of anyone for using the stoker, guru, electric cookshack and pellet burners. It is just that with those pieces of equipment, and they do turn out some pretty good Q, it is really not unlike the ease and convenience of using an electric oven when it comes to the temperature control. They don't allow electric smokers or propane smokers at competitions, BUT they allow pellet burners. We all know that without electricity the pellet burners wouldn't be able to cook, BUT with the stump and stump clones if the electricity wasn't available, you would still be able to cook. It is just my idea of what true bbq is and that is all.

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 8:18 pm

Jim, here are some pictures of the detachable hot section cooker and details of the firebox and adjustable height grate.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=wof2bhe.77pl8l7y&x=0&y=-khxmul

Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2007 11:02 pm

Thanks Tom. What do you think the biggest advantage will be to have the fire grate adjustable?

Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 11:46 am

The opening into the cooker is 9" X 5". This layout was for a prototype with a tapered fuel chute that was 9" x 9" at the bottom. I wanted to be able to fine tune it befor settling on a final size.

Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2007 12:59 pm

Well I am kicking around the idea of tapering the last few inches of my chute in my repair. So I was just wondering. Makes sense to me.