What size stack?

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 3:35 pm

What size pipe did you clone builders use for your smoke stack?

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 4:08 pm

6x6 3/8ths thick.

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 4:53 pm

Wes -- that sounds like the charcoal chute, not the exhaust. I was just going to go with a piece of 4" round for the exhaust.

But, maybe I misunderstood what Brian was asking. Brian -- are you meaning the Charcoal Chute or the Exhaust (pipe sticking out the top of the cook chamber)?

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:45 pm

I guess I misread, I used 3" for the exhaust stack. Then installed a 4" chrome turn out extension.

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:56 pm

3" stack here

Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2007 9:52 pm

4" round also ... But no chrome turn out extension Sad

( YET )

Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 1:53 am

5"dia for mine.

Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 8:49 am

Wes, can you explain how you went from the 3" to the 4" chrome? Is there something wrapped around the 3" to fill up the space inside the 4"?

Thanks.

Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 9:10 am

Yes, I was refering to the exhaust stack. I was thinking 4" but 4" ball valves are hard to find. SI saw one on ebay for about $50. May have to go 3".

Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 9:22 am

Brian -- just curious, but why are you wanting to put a ball valve on the exhaust? I think most everyone just uses a piece of pipe to keep the exhaust completely open. You will control the temp with the ball valve on the air intake (on the firebox door). From what I have heard, if you restrict the air out of the smoker, you create creosote (sp?) in the cooking chamber.

Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 9:50 am

SStory wrote:

Brian -- just curious, but why are you wanting to put a ball valve on the exhaust? I think most everyone just uses a piece of pipe to keep the exhaust completely open. You will control the temp with the ball valve on the air intake (on the firebox door). From what I have heard, if you restrict the air out of the smoker, you create creosote (sp?) in the cooking chamber.

I've never heard the creosote story but it can make your food taste bitter without proper exhaust air flow.

Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 9:57 am

wboggs wrote:

SStory wrote:

Brian -- just curious, but why are you wanting to put a ball valve on the exhaust? I think most everyone just uses a piece of pipe to keep the exhaust completely open. You will control the temp with the ball valve on the air intake (on the firebox door). From what I have heard, if you restrict the air out of the smoker, you create creosote (sp?) in the cooking chamber.

I've never heard the creosote story but it can make your food taste bitter without proper exhaust air flow.

I went and did more reading and it looks like the creosote concern is more when burning wood and not lump. But there is still a concern of over-smoking the meat if the exhaust is closed down.

I guess the main point is should the exhaust ever need to be choked down. I think not, but then I've not built my Stumper clone yet to test this theory. Wboggs, I have also heard the bitter taste issue as well. I just have never heard of anything good coming from choking back the exhaust.

Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 10:21 am

I have a weather cap that just slides off to one side or the other and run the exhaust wide open all the time. In the event of a fire inside the cooking chamber then I would be able to close both the ball valve inlet and the exhaust to help put the fire out.

Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 10:22 am

Steve, I like your avatar. Is that a picture of how your Stumper is going to look?

Posted: Thu Jan 25, 2007 10:32 am

Thanks Jim. Yep that is hopefully what it will turn out looking like Laughing

. This is the competition team name/logo I designed -- the team will just be myself and my wife. I only plan to do a comple of comps each year just locally around here. The "Bedlam" name, in case you aren't familiar is the in-state rivalry between Oklahoma University and Oklahoma State University. I am an OSU alumni but my wife roots for OU because her son is a senior there. It's all in good fun. The larger version of my logo actually has the names on the helmets - and it sort of hard to see the little piggy faces under the helmets. But when I shrunk the logo down to avatar size, you couldn't read them, so I just removed them for that version.

I hope to get the logo to a sign printer and have a large magnet mounted sign made. That way I can put the logo on the smoker at comps, but I'll remove it when I use the smoker at home to keep the sign in good shape.