Air Inlet question

Popeye707

New member
Hello all,

I just ordered my BPS kit and I get my new unlined drum on Monday. I can't wait to put it all together and get something smoked.

I do have one question concerning the air inlets. I have seen home made UDSs with the air inlet made from gas pipe running vertically to the top of the barrel and a ball valve to control the incoming air, thereby controlling the temperature. The main reason I am considering this mod over the kits sliding inlet vents is because of the ease in adjusting without having to bend over (yes lazy, but also old).

So, does it change the operation of the smoker? Is it harder to regulate temperature? Does it draw in enough air?

Thanks in advance,
Popeye707
 

Smitty

New member
I havent had a problem with mine, great air control and I am lazy also but I just use my foot to open them up but good luck and keep us posted.
 

Popeye707

New member
I like the foot idea. Hope that works well, as I prefer to keep it as simple and straight forward as possible. Except for the paint job plans of course.
 

southga

New member
I don't have the "fat man" intake mod on my drum, but from what I have read the elbow in the pipe does reduce the air flow. Other than that, it must work well because I see a lot of drums with the type intake.
 

Salmonsmoker

New member
popeye,
I posted this to another thread re: fitting the bottom vents to slide smoothly.
(There is a spring loaded punch that works great for marking the drill locations. It looks similar to a nail set but the center section is a spring. You hold the point on the marking location, pull back on the spring end and let it snap back. It puts a pin dent in the metal that's perfect for drilling a pilot hole before using the step bit. The pilot hole will prevent "drift". As for fitting the bottom vents...They are curved on a larger diameter than the barrel. Take a smaller diameter cylinder- a propane tank for example, lay on it's side and gently roll the vent back and forth across it with even pressure to reduce the diameter, testing the fit against your barrel. Repeat until the curves match. Do the same with the vent slider so that it slides easily in the track. You can put the vent up to your eye and look down the curve- you'll be able to see if there are flat spots or sharper bends along it's length. Takes a couple of minutes.)
 

Popeye707

New member
Thanks for the inputs. I like the name, "fat man" mod. It's only funny because of it's accuracy. Salmonsmoker, I will get and use a spring punch. I probably wouldn't have thought of that, but it makes perfect sense. I think I will seal the vent plates with high temp silicone too. I am so impatient, I want to get started, grrrrrrrr.
 

Popeye707

New member
I know I know, patience. I have my drum, picked it up today. I also have the high temp paint. Now to get the drum done, hopefully before the kit arrives.
 

Popeye707

New member
Hmmmm, new question. I was going to do a burn to remove anything that could possibly be on the inside, but also to remove the paint on the outside prior to adding my own high temp paint job. However, there are no holes in the drum, and I don't want to add any until I get the templates in the kit. Any point in trying a burn in the a.m. with no inlet holes at all? Do I need to just wait for the kit to get enough inlet air to burn it properly?
 

BabelBBQ

New member
I did two burns with no holes. It isn't going to hurt, and it makes for a nice bonfire. I would suggest doing a burn, since you have the drum. Get the kit, drill the holes. Do another burn. This time you can put the lid on (with the handle installed) and hopefully all of the paint on the lid will get burnt off. I did not do a burn with the holes drilled and had to sand paint off of the lid.

Just an FYI, the handle stays cool enough when smoking meat to lift without a glove, but with a hot fire burning in there you should definitely use a glove/oven mitt of some sort for lifting the lid.
 

Popeye707

New member
OK, first burn complete. I would guess i have 70 to 75% of the paint off the drum. Another burn tomorrow, and a final once the vent holes are drilled, and I should be ready to prep and paint. Also, I have a well ventilated burn barrel in the back yard that I fired up and put the lid onto. My lid has bung holes, so I removed the bungs, and burned all the paint off the lid. Thanks for the help/advice, I will keep posting updates for those that care to follow.
 
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