Going on 1 year with my YS 640, I can say I really love it. Easy to cook with, convenient, fast and the results have surpassed what I thought they would be. I Love it, except for one BIG pain it the A$$ - ash clean out. Problem is that the plate is big, fits fairly tight and it gets grubby over time and you get slimed with grease, smoke residue, etc. whenever you have to remove the plate, even with it foiled. So I thought there has to be a better way. Being the tweaker that I am, heres what I cam up with;
A hinged heat plate.
This allows me to open the business half of the smoker & vacuum out the ashes much easier and not have to remove the heat plate each time. I have access to a glass beader, which is why all the parts look silver (no paint). And I had a buddy shear the plate in the metal fab shop at work to make a clean cut. Then I welded on some small hinges and a washer to open it easier.
I made a plate support post that bolts onto the center of the baffle slide assembly. This fits right behind the split and I welded a small tab on the bottom of the plate to line it up when its in place.
Here it is bolted onto the baffle assembly. While i was at it, I welded a fender washer onto the fire pot grate to make removing it a one handed operation.
Heres the plate in place opened up for access to the fire pot. With the plate opened up, it comes out real easy too, an added bonus. The plate is at the same incline angle as it was b4, so grease draining shouldn't be an issue.
I had to do a little grinding that I wasnt expecting. I had to take about 1/4" off the tab that holds the thermo couple and grind off the corner to clear the taper in the cabinet in the back. In hind sight, if I had made the cut at 10 inches, it may have cleared the taper in the rear of the cabinet and still had plenty of room to get in and vacuum out the ashes. I made it 11" long, which was the distance from the baffle assy to the side of the cabinet.
THis pic shows the opening in relation to one gril on the smoker
All foiled up and ready to go. I have to tape the edge to open it w/o removing the foil or the edge sticks up.
Im hoping my idea will make it easier to clean out and I'll use it much more often during the week after work. I can open it with the foil on it and not have to put new foil in it each time I clean it out.
This smoker is great, and I think I found a workable way to address the only draw back I've found with it.
Thanks for looking
A hinged heat plate.
This allows me to open the business half of the smoker & vacuum out the ashes much easier and not have to remove the heat plate each time. I have access to a glass beader, which is why all the parts look silver (no paint). And I had a buddy shear the plate in the metal fab shop at work to make a clean cut. Then I welded on some small hinges and a washer to open it easier.
I made a plate support post that bolts onto the center of the baffle slide assembly. This fits right behind the split and I welded a small tab on the bottom of the plate to line it up when its in place.
Here it is bolted onto the baffle assembly. While i was at it, I welded a fender washer onto the fire pot grate to make removing it a one handed operation.
Heres the plate in place opened up for access to the fire pot. With the plate opened up, it comes out real easy too, an added bonus. The plate is at the same incline angle as it was b4, so grease draining shouldn't be an issue.
I had to do a little grinding that I wasnt expecting. I had to take about 1/4" off the tab that holds the thermo couple and grind off the corner to clear the taper in the cabinet in the back. In hind sight, if I had made the cut at 10 inches, it may have cleared the taper in the rear of the cabinet and still had plenty of room to get in and vacuum out the ashes. I made it 11" long, which was the distance from the baffle assy to the side of the cabinet.
THis pic shows the opening in relation to one gril on the smoker
All foiled up and ready to go. I have to tape the edge to open it w/o removing the foil or the edge sticks up.
Im hoping my idea will make it easier to clean out and I'll use it much more often during the week after work. I can open it with the foil on it and not have to put new foil in it each time I clean it out.
This smoker is great, and I think I found a workable way to address the only draw back I've found with it.
Thanks for looking
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