Thinking out loud about a new pit

[jonclark]

For the past couple of years Ive been Q'ing on a CG duo, and I absolutely love it I cant say enough about how much I like having gas and Q on one set of wheels....Ive almost totally given up on charcoal and lately Ive been getting amazing ribs using only cherry logs in the fire box....

The bottom of both sides are starting to fall apart due to rust....I can still make it through the summer but Im afraid I wont be so lucky for next year...Its time to build something sturdy and more durable.....

Through web searches I found pics of Zeeker's Fatman and this forum....That pit set my brain off....Id like to build a pit with a similar firebox and cooking grates, but longer.....And still with 2 personalities

Specifically a 150 gallon propane tank....Inside the tank would be a "bulkhead" which would divide the pit into a gas side and a Q side...Reverse flow, stickburner, 2 grates, and grease drain on the Q end....And a 3 or 4 burner gas side (possibly with a side burner similar to the Duo) with grease drain....

Some rough dimensions and first thoughts:

150 gallon tank of 1/4" steel is 84"x24" (12" domes create a 60" center section)
On the Q end: 30" cooking grates 4" over a 30" plate, 6" gap between the end of the plate and the bulkhead (for reverse flow)
Firebox similar to Fatman (I like that half the firebox is within the cooking chamber, thus conserving more heat than if it was totally outside)
On the gas end, burners arranged similar to the Duo (infact Ill be saving the grates from the Duo to use here)
Large wheels under the firebox end, smaller wheels on the lighter end. This will be a backyard baby, not a tow wagon....


I have a rough sketch on paper, once I get it done in autocad Ill post it here...

Some questions right off the top are about the firebox and the stack....Dimensions....I think Im close to Fatman dimension, but I cant find them. The main cooking chamber will be roughly 24"x 48", divided of course by the reverse flow plate and part of the firebox.....Im kind of thinking a firebox around 24x24x24 or 24x24x18?? I see Zeeker used a 4" stack 31" tall, but Im not clear on how thats measured...Will that size of box and stack work here?

I gotta run for now....I hope my words made some sense, Ill try to have a sketch up soon to make my ideas more clear...Lookin for any input I can get...Thanx guys!!

[Mikey]

Try this link
http://webpages.charter.net/tomchism...alculators.htm

[jonclark]

Thanks Mikey, thats such a HUGE help!! I can get by with a bit smaller firebox and everything is looking good

[Fishawn]

Sounds like a great project..... We like pictures when you get her started

[Texas-Hunter]

Just in case I did not welcome you in one of your other posts.. Welcome to S-M Jon.. Interesting take... Building a reverse flow with the LP grilling capabilities.. I will be watching this build..

[Mark R]

Try this link
http://webpages.charter.net/tomchism...alculators.htm

Not to get off topic but THANK YOU, that is a huge help.
Sounds like great project, been thinkin about something like that myself. Be watchin.

[jonclark]

Heres a couple concept pics...The first is a 150 by East Texas Smoker Company...Mine will be quite different, but this is the rough size...

http://www.easttexassmokercompany.com/RK150.html

The next is just a rough draft from Google SketchUp....Im still trying to figure this program out


Final dimensions will have to wait until I actually have the tank, but the rough dimensions I already posted are pretty close....Last night I had the idea of making doors on either side of the pit. So it could be opened from either side...This is easy enough on the Q end but on the gas end its kind of pointless, as there will only be burner controls on one side....I may just scrap that idea altogether...

[aczeller]

one of the things I always wanted to see someone do is make sliding doors. in theory, one could make the doors slide over the rest of the pit. if this was done on a propane-tank style pi, such as this one, it would allow you to go from a closed pit, to slightly open, to having an entirely open grate for larger parties in no time. it would take a little thinking, but all in all, i think it would be awesome to see. since I already came home with 2 1950's fridges without my wife's consent (which are now taking up valuable real estate on our back patio), along with about $200 in steel, i doubt I would live to read another post if I came home with a 500 gallon propane tank to "experiment" with. If I could, I would in a heartbeat... building big party-style stuff has always been one of my hobbies... the problem is that I just don't have any place to store them any more. lol

Later,
Andy

[jonclark]

sliding pit doors sounds interesting....Seems like it could be prone to trouble from wearing paint off, etc...But then Im not sure exactly what your idea is....Ive also thought of having small inspection doors on the main doors...That way one can peek in at the food or therms without opening the large pit doors and releasing alot of heat.....

Im having trouble locating a suitable tank so far....Watching craigslist and checked a local junkyard but havent found a good tank yet...........

[aczeller]

sliding pit doors sounds interesting....Seems like it could be prone to trouble from wearing paint off, etc...

that's the major issue I see with sliding doors also. from what I can think of at this point, they would never be as tight as a hinged door, unless you put them into the tracks that way. at that point, any rust, wear, paint, etc would probably hinder their operation. if you made them loose enough that they would be able to move a bit easier, they would probably leak enough that you wouldn't need a chimney. lol. another option that would allow them to not leak so much, yet still have a "wear buffer" would be to use a flexible fire-rated gasket material... oooooooooooooooo... now i'm just thinking out loud... gotta get back to the drawing board on this one.

as far as the tank situation goes, why not just buy a new one... they are only about $1,200...

Later,
Andy

[aczeller]

actually, after thinking about it and looking online, i bet you could call one of the local propane suppliers and they will tell you if they have any tanks that are "un-certifiable". from my understanding, the tanks are usually pretty stout and don't go bad often, but when they do, they are not repairable... since they are the equivilent of a bomb sitting in your back yard, the EPA (or whatever governmental agency that regulates propane) doesn't like having people "patch" the tanks. that only leaves one option... trash them for scrap price after cleaning and "stabilizing" the tank, or sell it to an "unsuspecting poor sap who may blow themself to oblivion and back". more than likely, you may have to sign a waiver saying that you won't re-use it for propane, but that's between you and the company.

anyway, i have a mini-hangover, so i'm probably rambling. I just wanted to give you another option to look at.

Later,
Andy

[Mikey]

Why not just go with some structural pipe? It's clean and you can get it in various wall thicknesses. Here's a chart with all the specs.

http://www.saginawpipe.com/steel_pipe_chart-2.htm#pipe2

[aczeller]

Why not just go with some structural pipe? It's clean and you can get it in various wall thicknesses. Here's a chart with all the specs.

http://www.saginawpipe.com/steel_pipe_chart-2.htm#pipe2

not a bad idea... a couple years ago, I was thinking the same thing.. get the pipe, cap it off, cut the door and add the required welds/accessories. in all reality though, it is usually cheaper (if you have the right connections) to get a piece of sheet steel and roll it with a slip-roll. like I said though, you need to know people in the right areas. either way you go though, you need to know someone... around here anyway, I cannot buy a 3' piece-o-pipe (pup). I would need to order a full-sized piece and have a substantial amount of scrap/drop when the project is done. I can have them cut it for me, which would make it easier to handle, but if I buy it straight from the metal supplier, I need a full pup.

Later,
Andy

[Mikey]

not a bad idea... a couple years ago, I was thinking the same thing.. get the pipe, cap it off, cut the door and add the required welds/accessories. in all reality though, it is usually cheaper (if you have the right connections) to get a piece of sheet steel and roll it with a slip-roll. like I said though, you need to know people in the right areas. either way you go though, you need to know someone... around here anyway, I cannot buy a 3' piece-o-pipe (pup). I would need to order a full-sized piece and have a substantial amount of scrap/drop when the project is done. I can have them cut it for me, which would make it easier to handle, but if I buy it straight from the metal supplier, I need a full pup.

Later,
Andy

First of all, you'll need more than a 3' pup as you'll need an additional 1' for the firebox. When you have plate rolled, it never comes out perfectly round, so pipe is the best option in my opinion. Check around as you never know what pipe outfits have in the rack.