Deflector Idea

[SmokinLee]

On the way back from the store just moments ago I for some reason was thinking about fans, probably blocking the wife out.
Have you ever seen those little decorations that spin from the heat of a light bulb, aluminum fan blade, convection. Just a thought and maybe it's been brought up before

[HawgHeaven]

Hmmm, interesting... Where would you mount it?

[SmokinLee]

with a steel rod mounted vertically through the charcoal basket

[HawgHeaven]

with a steel rod mounted vertically through the charcoal basket

Do you use a water pan? If not, you may have to worry about meat drippings.

[SmokinLee]

I would be worried it would spin way to fast, may have to put a friction brake on it, But hey it would toss the fat off to the side wall LOL

[Richtee]

If one had the room...it COULD go OVER the meat. Or with a deflector a bit over it.

Not so much a deflector as a "mixer" for the smoke/heat right?

[aczeller]

if i understand them corectly (which i probably dno't), i believe they work off of temperature DIFFERENTIAL, rather than just the temperature in general. HOW they work exactly, i have no clue... but from my understanding, there needs to be a difference in temperature between the top and bottom of the fans. the bigger the difference, faster it spins.

Later,
Andy

[Richtee]

if i understand them corectly (which i probably dno't), i believe they work off of temperature DIFFERENTIAL, rather than just the temperature in general. HOW they work exactly, i have no clue... but from my understanding, there needs to be a difference in temperature between the top and bottom of the fans. the bigger the difference, faster it spins.

Pretty much... you ever see the heat waves rising off a bed of coals or a hot road in the summer? That's how they work.

[HawgHeaven]

if i understand them corectly (which i probably dno't), i believe they work off of temperature DIFFERENTIAL, rather than just the temperature in general. HOW they work exactly, i have no clue... but from my understanding, there needs to be a difference in temperature between the top and bottom of the fans. the bigger the difference, faster it spins.

Later,
Andy

You may have a good point there...

[Richtee]

And there's ALWAYS a differential... between the 1000° coal bed and whatever above it. Or HOPEFULLY there is!

[HawgHeaven]

And there's ALWAYS a differential... between the 1000° coal bed and whatever above it. Or HOPEFULLY there is!

Yeah, but how far above the coals will the differential be enough to make a difference?

[Richtee]

Yeah, but how far above the coals will the differential be enough to make a difference?

if it's enclosed... all the way to the top, Hawg. You could hang the "fan" down from the lid a couple inches below the vent and it'll work... not as efficiently, but it would.

[DDave]

Interesting . . .

I would think though that given the relatively small amount of air moving past it that it would have to be incredibly light, perfectly balanced, and the rod upon which it spin would have to be perfectly perpendicular. I could be wrong though.

Still a neat idea.

Dave

[Meat Hunter]

I would be worried it would spin way to fast, may have to put a friction brake on it, But hey it would toss the fat off to the side wall LOL

You could always repitch the blades so they are more vertical

[Richtee]

Interesting . . .

I would think though that given the relatively small amount of air moving past it that it would have to be incredibly light, perfectly balanced, and the rod upon which it spin would have to be perfectly perpendicular. I could be wrong though.

Yeah...lighter the better, and the environment might be the killer..what with deposits and such. It would be on the rough side of difficult.