tunning plate placement?????

[romex2121]

i want to add some tunning plates to my cooker,, im trying to even out the chamber,,, the cooking chamber is 4 foot long 20'' round the grate is about 8'' above the rails that are there for the tunning plates,, how wide and how many plates would you put in ???? what spaceings ?????
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[k.a.m.]

romex2121, I would say seven 6'' wide plates should give you enough spacing to play with your temps. The spacing is a guess and will need to be done while the cooker is up to speed. Not all cooking chambers react the same to the spacing due to all the other variables of the cooker. give the cooker at least 30 min to stabilize when you make movement adjustments on the plates.
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Hybrid Cooker

[romex2121]

thanks ,,,, ive got one plate in there now thats about 8'' im going out right now to cut 4 more and see what we come up with,,, im cooking two 10# butts at the moment so the cooker is already fired up ,, thanks K.A.M.
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[Tom C]

romex2121,

Don't be afraid to play around with the number of plates as well as the spacing. My smoker is 24" x 48". I started out with (six) 6" plates and currently only use three of them. Once the smoker is up to temp I can keep a great balance by adjusting the air intake. The smokestack side actually is hotter until I shut down the intake. If I go too much I see the firebox side get hotter than the other side. Once I get it dialed in I can see temps the same on both ends.

Every smoker is different and will need a different number of plates and spacing.
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Charbroil CB900 grill

[zsommer79]

I have been wanting to add tuning plates to my smoker too but all I have have is a piece of 1/2" plate that I could use. Would that be ok, it seems like most people use 1/4."

[day_trippr]

[tommrussell]

if its any help i have 5, starting from the diverter # 1 is tight against the diverter #2 is about 1/8 in. #3 the same #4 about 1/4 in. and while i"m bringing the cooker up to temp the end away from the firebox is about 75-100 degrees warmer until i close down the firebox damper then it drops to about 10degrees from end to end

the plates are 6in. wide and 1/8in. thick and abou 6in. from the bottom of the cooker

hth tom
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