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Has anyone used a vent hood or chimney to remove smoke?

txbbq
txbbq Posts: 16
edited February 2012 in EggHead Forum
I used my BGE for the second time to make korean bbq (just grilled at 500). They turned out great, but I literally reek like smoke. Smoke comes out the top like crazy as the juices hit the fire. We are building a patio cover and the plan was to put the BGE under the patio cover. But with the amount of smoke produced I think that is a bad idea. Has anyone used a chimney or vent hood to keep the smoke from filling a people filled area?


Comments

  • hogaholic
    hogaholic Posts: 225
    edited February 2012
    Here you go. These pictures were taken at the end of construction and before the final touch-up by the painters.  The stainless steel pieces mounted on the wall behind the egg are custom.  We did an inside kitchen renovation 4 years ago and tagged a covered porch expansion with an outdoor cooking area and patio onto the project.  I am so glad we did because this area is my favorite part of our home.  We love spending time out here in good weather with our kids, family and friends.

    This is a 60",  1,200 CFM hood made by the Vent-a-Hood company.  It has four 150/300 CFM fans and it really moves the air.  I had to have it in order to keep smoke out of the adjacent screened-in porch.  It works great and the light from the four halogen lamps in the front of the hood is fantastic. It is so much easier to cook great food at night when you have great light.

    If you choose to go with a hood please take note of how it is installed.  In order for the hood to perform properly and catch all the exhaust you must get the front edge of the hood well out over the front of the grill(s).  That requires that you build a mounting box that moves the hood out away from the wall.  In these pics you can see it as unpainted lumber between the hood and the wall. 

    It is critical for the performance of the hood that it be installed correctly using the proper size duct work and vent cap.  Vent-a-Hood provides great instructions with the proper duct specs.  as I suspect all hood companies. do.  This hood required 12" ducts and that is exactly what we used.  Avoid turns in the ducts and never use adjustable pipes (the kind that can be bent to fit).  In my case we vented it straight up through the roof of the house with no turns until it hit the vent cap on the roof.

    Send me a message if I can help you.  I would be happy to talk to you about it. 

    image

    image
    Jackson, Tennessee. VFL (Vol for Life)
  • hogaholic
    hogaholic Posts: 225
    edited February 2012
    Just sent you a message
    Jackson, Tennessee. VFL (Vol for Life)
  • Nice set-up. I'd never leave that porch.

     "Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great, Here's to "Down Home," the Old North State!"

    Med & XL

  • Great setup. I however I am cheap and just place a box fan on the railing on my deck next to my egg and it blows the smoke out from under my covered patio
  • txbbq
    txbbq Posts: 16
    haha i like the box fan idea. We will have a free standing patio cover. I was thinking about one of these vent hoods. 


    they are for an island (we cant mount to a wall) so they would just go out the top of the patio cover. The bonus is that they are not $2K like some ive seen.

    I was hoping there would be a passive way, like a chimney or something because the smoke coming out does tend to go up.
  • Has anyone used a venturi type system similar to this: http://www.magnacoach.com/genturi.html. This is for RV generator exhausts. The principal is that the heat and upward draft create a venturi effect. I was thinking you could make one out of vent hood pipe and have a swivel neck at the bottom. Then swing it over the daisy wheel when ready. The bottom could have a "hat" and would sit about an inch or so above the daisy wheel.
  • Tx

    Smoke ceratinly does go up, but keep in mind that when you open the egg (or any other grill that opens in the front) the smoke first comes out toward you then it goes up.  This is the primary reason why, as I mentioned earlier, the lip of a hood needs to be well out over the front of the grill to catch the smoke exhausted when it is opened.

    Wind can also blow smoke away from the hood but that typically isn't a problem.  If the wind is strong enough to blow the exhaust that far it will carry blow it completely away in my setup.



    Jackson, Tennessee. VFL (Vol for Life)
  • Chubbs
    Chubbs Posts: 6,929
    Hog, that setup is amazing. We are planning to build a flagstone patio in the next year or so. Currently, I have my egg on my screened porch. There is a built in charcoal grill and hood out there plus a ceiling fan so I usually have both going unless it is too cold. I am thinking about removing the built in charcoal grill and setting my egg in the spot and not worrying about building a table on my patio. Then, I would have to remove the current hood for a different one so I could open my egg, but ductworkband all is already installed. Did you design your area? If so I may send you pics of my current setup, and then what I am planning to do and get your feedback/incite.
    Columbia, SC --- LBGE 2011 -- MINI BGE 2013
  • hogaholic
    hogaholic Posts: 225
    edited February 2012
    Thanks Chubbs

    I would be happy to look at your pics.  Send them to tlovell@eplus.net      Please don't expect any mindblowing ideas though - I'm sometimes creatively challenged.

    I designed it, with some help from my builder of course.  My project was pretty straightforward.  We decided, based on an expanding family, to knock out an exterior wall and enlarge the kitchen and family room.  Doing so required some additional roof work, so it was really a no-brainer to extend the roof and enlarge the porch to create a covered "outdoor kitchen" area.  It sits between the adjacent screened-in porch and a patio at the bottom of the steps that isn't visible in these pics.

    My initial goal was to create an area where I could cook anytime I wanted regardless of weather.  This spot afforded me that opportunity.  The hood and grills face north, so I am protected from south winds that typically bring rain and northwest wind that typically brings sleet and snow.  It isn't a very large space but it provides all the room I usually need.  The table was an afterthought.  It is an old child's "toolbench", but it works perfectly and I am still using it 4 years later.

    I know that some folks here are turned off by the presence of that gasser, but I don't care and I still find it useful.  I ran electricity and two LP gas connections below the hood for the gasser and whatever else I may one day decide to use like a turkey/fish fryer.  I converted the gasser to LP and still find it handy to keep meat warm or cook dogs or grill veggies.  In the summer I frequently cook the entire dinner out there to keep from heating up the indoor kitchen.



    Jackson, Tennessee. VFL (Vol for Life)