Smoke Generator for Your Smoker

Easy build

This is a easy to build smoke generator

Recently been thinking about converting my smoker so it will have a continuous supply of smoke without having to keep opening the door to add wood chips. Didn’t like the prices of the commercially made ones, seem a little expensive just to supply smoke, $100 and up. All it is a larger version of the old style perfume atomizer, but instead of pushing liquid, it pushes smoke. I’ve had the expensive smokers with the automatic biscuit feeders, the pucks get expensive and when it breaks, it’s just a box.

Here’s a list of parts I managed to scrounge up:

7” of ¾” copper pipe (free) One ¾” copper “T” fitting (free) 1 quart paint can (hardware store $4.50) 1 piece of ¼” tubing, about 7” long (free) 1 compression fitting ¼” x ⅜” for tubing ($2.00) 1 barbed fitting ($1.50) 1 aquarium adjustable air pump ($19.00) Total cost for me was $27.00 *** NOTE: You can see all parts are copper. Even though galvanized pipe would make for an easy assembly, DON’T use it, it gives off a poisonous gas !!!

Tools needed:

One ⅞” drill bit and drill

pipe cutter

Torch for soldering

solder

Before we get to far into this build, I tried making this both ways, one with the smaller tube inside the ¾” pipe and then I tried it with no tube in the pipe and honestly I did not notice any difference in the amount of smoke. You know, high pressure and low pressure, whatever. You be the judge. Pictures to follow.

Really not much to assembly. Drill 2 holes in the bottom side of the can to provide a draft. Drill a hole in the lid to accept one short piece of ¾” copper and then solder. I found a ⅞” spade bit works perfect.

Put the “T” on top. Solder if you want, but from here on all parts can be pressure fit. My soldering sucks so I stopped while I was ahead. Install the smaller tube with the compression fitting and barb into the short ¾” piece. The tube has to extend beyond the vertical piece of copper on the lid. Connect the air pump hose. Just to make sure it works put in about 2 handfuls of chips or dust. Tap down the lid. Light the chips through the bottom holes, I used my piezo lighter, turn on the pump and then when you see smoke, congratulate yourself.

I didn’t want the can sitting on the ground so I made a bracket using checkplate that can swing out of sight when not needed. Decide where you want to mount yours and after you light it, be careful, the can gets hot.

As these pictures show, there's plenty of smoke... cheap, easy to build, and it works