Would it be very difficult to make a small conveyor belt and prop it on a shelf, higher than the firebox, and it can drop it down a steel slide, into the fire. It can be programmed with an arduino to move every half hour or so...
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KBQ - Automatic Log Feeder?
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Howdy and welcome to "The Pit" joshh
The idea you have of a timed auto-feeder would work, however, sooner or later a problem would occur.
This is due to the varying burn times of various logs.
A log with more moisture as well as one that is more dense (heavier) would burn slower.
A log with less moisture as well as one that is less dense (lighter) would burn faster.
It would simply be a matter of time before the firebox would become either overloaded or under filled.
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This is what KBQ is referring to in his post HERE.
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Happy to have you join us in this "exploration" of possibilities
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Club Member
- Jan 2017
- 130
- Lubbock, TX
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Deep in the MCS zone.
Currently have
Gas: Weber Genesis 330
Charcoal: Weber 22 Premium
Smoker: PBC
Toys: DigiQ, Thermapen thermometer, Lodge Griddle/Grill
Looking to acquire: SNS, and one of everything else
I would think about trying something along the lines of a gravity feed. Similar to the gravity fed charcoal smokers. Would mean a tall extension above the KBQ. You could have a small section open for the fire and have the top sealed to prevent the fire from spreading up all the logs. Problem I see is the irregular shape of the logs. Unless you could get your logs squared and uniform eventually one would get stuck. Just my two cents.
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Founding Member - Moderator Emeritus
- Jul 2014
- 5019
- Stockholm, Sweden
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Author of the book Barbecue, fire and smoke
Manufacturer of:
Hank's Bonafide Beef Rub
Hank's KC Royale Pork 'n Poultry Rub
Hank's Signature Steak Rub
Grills
Big Green Egg (M)
Weber 22" kettle (lime green)
PK TX
8 noname 22" kettles (black)
"Rude Boy" - my own custom built offset smoker
Thermometers
iGrill 2
Thermapen
Fireboard
Accessories
BBQ Dragon
Slow n' Sear
All my recipes, photos and information can be found at
https://hankstruebbq.com
YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/c/Hankstruebbq
My only issue with the KBQ (without having used one) is that I would have to shorten all logs. That just doesn’t make sense to me. I would like for the firebox to be longer so I could fit regular length logs in there.
As for the baby sitting? No issue there, that’s just quality time!
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Club Member
- Apr 2016
- 18053
- Near Richmond VA
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Weber Performer Deluxe
SNS
Pizza insert
Rotisserie
Cookshack Smokette Elite
2 Thermapens
Chefalarm
Dot
lots of probes.
Fireboard
Just cut a 3" or 4" sapling around 10' long. Once you have your coal bed, place the sapling in the hopper and prop it up. It will self feed - no automation necessary. Then go watch the game...
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KBQ If you tie the sapling to a block and tackle and connect the other end to a cone drive with a reducer to it it would work, but not only expensive but would be rather boring.
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customtrim - all you would need would be a 5' or 6' section of gutter to hold and guide the sapling. Rig some way to hold it in place. Make sure it's high enough above the firebox to prevent melting and you would be set. My original post was in jest, but why wouldn't this work?
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Most of us have read the instruction as to the size of the logs to be placed into the KBQ firebox.
There is the "Red Bull Can" description, which is THE most popular and repeated instruction that I have seen as it originated from the manufacturer himself.
(I believe it is in the original instruction set?)
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After a solid coal bed has been established, have any of you fellow KBQ owners/users ever added a few chunks and had it result in any adverse effects?
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I know that after I have a thick coal bed, I personally have added whatever will fit into the firebox without noticing any problems, including adding a few wood chips.
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So with that said, one plan for an auto-feed device is to add wood that has been "processed" down in size to where it "flows" nicely into the firebox without any "hanging up" occurring.
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First, the power would be interrupted, and after a short delay to allow the draw fan to coast to a stop, this processed wood would be fed into the firebox until any one of the wood level sensors tell the feed mechanism to stop.
After the flow has ceased, power would then be restored to the draw fan.
This auto-feeder would have an insert that slides into the existing firebox and locks firmly in place.
It could be operated with an included lid, or without.
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So with all of that said...
Let the prototype experiments begin!
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Remembering that the KBQ is a true stick burner, and wanting that real wood flavor to be maintained, chips and small chunks of actual Oak or Mesquite would do just that, AND feed much easier in my opinion.
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We all know that logs are non-uniform, and therefore more difficult to feed without hanging up.
My second proposal, being a log feeder will require a larger and more complicated 'top end' to work without a "hitch".
It too, will need to have sensors to tell it when to feed the next log.
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Could the sensors be on the firebox to detect the temperature drop to kick in. Set to load so it has time to start burning before the others have been to far spent
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Am thinking that many methods may work.
I was leaning towards a few fulcrum type switches that would be mechanical in nature. The weight of the wood on each would hold them in the "Off" position. As the wood burns, it becomes lighter and the switches would lift, and turn on. When all say "yes" then wood is added.
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I think an easier way would have the logs burning and some sort of feeder system that only pushes the ashes in instead of the log. Seems like heat control could be had by controlling the time and speed of the ashes since they would be somewhat the same and not dependent on the size of the logs and how well they burned
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As someone who’s been running a stickburner for many years I love the idea of the KBQ. I’m used to waking up every 30 mins to feed my smoker, but with the KBQ I could toss a log and go back to sleep…and NOT spend an extra 15 mins making sure the temp settles right. Def would get more sleep on overnight cooks than I do now!
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