Compressor for a smokehouse do it yourself

Smoking products in a cold way occurs due to the processing of their smoke formed during the smoldering of chips with sawdust in the smoke generator. Movement of smoke into the smoke chamber may occur due to natural draft. But in order to provide a more efficient supply of smoke, compressors are installed on many hand-made smokers to processed products.

Smoke generator with compressor: how the device works

The smoke generator together with the compressor work as follows. Smoke generator connects to smoke box with chimney. In the case (combustion chamber) of the generator fall asleep sawdust or dry chips.Next, a tube or hose is connected to the inlet fitting of the smoke generator, leading to the air compressor, after which the previously filled sawdust is ignited. Due to the flow of air created by the injection apparatus, a vacuum is created in the ejector of the smoke generator. Under the influence of the latter, the smoke begins to move intensively towards the chamber where the products are located.

The compressor for the smoke generator affects the functioning of the entire system as a whole, because the final quality of the product depends on the pressure of the smoke entering the smoking volume. Also depends on the power of the compressor fuel consumption. The more powerful the air flow, the more fuel will be consumed.

Compressor to connect to the smoke generator can be purchased in finished form. But the price of this unit is quite high, and may exceed the cost of the entire smokehouse. Therefore, many craftsmen prefer to make this site independently, literally from scrap materials.

Before you start making a compressor yourself, you need to know the basic requirements that apply to it.

1. The apparatus must withstand long continuous operationSince cold smoking of products involves processing them with smoke for 24 hours, and sometimes more.
2. Unit should be economical, not only for the consumption of electricity, but also for the cost of spare parts to it.
3. The compressor must be equipped with air flow regulator. The strength of the air flow depends on the taste of the finished product and its ability to store.

How to make a compressor for the smokehouse do it yourself

For the injection of air into the smoke generator, you can use any apparatus capable of creating a flow. In this case, a device with a power of 4 watts will suffice.

PC cooler

The cheapest and simplest version of the compressor, which will provide the smoke generator with air, can be made from a cooler, that is, from an ordinary computer fan. Moreover, any fan with a size from 40x40 mm to 120x120 mm will do.

To assemble the blower for the smokehouse, you will need to prepare the following components:

• cooler of suitable capacity and size;
• plastic capacity of 5-10 liters, you can use a plastic bottle or canister;
• water fittings;
• polypropylene, copper or stainless steel tube about 25 cm long and 25 mm in diameter;
• variable resistor or power supply with voltage regulator;
• self-tapping screws.

A method of manufacturing a blower is simple.

1. Cut a hole in the tank corresponding to the size of the cooler. If a plastic canister is used, the hole can be cut using a jigsaw.
2. Insert the cooler into the hole and secure it either using glue gun, either with screws or bolts.
3. Next, make a hole in the lid of the tank to install a pipe into it to which the tube leading to the smoke generator will be connected. All connections must be as tight as possible.
4. Using the plumbing fittings, fasten the tube to the lid of the canister or plastic bottle.
5. Connect the fan to the power source 5-12 in.

To increase the power of the air flow, you can make a fan unit, consisting of several coolers.

Fortochny fan

It is also possible to manufacture a compressor for the smokehouse from a fortochny fan. The manufacturing process is not much different from the same actions using a cooler from a PC.

Only instead of connecting the device to the power supply, fortochny fan for the compressor connects to the network 220 V. An alternative cooler for the bathroom can be used as an alternative to a forto fan.

From aquarium compressor

For a cold-smoked smoke generator, an aquarium compressor can be used as a blower. But you should know that only a certain type of device is suitable for this purpose, that is, an active compressor. This type of device is different outdoor installation and have one or 2 output tubes.

Important! The submersible blower of the smokehouse will not work.

Connecting the device to the smoke generator is very simple: just insert the output hose of the device into the socket of the generator ejector and turn on the device. If 2 tubes come out of the aquarium compressor, they should be combined in one channel and the latter connected to the nozzle. It will be good if the aquarium supercharger is equipped air supply regulator.

From the compressor from the refrigerator

If desired, an air blower for a smoke generator can be made from a compressor from a refrigerator. But in this case, the unit will need to connect storage capacity (receiver), which can be made from a large-diameter metal pipe, an old fire extinguisher, or a gas can.

Important! To automate the operation of the compressor will also require the installation of a pressure switch (pressure switch). The relay sets the minimum and maximum pressure values ​​in the receiver at which the compressor will turn on and off.

The air supply to the smoke generator from the storage tank occurs through pneumatic hose.

From autocompressor

To ensure the flow of air into the ejector, you can use a conventional car compressor. But this unit has one drawback: it cannot work for a long time without stopping due to severe overheating.

But still adapt autocompressor to work with a smoke generator is possible. Need to connect to the machine receiver with pressure sensor, as in the case of the unit from the refrigerator.

After raising the pressure in the receiver to a certain value, the pressure switch will turn off the engine of the device for a while until the air is consumed, and start it again to accumulate air in the tank. In this mode, the autocompressor will not overheat and will be able to provide the smoke generator with air flow for a day or more.