How does a smoke generator work? Do-it-yourself smoke generator for cold smoking: purpose, operating principle, manufacturing

Updated:

2016-09-05

Making a smoke generator with your own hands is not that difficult. These devices are very easy to assemble and maintain. They are extremely popular among smoked food lovers, as they greatly simplify the process of smoking meat or fish, which requires prolonged exposure to smoke.

You can make smoke generators with your own hands various designs. They are divided into 2 groups depending on the heating source used - electrical network or open fire. The simplest homemade smoke generator is a small metal box with an outlet on which you need to put a corrugated pipe to remove the smoke. Then sawdust is placed in it and placed on an open fire. Under the influence high temperatures the chips will begin to slowly smolder if there is no access to oxygen.

Although such devices are simple, they are quite difficult to use. Since smoking can last several days, and sometimes even several weeks, the release of smoke and its constant supply will not be very easy to regulate.

These devices do not allow you to quickly add sawdust or regulate the temperature. A similar disadvantage is absent in the smoke generator for cold smoking, which has electrical part. In such a situation, it will be possible to regulate the temperature of the smoke and the ignition of the sawdust, for which there is an electronic control unit. By design, this will also be a small box with an output, but inside it there is a spiral or heating element from electric stove. After some time (about 2 hours), the heating element will begin to heat up, the sawdust will smolder, and smoke will begin to emit.

Sometimes you can see smoke generators that are made according to the muffle principle. Moreover, you need to wind a nichrome spiral onto an asbestos cement pipe. Each spiral will need to be insulated with fiberglass, and the entire device will need to be covered with tin. This way you can very quickly heat the sawdust to the temperature at which it will smolder.

The muffle will maintain the temperature, allowing smoke to be released even after the heating is turned off. A sensor can be built into the device that turns off the heating element when the temperature reaches 35°. This device does not require regular human operation to control the process. You only need to add sawdust in a timely manner. Such devices are excellent for producing smoke. For constant use of the smokehouse, these smoke generators will be the ideal choice.

How to make a smoke generator?

Making a smoke generator yourself

This diagram will allow you to understand the principle of operation of the smoke generator.

This device has a huge advantage: you no longer need to constantly be near the smokehouse to add sawdust. The volume of the device chamber will be sufficient to ensure 24-hour continuous operation of the generator. It is enough to fill up the sawdust once so that you don’t have to think about the smokehouse for the whole day.

You can also watch the video and get acquainted with the assembly of the simplest smoke generator.

Assembly of this device won't be a big deal. It starts with the main container. This refers to the combustion chamber in which sawdust will smolder. The smaller its volume, the faster the sawdust will burn, and again you will have to add new ones.

To make a container, you can take any fireproof container. For example, a thermos or an unnecessary fire extinguisher will do. The most optimal dimensions for the container are as follows: the tube diameter is about 10 cm, the length is up to 50 cm. You need to make a hole at the bottom, the diameter of which will be 1 cm. This will be required to connect a compressor with oxygen, and also to maintain combustion. The upper part is made vacuum so that there is no air leakage.

Next about the ejector. Its assembly can be made using metal tubes, connecting them by welding or threading. This part is placed below or above the combustion chamber. The ejector can fit into a small chamber. Due to the design features, the ejector at the bottom often goes out. To avoid this, you need to limit the height of the main container. This will reduce the operating time of the device during continuous operation.

For the pump, you can use any pump or an aquarium compressor (power 4 - 5 watts).

As for raw materials, any wood can be used for these purposes, but not pine, spruce and other evergreen trees. Otherwise, they will cause bitterness in the food.

The smoke temperature can be adjusted by decreasing or increasing the length of the connecting pipe between the main container and the smoke generator.

Before making a smoke generator, you need to determine the smoking container in advance. A metal barrel is suitable for this, wooden box. You can use an old refrigerator for the smokehouse cabinet.

When the device is assembled, you can put food into the smokehouse, which must be salted and dried in advance.

Wet products cannot be used, as the smoke will dissolve in the moisture and the smoking process will take much longer.

Now the device can be put on fire. This process is shown in the following video. Next, the actual smoking of the products you have pledged will take place.

So, you have become aware of making your own such a necessary device as a smoke generator. You were able to see the manufacturing process filmed on video. Assembling this device is not particularly difficult. Follow these instructions, and then assembling the smoke generator will not cause you much difficulty. For clarity, you can also use the provided video. We wish you success in your work!

The device responsible for the formation of smoke in the smoking chamber is usually called a smoke generator. Its operating principle is simple, electric heaters The sawdust inside the device is forced to smolder, producing thick smoke. Special thermostats allow you to control the smoke formation process,, if necessary, reduce smoke flows and perform high-quality smoking of products.

Today there are a lot of devices for smoking products. People have learned to produce smoky products using many homemade devices, including smokehouses with smoke generators. This is the most environmentally friendly method of food processing. During the smoking process, natural thick smoke removes all harmful microorganisms and bacteria from meat or fish. The shelf life of such food is increased, and the taste is enhanced.

Valuable smoke smoke can be obtained thanks to a good smoke generator, which forms the basis of cold smoking. During the process of heating sawdust and its oxygen-free smoldering, the device creates smoke that enters the smoking chamber. Working in automatic mode, the device greatly simplifies the smoking process. The result of his work is very aromatic and no less tasty smoked products, which you can always enjoy if you only have a smoke generator for a cold smoked smokehouse in your household.

Cold smoking is the processing of products with smoke at a temperature of 19 to 25°C. This process can last many hours, or even several days. Immediately before smoking, the products are salted and treated with seasonings.

You can delight yourself and your friends more often with delicacies from the smokehouse by making a smoke generator with your own hands for your home smokehouse.

Externally, the device is a small vacuum box with switches, a receiving hole for sawdust and a small pipe at the top for removing smoke. Inside the box there is a limiter that dispenses sawdust entering the heating element. There is also a container for ash and a control device that is responsible for the temperature of the smoke and the supply of sawdust. This device is initially programmed for an acceptable mode in which the heating element provides a stable temperature necessary for sawdust smoldering, in order to avoid their ignition.

Characteristics of the smoke generator

Considering that a smoke generator is a device that requires quite a long time of operation, it is logical if it consumes a little electrical energy. As a rule, a smoke generator for a smokehouse consumes up to 4 kW per day after the heating element reaches the required smoking temperature and turns off. In this case, the power of the heating element is 1 kW. The device is powered from a 220 V outlet.

The sawdust hopper has a standard volume of 1.5 kg. This amount is enough to carry out continuous smoking for 1.5 days. Provided that the chamber volume is 1 m 3, the smoke generator will provide the products with thick smoke and high-quality smoking.

DIY smoke generator

The main function that a smoke generator performs in a smokehouse can be explained this way: imagine a person smoking in a car with open window. As you remember, all the smoke is pulled out thanks to fast air currents that discharge the air and pull the smoke out of the cabin. Smoke generators work on the same principle.

At the same time, such a device has one undeniable advantage: you no longer need to constantly be near the smokehouse in order to add sawdust. The volume of the smoke generator receiving chamber is sufficient for 24-hour continuous operation of the device. That is, once you add sawdust, you can forget about the smokehouse for a day.

It’s not at all difficult to assemble a simple device for smoking food with your own hands, it all depends on technical feasibility manufacturer and assembly options for the main container, ejector and air pump.

Assembling the parts of a homemade smoke generator:

1. Main container. We are talking about the combustion chamber, where the sawdust will directly smolder. The smaller the volume of this container, the faster the sawdust will burn in it, and you will need to add raw materials again.

• Therefore, in order to make a container, use any fireproof container: be it a thermos or an unnecessary used fire extinguisher. Most suitable sizes containers: pipe diameter – 8-10 cm, length – 40-50 cm;
• Make a hole with a diameter of 10 mm at the bottom of the future reception area. It is necessary to connect the compressor with oxygen and maintain the combustion process;
• make the upper part vacuum so that there is no air leakage.

1. Ejector.

• assembly of this main part of the generator can be done using various metal tubes and any of their connections: by welding, soldering, or ordinary thread;

• Place the ejector at the top or bottom of the main container. The pictures show the upper and lower location of the ejector.

Ejector at the bottom of the smoke generator.

• Suitable for small smokehouse chamber. In view of their design features the lower ejector often fades; for this it is necessary to limit the height of the combustion chamber. Thus, the operating time of the smoke generator in continuous mode is reduced. The lower location of the tube does not provide natural draft in the smokehouse due to the fact that the smokehouse and the receiving container are at the same level. As a result, when the pump is turned off, smoke stops flowing into the smokehouse. Such inconveniences can be avoided by installing the ejector at the top of the loading chamber, as shown in the following figure.

1. Pump (compressor).

1. Raw materials for smoking.

• Wood can be used to create dense smoke different varieties, except pine, spruce, and other evergreens. Such sawdust will cause bitterness in products;
• if your sawdust is too small, then supplement the design of the smoke generator with one small part in the receiving container - a spring for moving smoke through the poured sawdust. If the sawdust is large, then there is no need for an additional part, since smoke smoke will easily seep through the wood.

1. In our smoke generator, the temperature of the smoke that is supplied to the smokehouse can be adjusted by reducing or increasing the connecting pipe between the smoking chamber and the smoke generator.
2. Before making a smoke generator for a smokehouse, decide on the smoking container. Alternatively, you can use a metal barrel, a wooden box, or even a cardboard box. A smoking cabinet can be made from an old refrigerator. The door closes tightly, which means that a constant temperature will be maintained inside at any time of the year. The refrigerator is not suitable only for hot smoking, since its plastic walls will not withstand too high temperatures.
3. When the smoke generator is assembled, you can put food, previously salted and dried, into the smoking chamber. Wet raw materials are not allowed to be used, as smoke dissolves in moisture and smoking will last much longer.
4. Place the device on the fire and the process of cold smoking of fish will begin.

DIY fish smokehouse

In order not to deprive yourself of the pleasure of enjoying fish with “smoke” more often, make a home smokehouse with a smoke generator for cold smoking.

There are no striking differences between a factory device and a homemade one; the principle of operation is still based on the same thing.

1. First, decide on the amount of food you plan to smoke periodically. A miniature device will be just in case the smokehouse is used once a year, for example. Take a regular metal bucket with a lid.
2. Drill a hole at the bottom that matches the diameter of the smoke generator tube to supply smoke, and make a hole in the lid to remove the smoke.
3. To make a smoke generator itself, you will need the following parts: frame, drum, fan, electric drive, heat chamber and remote control for the electric model.
4. Manufacturing technology of a smoke generator for a fish smokehouse:

• The oil seal mandrel is best suited for the main generator tank. Cover it with a lid and connect a timer to the device, for example, from a washing machine or microwave oven;
• to maintain normal pressure of 1 atm, install any compressor as long as it performs its main function of pumping air;
• if the distance between the smoke generator and the smoking chamber is less than 100 cm, then come up with an additional smoke cooling device;
• At the bottom of the device, install a heater for heating sawdust;
• Place large sawdust in the main container of the generator, turn on the heater and compressor;
• Insert the outlet tube of the device into the smoking chamber, where you need to hang the fish in advance.
• The cold smoking process has started. After about a day of continuous operation, check the fish for readiness and the amount of sawdust in the smoke generator.

1. Maintain smoking temperature between 30 and 35°C.
2. For best performance of the device, dry weather is suitable.
3. Add some grapevine or cherry to the sawdust in the smoke generator. This way your products will have a richer taste.
4. The taste of smoked fish or meat depends on the type of wood chosen.
5. To make the smoking process faster, you need to install an electric heater inside the smoke generator to heat the sawdust.

Safety rules for the manufacture of a smoke generator

1. The smoke generator must meet fire and electrical safety requirements.
2. In the event of unexpected operational problems, the control unit must be equipped with an automatic shutdown device.
3. Electrical wiring and other parts should be kept away from the heating element and away from high temperatures.
4. The most durable housing for a smoke generator is metal, with a layer of heat-resistant paint.
5. It is recommended to install the device on a fire-resistant surface.

Rules for using a smoke generator:

1. First of all, install the device on a flat surface.
2. Connect the cord to the network.
3. Fill the container for shavings with sawdust for smoking.
4. Connect the outlet pipe of the smoke generator to the smoking chamber, which you fill in advance with products.
5. Turn on the start button and the device will then perform its work automatically. It is necessary to monitor the level of sawdust in the chamber and add it as it burns. Thus, the cold smoking process can last several days. The device cannot be turned off.

You can see the principle of creating a smoke generator for a smokehouse with your own hands in the video master class:

Products prepared using smoking technology are probably loved by everyone without exception, even those people for whom doctors do not recommend eating them. Therefore, the desire of many home owners to acquire their own smokehouse is understandable. This is a completely feasible task, and on the Internet you can find a lot of examples of arranging stationary or compact complexes for such purposes.

A variety of specially made or even available items can be used as a smoking cabinet - from old barrels, gas cylinders, old refrigerator cases - and even to ordinary cardboard boxes. But in any case, a source of smoke is needed - without this, smoking is basically impossible. Such devices, usually called smoke generators, can be purchased ready-made. But for a good owner, who knows even just the basics of metalworking skills, it should not be difficult to self-creation such a device. You can verify this by reading the proposed article - how to make a smoke generator for cold smoking with your own hands.

A few words about smoking technology

In this section of the publication we will not delve into the intricacies of smoking technology. It is replete with nuances, plus many owners have their own own secrets cooking products. And this applies more to online culinary resources. But you still need to know the basic principles - this will make it easier to understand the structure of the device in question - a smoke generator.

So, smoking is, in essence, the exposure of products that have previously undergone special preparation to smoke obtained from the combustion of wood (shavings or chips). But it can be done in different ways:

• Hot smoking involves a double effect on the product - thermal and smoke. To do this, the source of smoke (burning or smoldering wood) is located in the same container (smoking cabinet) along with the products being processed.

The advantages include the high speed of cooking, the simplicity and compactness of the smokehouse design. The products are softer and more boiled. But there is also a huge drawback - the smoke does not undergo any purification, that is, it carries with it evaporated moisture, tar and other resins, a lot of other products of wood combustion, some of which are extremely harmful to human health, including may have carcinogenic properties .

Prices for smoke generators for cold smoking

smoke generator for cold smoking

• Cold smoking is rightfully considered more “healthy”. There is practically no thermal effect here - the smoke temperature is usually maintained at a stable level of 30÷40 °C. The duration of food preparation certainly increases (sometimes even up to several days). But they do not lose nutrients, fats, and retain their dense structure. The taste is more piquant, rich, and the shelf life of ready-made dishes is many times longer than those obtained by hot smoking.

And what is very important is that during the cooling process, the smoke is largely freed from moisture and harmful components of combustion products. If, after the cold smoking process, you pay attention to the collected condensate, it becomes scary what was contained in the smoke before cleaning.

In “classic” stationary smokehouses, smoke cooling is ensured by the remote location of the wood combustion chamber and the smoking cabinet itself - the distance can be several meters. And they are connected by an open or even buried channel (pipe) in the ground. The smoke cools along the way from the source of its formation to the smoking cabinet, which is accompanied by the formation of condensation, which, in turn, significantly binds tar, fine soot, soot, and other impurities that are undesirable for getting on the products.

There is already a detailed publication on our portal about creating a complex for cold smoking using a similar scheme.

Stationary smokehouse for cold smoking of products

Such a structure may well be suitable for owners land plot– after all, it requires a certain part of the territory. But the productivity of such a complex is very impressive. Information about , with everyone necessary diagrams, drawings, step-by-step descriptions of the work - you will find them in a special article on our portal.

But not everyone can afford such a “luxury”. Many would be more satisfied with a compact option that is easy to store in utility room, put into a “combat position” and launch only as needed. Well, this approach is quite possible. To do this, you need a smoking cabinet (you can even use the simplest one), and the very device that will be discussed below, that is, a smoke generator.

Principles of design and operation of a smoke generator

Even a short “walk” through the Internet pages can show a great variety of smoke generator models. But if you take a closer look, the vast majority are based on a common schematic diagram buildings. It can be represented approximately as follows:

1 - metal case. It is typical for him vertical arrangement, and the material is most often a piece of pipe (round or profile, it doesn’t matter).

2 - top cover. It must provide a very tight, almost airtight fit, so that the generated smoke does not escape outside and is not wasted uselessly. The cover must be removable for loading fuel and for cleaning.

3 - a grate is installed inside the lower part of the body. There remains space underneath for access to air necessary for the wood combustion process and for collecting ash.

4 - bottom cover. The element is optional, and sometimes they do without it. But in this case, firstly, the fire hazard of operating the smoke generator increases, since unburnt small coals can fall down, which will require special attention from the user. And secondly, the user is practically deprived of the opportunity to regulate the air supply, that is, to achieve optimal mode burning (smoldering) of wood chips or sawdust. In “thoughtful” models, both the bottom cover and the grate are made removable to facilitate the process of regular cleaning of the device.

5 - hole (window, slot) for supplying air to the fuel combustion zone. Very often, it is possible to change the clearance area of ​​this air intake - an adjusting valve, damper, etc.

6 - hole (usually a pair of diametrically located holes) for igniting the fuel fill using a gas burner.

7 - an outlet pipe welded into the housing pipe - it is through it that the smoke will be transferred from the generator to the smoking cabinet.

8 - ejector tube, which is located coaxially with the chimney pipe. In this case, the outer diameter of the tube should be smaller than the internal outlet chimney, and it itself should be somewhat inserted into the cavity of this pipe. A good solution is the ability to adjust the depth of this entry of the ejector tube - in this way you can change the intensity of the smoke supply into the smoking chamber, and even to a certain extent its temperature.

9 - wood chips or sawdust, which fill the body of the device. The burning (smoldering) area of ​​this fuel deposit is shown below. As you can see, combustion is always directed from bottom to top, and as combustion progresses, the load gradually sags downward.

10 – the dotted line shows an additional channel created for the free exit of smoke upwards. The fact is that tightly packed fuel (especially shavings or sawdust) can clog the smoke outlet, there will be no necessary draft, and combustion in the generator will simply stop. This channel is typical for devices with an upper flue pipe (as shown in the diagram). A perforated tube or even just a spring with a diameter of 25÷30 mm, similar to the one used to close doors, can be used as such a channel.

Prices for smoke generators “Bravo Favorit”

smoke generator "Bravo Favorit"

A few words about how such a smoke generator works:

So, the field of ignition of wood chips (shavings) through the existing ignition hole, the process of its combustion begins. With proper adjustment of the air entering from below (shown by a blue arrow), you can achieve the optimal mode - stable active smoldering with a large release of smoke.

Streams of smoke (shown by gray arrows) rise upward, which is facilitated by a channel installed in the bookmark.

Prices for smoke generators "Dym Dymych"

Smoke generator smoke smoke

The outer side of the ejector tube is connected to the compressor. The flow of supplied air (blue arrow) creates a vacuum zone at the entrance to the smoke outlet pipe, thereby stimulating the active release of smoke through the pipe into the smoking chamber (wide arrow). By adjusting the position of the ejector tube relative to the entrance to the chimney channel, the “density” of this smoke flow is regulated. In addition, if it is possible to adjust the compressor performance, it is possible to influence the air-smoke ratio, that is, to a certain extent, the temperature of the smoke supplied to the smoking chamber.

The diagram is shown with simplifications and only for correct understanding general principle smoke generator operation. In fact, the variety of designs is very wide.

• Firstly, the devices may have different layouts in terms of placement of the smoke intake pipe. The options are shown in the diagram:

With the ejector located at the top, the smoke, rising from the combustion zone, has time to significantly lose its temperature. In addition, it dries the fuel at the same time. Disadvantage - certain measures are required to ensure free exit of smoke through the fuel load, as discussed above.

Smoke can also be collected from below, in the immediate vicinity of the wood burning zone. There are no problems with draft, but the smoke requires a more efficient cooler, since it is impossible to directly supply hot air into the smoking chamber.

• Secondly, in all the diagrams shown above, the ejector assembly is located directly in the smoke generator body itself. However, this is not at all some kind of dogma. As will be seen later, very often the ejector is moved outside - this is easier to assemble and more convenient to maintain and operate.
• Thirdly, smoke generators can be equipped (or, more precisely, must be equipped) with additional components: a condensate collector and a cooler. This will be discussed below when considering specific projects.

But, despite the variability of designs, the principle of their operation remains the same.

We make a smoke generator with our own hands

To begin with, a few taken from the Internet ready-made schemes with recommended sizes. Perhaps for many home craftsmen who can read drawings well and have the necessary technical thinking, this will be enough for further independent work.

Prices for the VORON smoke generator

smoke generator "VORON"

But it’s better to look in more detail, literally step by step, at how different craftsmen approach the assembly of such devices. Several options will be presented - from the simplest smoke generator, which can be assembled, as they say, “on the knee,” to quite well-thought-out models that are not inferior to factory ones in terms of workmanship and operational efficiency.

Based on what I saw creative master He will be able to come up with his own version, for the production of which he will only have enough of those supplies of materials that are now simply lying around idle in a barn or garage. And, of course, in accordance with the level of your skill in performing certain plumbing operations.

Find out how to do it by learning from the simplest to stationary options, in a special article on our portal.

The simplest smoke generator made from cans

Of course, such a device has many disadvantages. But the idea itself is attractive, and the design can be modified independently if necessary.

Illustration
	To assemble a simple smoke generator you need: - Three empty vertical tin cans. They must be the same diameter (for example, standard size 76 mm). In the example under consideration, there are two cans - tall, 109 mm, and one smaller, 84 mm, but this is not important - they can all be the same height. - Plumbing tee “female-male-female” Ø ½ inch and one lock nut for it. - Squeeze by ½ inch, convenient length (will be clear later). - Adapter fitting for a garden hose - Four clamps, with a size capable of grasping a tin can (for example, with a diameter range of 70÷90 mm). - A piece of copper (or other metal) tube with an outer diameter of about 8÷10 mm. To work, you will need a minimum set of plumbing tools.
	To begin with, two banks are connected. In one of them the bottom must first be removed, that is, only a hollow cylinder remains. To connect tin cans (again, a tin can can be used), a strip approximately 40÷50 mm wide is cut out, long enough so that the resulting band covers the circumference of the can. Then this bandage is fixed one by one on the cans by tightening the clamps - the principle should be clear from the illustration. The same bandage is attached to the top of the second barge - this is where the ejector unit of the smoke generator will subsequently be installed.
	Two diametrically opposite holes are made in the wall of the lower can, with an indentation of approximately 15 mm above the bottom. The diameter of these holes is about 10 mm. But here the accuracy of the shapes is not important, since these windows are only needed to ignite the loaded wood chips and to provide the air flow required for its smoldering.
	Next, you can proceed to the assembly of the upper ejector block. To do this, a hole is cut in the center of the bottom of the third jar.
	Here you should try to cut this window as accurately as possible - so that the central threaded pipe (“male”) of the tee fits into it and rests against it with its flange protrusion.
	The threaded part of the tee is inserted into the hole, and a lock nut is attached to it from the inside.
	Then, to secure the connection, it is best to tighten the locknut with a socket wrench. To seal this connection, you can use fum tape, and under the tee flange you can either put a standard gasket or apply a strip of silicone sealant.
	An adapter fitting is packed into one of the outlets of the already installed tee. Its internal diameter is selected so that it is slightly larger than the external diameter of the ejector tube.
	The ejector copper tube itself is being prepared. As can be seen in the illustration, a hose (PVC tube) going to the compressor is already connected to one end and secured with a clamp. A rubber ring is put on, which will act as a sealing collar at the entrance of the tube to the tee. Not the best seal, but quite sufficient for such a structure. You can come up with your own version.
	The tube is inserted into the tee from the side of the installed fitting.
	The tube is inserted so that it protrudes from the opposite side of the tee by approximately 12÷15 mm.
	The position of the tube in this example is fixed by moving the rubber cuff, which docks with the end of the fitting, tightly closing the remaining gap. As is probably clear, it remains possible, if necessary, to slightly adjust the position of the tube relative to its exit on the opposite side of the tee - there is no rigid fastening here.
	The next step is to attach the ejector so that the end of the ejector tube is inside it.
	Then this squeegee is screwed tightly into the tee - you can again use fum tape for sealing.
	This is how the assembled ejector unit turned out.
	In fact, the generator is already ready, and you can proceed to testing it. To do this, wood chips are poured into the housing, which consists of two lower cans. In the example under consideration, the master uses packaged hardwood chips, which are sold in stores specifically for such purposes.
	After this it is put on top part, that is, the ejector block. For reliability, this connecting unit can also be tightened with a clamp.
	The compressor is connected. In our example, this is an aquarium model with the ability to adjust performance. By the way, this is a very useful option that allows you to control the process of supplying smoke to the smoking chamber within certain limits.
	The standard compressor tube is connected to the tube coming from the ejector.
	Bottom tin can- thin, and the smoldering of the chips will pass directly above it. And therefore it is necessary to install the smoke generator on a non-combustible base. A piece of asbestos sheet is shown here, but the proximity of asbestos to food preparation technology is extremely undesirable. So it's better to come up with a safer option.
	You can start the smoke generator. To begin with, the air supply from the compressor is turned on. This will provoke the appearance of a small draft necessary for the combustion of wood chips. It is most convenient to ignite using a compact gas burner. The flame torch is directed into the previously made ignition holes. To ensure stable combustion, the operation should be carried out on both sides of the generator housing.
	If ignition is successful, then after a few seconds the functionality of the generator will be demonstrated by a dense stream of smoke from the outlet pipe. The device is assembled and ready for use.
	Just to supplement the information - the master used (successfully, according to his assurances) an ordinary cardboard box as a smoking cabinet. There is a hole made in the bottom into which the smoke generator output pipe is inserted.
	A hole of approximately the same diameter is also made on top to allow smoke to escape. In addition, the master also cut out an inspection window so that one could visually monitor the chamber’s filling with smoke without opening the box again. During smoking, this window can either be sealed with a strip of wide transparent tape, or covered with stretch film, or simply covered with a piece of glass.
	This is roughly how a smoke generator and an improvised device are connected in the process of preparing food. smoking chamber(of course, not on the knee, but using a stand of appropriate height).
	Well, these are products placed in the smoking chamber, suspended on wire crossbars threaded through the body of a cardboard box.

Thus, many immediately say that such smoking will be a “direct blow to the liver,” since there are completely no devices for separating condensate and purifying smoke.

The simplest condensate collector is shown in the illustration below, but calling it a successful “engineering solution” is hard to come by. Although, if you provide a slope towards the tee on both sides, then there will still be a certain effect.

The simplest condensate collector, made from a plastic bottle and placed through a tee onto the smoke supply pipe into the smoking chamber

Better quality condensate collectors will be considered in future models.

The second drawback is that it is unlikely with such small in size inside the housing of the generator itself, the smoke will have time to cool to the optimal temperature for cold smoking. Meanwhile, no cooler is provided in the circuit. A elevated temperature in the smoking chamber - this is a big disadvantage to the very principle of food processing.

Conclusion - the idea works, and can be used, with possible modifications, or as a temporary “light option”. But for regular use it is better to make something more serious.

Prices for Merkel Optima smoke generator

Smoke generator Merkel Optima

A more complex option, for those who are not comfortable with welding

This model looks more solid. Accessories for it can be easily purchased at a plumbing store. One of the advantages is that it is not used for installing a smoke generator - for those who have not yet mastered this technology or are not confident in their abilities.

In this embodiment, smoke is taken from below, from the fuel combustion area. The ejector unit is external. A condensate collector and a pipe section for cooling the smoke are provided.

Illustration	Brief description of the operation performed
	To make a smoke generator in this example, a regular stainless steel pipe was used, the kind that is used for installing chimneys. Diameter – 100 mm, length of the segment – ​​approximately 800 mm (the value is arbitrary, depending on the volume of the intended laying of wood chips). In the illustration, the pipe is simply temporarily covered with a layer of white protective film.
	For plumbing components, you need to purchase two pipes with a diameter of 25 mm and a length of 150 mm. There should be two lock nuts for each bend. You need two tees of the same diameter (all outlets are “female”).
	You will need two pieces of inch pipe, with threaded sections at the ends. The length of the segments is selected according to the size and installation location of the smoke generator. One will serve as a vertical section - a smoke cooler, the second will go from the ejector block to the smoking cabinet.
	To assemble the ejector assembly, a conical collet clamp-adapter was purchased, used by plumbers to connect liners made of straight pipes to mixers. By the way, a piece of such a tube, with an outer diameter of 10 mm and a length of about 150 mm, is necessary for the ejector. To connect the collet clamp to 25 mm pipes, you will need a threaded adapter from ½ to 1 inch.
	Assembly begins with the installation of the lower exhaust, which serves as a channel for removing smoke from the lower area of ​​the generator housing. To do this, a neat hole is made in the wall of the pipe so that the end of the drive fits into it. One lock nut should remain on the outside, while the second is threaded and then tightened on the inside. It turns out as shown in the illustration. Inside the pipe, below the mounted outlet pipe, a removable grille is installed - it will act as a grate. This grille is supported from below by a standard pipe plug. True, the plug will have to be slightly modified - one or more holes will have to be drilled to allow air to pass to the fuel combustion area. Even better, if you make a window on it with a movable damper, you can regulate the air supply. Above the grate, but below the intake pipe, there should be holes in the pipe (one or two diametrically opposite) for igniting wood chips.
	The “plumbing” part of the installation begins. The remaining connection is screwed into one of the tees - to any of their side terminals. It is better to immediately make all connections here with a linen sealing winding.
	At the opposite end of the drive (with the long threaded section) there are two nuts. A metal lid with a thread will subsequently be clamped between them (through gaskets), onto which, in turn, during operation of the smokehouse, it will be screwed from below glass jar for collecting condensate.
	Next, this tee is screwed to the squeegee fixed in the smoke generator body. The area for collecting condensate, of course, should be at the bottom.
	The picture should look like this.
	The next step is to screw a piece of pipe into the remaining free outlet of the tee.
	IN assembled generator this section will be located vertically, parallel to the body. For greater strength its design is often also rigidly mechanically connected to the body at the top using a jumper (clamp). In this vertical section, the smoke will actively cool, and the condensate that falls will begin to flow down into the collection jar.
	Next, a second tee is screwed onto the opposite end of this section of pipe with its central outlet.
	After screwing, the tee should be oriented as shown in the illustration. The ejector will be assembled in this tee.
	First, the assembly connecting the thin tube with the tee is assembled. To do this, loosen the locking nut of the collet clamp and insert the tube into it. After this, the nut can be slightly tightened so that the tube does not slip out.
	Next, an adapter from ½ inch to 1 inch is attached to the collet clamp.
	Then this resulting assembly is screwed and packed into the free socket of the tee.
	This unit is convenient in that by loosening the clamping nut of the collet adapter, you can move the tube located inside forward or backward, and then fix its position again. When assembling the ejector, the tube exit from the opposite end of the tee is usually left at about 15 mm.
	And all that remains is to screw the second piece of pipe into the remaining free socket of the tee.
	The ejector tube will then be inserted inside this chimney, coaxially with it.
	In principle, the assembly is complete. All that remains is to fill the generator housing with wood chips and close it tightly on top with a plug (or a homemade lid). The device is installed in the chosen place, a horizontal section of pipe is inserted into the smoking chamber (and here again the craftsmen limited themselves to a cardboard box). Connects to a thin ejector tube flexible hose compressor.
	A jar is screwed onto the bottom of the lid fixed between the nuts to collect condensate.
	All that remains is to turn on the compressor, ignite the fuel fill - and soon cooled smoke will come out of the pipe in the smoking chamber. Smoking is on!

As you can see, the scheme is completely simple for anyone home handyman. However, it is not without very significant shortcomings.

• The durability of that section of the stainless pipe that will come into contact with open fire is questionable. The thickness of the walls is less than a millimeter, several holes are cut into them, and it is difficult to say how long such a smoke generator will last with active use, but it is unlikely to last long. The body still requires “more serious” material.
• There is no certainty that the vertical section of the chimney pipe will be sufficient to fully cool the smoke and free it from condensate and impurities. Still, it is quite short.
• The scheme for collecting smoke from the combustion area is not well thought out. The end of the drive that is fixed in the pipe turns out to be very limited in such possibilities, since the intake is made, in fact, from one point at the edge of the body. And without high-quality smoke removal, the combustion process will be unstable, requiring frequent re-ignitions, or even stop altogether.
• In addition, this pipe will inevitably quickly become clogged with wood combustion products, and to clean it, it will be necessary to almost completely dismantle the entire external structure smoke generator. Not a very attractive prospect...

The idea certainly deserves attention, and, if desired, can be taken as a basis, with some modifications.

Well, the next two examples are a more serious, thorough approach.

Smoke generator option with external cooler

To manufacture such a model, it is no longer possible to do without stable welding skills. Although the smoke generator itself, it must be said, is not very complicated.

Let's add another nuance - not just one option will be shown, but, so to speak, creative development model, taking into account the shortcomings identified during operation.

Illustration	Brief description of the operation performed
	The illustration shows the “starting” version of the wizard. In terms of layout, this is an analogue of the above-considered model made of a thin stainless pipe. But there are certainly differences, and significant ones.
	First of all, this is the material of manufacture. For the body it is used steel pipe with a wall thickness of 3 mm. It is clear that the durability of such a design increases several times. The illustration shows a housing blank with a cut-out window for welding in the intake pipe and with a hole for supplying air to the combustion zone.
	The design of the pipe itself is also interesting. Firstly, it is quite long, since it “penetrates” the body completely - right up to the opposite wall.
	Secondly, along its entire length, the one that is hidden inside the body, holes are made to collect smoke from the smoldering area of ​​the fuel filler. From above is narrow gaps. This is done so that wood chips do not get inside this pipe.
	And larger circular holes are drilled from below. And as a result, the total area of ​​the channels through which the smoke will escape outside is quite significant.
	The pipe is inserted into the window cut out for it, and after checking the position, it is welded with a continuous seam
	This is what it looks like after welding on the outside.
	A plug with drilled holes is first welded to the bottom of the pipe-body - it acts as a grate. And then a short section of pipe (coil) is welded, which turns into both a stand and a kind of ash chamber.
	This is, so to speak, a “view from the inside,” a view from above.
	Two holes are drilled in the walls of the housing above the grate for igniting the fuel.
	The layout of the outer pipe is identical to the previously discussed model. A tee with an ejector assembly will also be attached to the bottom of the screw cap of the jar to collect condensate.
	For the ejector adapter, the master decided to use a fitting from a quick-release connection of garden hoses, having removed it from a spray gun that had become unusable.
	The fitting itself, with its threaded part, screws perfectly into the tee. A copper tube was selected that fits very tightly into the fitting - the compressor hose will be connected to it.
	An oak plug was turned on a lathe with a very good fit to the smoke generator body pipe. It will close from above during operation.
	Finally, the assembled smoke generator is thoroughly cleaned....
	...and then coated with heat-resistant paint for stoves and fireplaces. Agree that it looks much more attractive and neat this way.
	However, having tested the model practical operation, the master identified a number of shortcomings, which he tried to evaporate by making some improvements. The illustration shows a modernized version, somewhat disassembled, just to make it easier to understand the improvements made.
	Firstly, changes have been made to the lower part of the body. The grate is made removable (this makes the process of cleaning the smoke generator after work easier), and the air supply to the combustion zone is regulated by a damper.
	Secondly, it is not possible to completely get rid of the gradual overgrowing of the welded intake pipe with wood combustion products. And in order to carry out cleaning without resorting to large-scale disassembly of the device, the tee is replaced with a cross, in which the outlet opposite the branch pipe is closed with a plug in the working position. That is, to clean it, just unscrew the plug - access to the cavity of the intake pipe opens.
	Thirdly, practice has shown that a vertical section of pipe is not enough for complete cooling and good smoke purification. Therefore, another chamber was added, which plays the role of a cooler - a separator. It is made from a short piece of the same 100 mm pipe. At the bottom, the chamber is plugged, and there is a welded pipe that screws into the upper terminal of the cross. The pipe at the bottom must be welded in such a way that there are no obstacles to the free flow of liquid down through the cross into the condensate collector. A ring is welded to the top of the pipe, to which the top cover of the refrigerator-separator will be attached.
	An assembly like this is installed inside the chamber, consisting of a tray, a central rod and two plates. Due to these parts, the heat exchange area sharply increases - condensation will begin to collect on the metal, which carries with it the tar and solid impurities contained in the smoke. All this dirt, simply according to the laws of gravity, will then flow down the vertical section of the pipe into the condensate receiver. And in order to prevent the heat exchange separator plates from dangling in the chamber, when the lid is closed, they will be pressed down with a homemade spring like this.
	A lid was selected that exactly matched the dimensions of the cooling-separation chamber. A pipe is welded into it on top. The cover will be sealed through the gasket to the camera body using roofing screws.
	WITH back side A layer of sealant is applied to the lid. In this case, it is a layer of hardened sealant. Sometimes a cut-out pad made of felt or paronite is used for this. It should be understood correctly - this decision, both in the design of the cooling chamber and the cover to it, and in the method of connecting them, was dictated to the master by the availability of parts suitable for this. It is quite possible to find another, perhaps simpler, option. It is possible that in the garage you will find some kind of metal container with a sealed lid that will fit almost ready-made.
	A tee is screwed to the pipe welded to the cover, in which the ejector assembly is assembled, just as shown earlier. That's basically all the changes.
	Several pictures showing such a smoke generator in operation. It is characteristic that it is rigidly attached to the smoking chamber through a pipe welded into it. The camera itself is made from metal barrel, and was previously used only for hot smoking or barbecuing. Now its functionality has been expanded to include cold smoking. The compressor hose is connected to the ejector tube.
	About a kilogram of wood chips was loaded into the generator chamber for a test run.
	A can is screwed on to collect condensate. The fuel is ignited using a gas burner.
	The ignited wood chips are clearly visible in the window. Using an air valve, you can achieve an optimal slow burning mode.
	Just a few seconds - and thick smoke begins to pour out of the pipe.
	It’s worth keeping the smokehouse lid closed for a little while...
	...how a very high concentration of smoke at a low temperature accumulates inside - ideal conditions for cold smoking!
	And finally, just for fun, it’s worth looking at what has accumulated after even such a small amount of fuel burns out in the condensate collector.
	Even without removing the jar itself, you can already notice that a lot has been collected.
	And this is what it looks like “live” - a black, somewhat oily liquid. And this is with just a test loading of wood chips to barely a quarter of the volume of the smoke generator. It's scary to think that all this nasty stuff could be absorbed into the products being smoked. This picture will probably serve as a convincing argument for those who are skeptical about the need for cooling and cleaning smoke and separating condensate.

Another interesting smoke generator model

And finally, “optional” so to speak, let’s look at another smoke generator model. We will not talk in detail about the assembly - a lot is repeated or becomes clear from the explanations already given earlier. But some details and components deserve attention.

Illustration	Brief explanations on the design of the smoke generator
	Here it is, the assembled smoke generator, coated with heat-resistant paint.
	The presence of a stand with welded legs immediately catches your eye. The stand is made from pipes larger in diameter than the body of the device. The smoke generator is inserted into the stand and secured in it with three clamping bolts. Very convenient for quick disassembly when it is necessary to clean the cavity of the device. The heads of the bolts, screwed in completely, are visible (there are four of them, evenly spaced around the circumference).
	These bolts on the inside act as stops for the removable grate.
	Smoke intake is carried out from above. This completely eliminates the issue of rapid overgrowing of the intake pipe with soot. The illustration shows the hole through which smoke from the chamber enters the chimney.
	The horizontal section of the outlet pipe passes through the outlet into a vertical section that goes down to the refrigerator-separator.
	Inside the device body there is a block that combines a grate and a channel to facilitate the passage of smoke through the fuel load.
	A pipe and a grate plate connected to it.
	The grate is a metal plate cut in the shape of a circle with holes drilled in it. The diameter of the grille is slightly smaller than the internal diameter of the pipe of the smoke generator housing.
	The pipe is made from the rod of an old vacuum cleaner. Slot-like through longitudinal cuts are made on its walls to ensure free passage of smoke.
	This assembly is lowered into the body of the pipe-housing and rests against the bolts shown above, thereby occupying the desired position. When loading even the smallest fuel, smoke will have a “road” to travel to the outlet.
	The hole intended for igniting the fuel filler is clearly visible. By the way, an interesting detail: the hole is threaded, that is, after ignition, it can be plugged with a bolt so that unnecessary air leaks from the side do not occur. And the combustion air supply comes through a slit-like window at the bottom, equipped with a movable damper - all this is very clearly shown in the illustration.
	The top of the case is closed with a massive welded lid made of thick metal. Due to the considerable weight of the lid and the felt gasket glued on the inside, excellent tightness is ensured.
	Now - about the design of the cooler-separator. In this model, the smoke already receives considerable cooling. It makes its way from the bottom up through the fuel load, giving off some of the heat to it. Then it cools down, passing through the outer sections of the pipes, horizontal and vertical. But at the lowest point, another level of cooling and purification awaits him. At the same time, this unit also serves as a container for collecting condensate.
	All this expanded functionality is due to the original design. This is also a glass tank with a screw cap. Just for example, a 0.7 liter jar is shown, but in real-life operating conditions at least a two-liter jar should be used. A distinctive feature The design is that not one pipe is cut into the lid, but two.
	The first is the smoke supply from the smoke generator, that is, connected to the lower point of the vertical section of the pipe. The pipe ends with a special tip made of a copper tube. The tip has the shape of a nozzle directed at a certain angle towards the wall of the can. A peculiar cyclone effect occurs - the smoke swirls along the walls of the container, losing a lot in both temperature and speed due to a sharp increase in volume. Residues of condensate with all the impurities remain on the walls.
	And then the cooled and well-cleaned smoke is taken from the container through the second pipe. True, the author of the idea has already received comments on the forums, with which, I must say, he completely agreed. The point is that the separator intake pipe shown in this example is very long. And according to the recommended rules, it is better to collect purified smoke above the point of its supply to the separator. But such a drawback is very easily corrected, and anyone who is planning to make a similar version of a refrigerator-separator should immediately keep this in mind.
	Well, on this pipe itself, after it passes through the lid of the jar, a tee is mounted, which houses the ejector that is already familiar to us. Another feature is that the master uses metal-plastic pipes in the last section of smoke movement, after the ejector, which are both lighter and easier to install. The smoke is cooled, purified - why not?
	The device is in operation. The metal-plastic pipe for supplying smoke is connected directly to the smoking cabinet, which in this case is a metal tank. Also noteworthy is the unusual design of the compressor, which is mounted directly on the ejector pipe, and in addition, it has precise adjustment of the constant supply voltage, that is, it can be adjusted according to performance (the volume of air pumped).

Agree, the last model shown has a lot of interesting aspects that significantly simplify the operation of the smoke generator.

By the way, if you look at examples of compressors used in conjunction with smoke generators, you can find a lot unexpected decisions. This includes homemade devices made using, for example, computer coolers and plastic bottles. And nothing - they work great!

Find out how to do it by reading the master class in a special article on our portal.

* * * * * * *

To summarize, it should be noted once again that, having understood the principle of the smoke generator design and familiarized itself with a number of examples given, it is quite possible to make a high-quality device yourself. Or maybe you can come up with some ideas yourself and improve some of the components. If it works, write to us, and your achievements will definitely become an example for many home craftsmen.

Let’s finish the publication with a video that shows another noteworthy smoke generator with an external refrigerator-separator.

Video: A master shares his experience in making a smoke generator for a cold smoked smokehouse

Updated:

2016-08-16

Today we’ll talk about how to make a smoke generator for a smokehouse with your own hands and offer video instructions in order to understand in detail all the nuances of this device.

Smoking smoke is obtained due to the operation of an effective smoke generator. For cold smoking, a temperature in the range of 19-25 degrees is used.

Externally, the smoke generator is a vacuum box with regulators, a hole for sawdust and a pipe for removing smoke. There is a limiter inside the unit, which allows sawdust to be dosed onto the heating element.

And you need it in order to get delicious home-made delicacies. Who doesn't love beer with delicious smoked fish or meat? Only now you rarely see real smoked products in stores. So why not make them yourself?! To do this you will need a smokehouse and a smoke generator.

Technical characteristics of the smoke generator

A conventional smoke generator for a smokehouse is designed for long work, since the smoking process can take from several hours to several days. Therefore, the characteristics of the device are very acceptable for home use:

• Its electricity consumption level is small - no more than 4 kW per day;
• When the heating element reaches the required temperature, it turns off, and when it cools down, it automatically turns on;
• Heating element power - 1 kW;
• Power is supplied from a 220V household outlet;
• The sawdust hopper has a volume of 1.5 kilograms. With this amount of sawdust, the smokehouse can work without interruption for a day and a half;
• If the chamber has a volume of 1 cubic meter, it can easily be filled with such a generator with high-quality and thick smoke, ideal for smoking.

Making a smoke generator

Ready drawings homemade generators smoke can be found without any problems. To assemble a homemade smoke generator, you will need four main devices:

• Container;
• Ejector;
• Compressor (pump);
• Raw materials.

Each point should be addressed separately.

Smoke generator container

This is a combustion chamber in which the sawdust smoldering process and smoke creation will occur.

1. It is important to consider that the smaller the chamber volume, the faster than sawdust will burn, and therefore they will have to be added more and more.
2. To make a container, any container with fire-resistant properties is suitable - an old fire extinguisher, a thermos. It is advisable to choose a container that has a pipe diameter of 8-10 centimeters and a length of 40 to 50 cm.
3. A hole with a diameter of 10 mm is made at the bottom of the smoke generator receiving tank to connect a compressor with air.
4. The upper part must be made vacuum to avoid unnecessary air suction.

Ejector

• This main part The generator is made of metal tubes. You can connect them together in any way you like - by welding, threading, soldering;
• The ejector can be placed below or above the main container;
• The lower location of the ejector is suitable for small smokehouses. Due to the design features, the lower ejector often goes out, so the height of the combustion chamber has to be limited. This reduces the continuous operation time of the smoke generator. When the ejector is located at the bottom, it does not create natural draft, since the smokehouse and the receiving container are located at the same level. If the compressor is turned off, smoke will not enter the smokehouse;
• Considering the above, it is better to choose top option ejector installation.

Compressor

• Any low-power pump can act as a smoke generator compressor;
• It is not uncommon for a smokehouse to use a compressor from aquariums, the power of which is about 5 watts;
• True craftsmen can create a compressor using conventional plastic bottle and a computer cooler;
• The easiest way is to take a ready-made compressor and continue assembling a smoke generator for your smokehouse.

Raw materials for smoke generator

To smoke food with your own hands, you will need raw materials that will be responsible for the supply of smoke. We're talking about sawdust.

• For smoking smoke, it is not recommended to use sawdust from evergreen trees such as spruce, pine, fir;
• Almost any type of sawdust, except those mentioned above, serves as a raw material for a smoke generator;
• If you use pine or similar sawdust, smoked products will taste bitter;
• If the sawdust is too small, you can install a spring in the smoke generator to move smoke through the filled sawdust;
• If the sawdust is large enough, smoke can easily penetrate through it, so no additional equipment is required.

Important nuances

1. The temperature of the supplied smoke can be controlled by reducing or increasing the connecting pipes between the smoke generator and the food chamber.
2. Decide in advance on the container that will act as a smoking chamber.
3. A permanent smoking chamber can be made from an old refrigerator. By closing the doors tightly, the smoke will be retained inside and effectively process the food, maintaining the optimal temperature.
4. Having assembled the smoke generator, conduct a test run and smoke the first small batch of products.

If you managed to make a smoke generator with your own hands, congratulations. Now you need to cook something in the smokehouse.

Follow a few simple cooking rules.

• Pre-salt and marinate the products you want to smoke. There are millions of recipes now.
• Maintain a temperature in the smokehouse of 30-35 degrees.
• It is best to smoke in dry weather.
• By adding grapevines or cherry branches to the sawdust, you will get products with a richer taste.
• The taste of meat and fish directly depends on the type of wood from which sawdust is made.
• If you want to speed up the cooking process, you can install a special electric heating element inside the smoke generator, designed to heat sawdust.

Safety and Application Rules

It’s not enough to just make a smoke generator. It is important to strictly follow the safety rules and use of electrically powered equipment.

1. When making a smoke generator with your own hands, be sure to make it in accordance with the requirements of fire safety and work with electrical appliances.
2. If problems arise with the operation of the smoke generator, the equipment must be equipped with automatic shutdown of the device.
3. Electrical wiring and other elements that can be damaged by overheating must be located at a safe distance from the heating elements and not be exposed to high temperatures.
4. It is best to make your own smoke generator from a metal case coated with heat-resistant paint.
5. The smoke generator should be installed on a fire-resistant surface - not on a wooden floor, but on concrete, cement, or a brick structure.

Working with a home-made smoking device is carried out in the following sequence of your actions:

• Place the smoke generator and smokehouse on a flat surface;
• Connect the device to the power supply using a cord;
• Fill the sawdust container with raw materials of appropriate quality;
• Connect the outlet pipe from the smoke generator to the smokehouse chamber, pre-filled with products;
• Press the smokehouse start button, and the smoke generator will start doing its job automatically;
• Periodically monitor the amount of sawdust remaining in the chamber, add as necessary.

A self-made smokehouse with a smoke generator will give you delicious, healthy foods, which you can treat to all your friends and loved ones. But it’s not so difficult to make it.

Since ancient times, people have used smoking to preserve food. The method is still relevant today, but it is important to understand the technology of the process in order to prepare equipment for this. Let's take a closer look at how to make a smoke generator for cold smoking with your own hands.

Cold smoking is a long process, which requires not only equipment, but also a decent supply of firewood and time to maintain. It often lasts from 2 to 7 days, and during this entire period the fire must be constantly maintained in the firebox. it just makes this job easier. Some factory-made models can work autonomously for days without requiring any attention.

A smoke generator for smoking produces and supplies smoke to the smoking cabinet where the products are located. Marinated meat, poultry or fish come into contact with smoke, after which a whole string of chemical reactions. Thanks to them, aromatic and very tasty food is obtained.

A smoke generator for a smokehouse is an effective and at the same time structurally simple device. To make it, you can use available materials. In the cabinet where food is smoked, nothing burns, since the temperature inside is not very high (ranging from +20 to +40 °C). This temperature is precisely characteristic feature namely cold smoked. With the hot method, the smoke temperature is much higher - about 100 degrees.

A smoke generator is a device that for a long time, often without any supervision from the owner, produces cooled to room temperature smoke smoke.

General requirements for cold smoking technology

To decide on the optimal unit, you need to know technological features cold smoked. The issue of technical and financial limitations is also important.

Taking into account the above factors, a number of requirements are imposed on the equipment:

1. The design of the smoke generator should be simple so that it is easier to make it yourself.
2. The working chamber is designed in such a way that its volume is sufficient for continuous supply and cooling of smoke.
3. The smokehouse operates automatically, but we must not forget about fire safety rules.
4. Wood chip fuel must be used efficiently and the intervals between subsequent loads must be as long as possible.
5. To minimize smoking time, it makes sense to focus on affordable and reliable designs. A simple smoke generator is the most effective; it can be made at home and used for a long time.

The above requirements also apply if you purchase a ready-made device.

Design features of the device

In its simplest form, the design includes several parts, each of which performs its own function in the finished unit:

1. Capacious tank with sawdust. There may also be a door necessary for loading fuel. Small smoke generators often do without it, and sawdust is simply loaded into them by pouring it on top. The lower part is complemented by small holes for burning sawdust.
2. Duct – A small hose used to direct air inside. Traditionally, it is located in the upper part of the unit body.
3. The outlet pipe is located on the opposite side of the housing. Its purpose is to direct cold smoke into the smoking chamber.
4. An air blower is, in other words, a compressor.

The design with a lower ejector location is convenient primarily because it allows you to quickly replenish the supply of spent sawdust. Thanks to this, smoke can easily penetrate into the container with the food being cooked.

The solution with top ejection is notable for the fact that the product producing smoke is located at a significant distance from the area where sawdust smolders. In this design, the smoke generator for smoking is not subject to large thermal loads. The smoke is purified in the backfill, and as it passes through the main path it also cools.

For a design made according to the latter scheme, it is undesirable to use fine-grained raw materials, because it is possible to reduce the efficiency of the unit as a whole - if you use large chips, then smoke passes through it more easily.

Deciding on materials

Wood chips and sawdust produce a lot of smoke when smoldering in the generator housing. the main task devices - ensuring uniform combustion for a long time and directing smoke into the cabinet with the food being prepared. At home, making a smoke generator for a smokehouse for cold smoking is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance.

To assemble the structure you will need:

• steel pipe with rectangular or round with a diameter from 100 to 120 mm and a length from 800 to 1000 mm;
• metal pipe with a diameter of 20 to 40 mm and a length of 300 to 400 mm;
• a sleeve (can be made of pipe or plastic) 2.5 m long and with a diameter corresponding to the size of the chimney;
• small pump;
• profiled tube (with a side of about 80 mm);
• pipe fittings;
• fine metal mesh;
• thermometer for monitoring the mode inside the unit.

Obviously, the larger the smoke generator for cold smoking in terms of dimensions, the more spacious its firebox. But a large unit is difficult to refuel due to its bulkiness and heaviness. To install the finished structure you will need legs made of metal fittings. They will ensure the product stability and reliability during operation.

Additionally, you will have to acquire an aquarium compressor with a rated power of up to 2 l/min. It is advisable to purchase a model with an air flow regulator.

Assembly sequence of a homemade structure

Let's take a closer look at the assembly sequence of a smoke generator for cold smoking based on a profile pipe (for home use, dimensions of 100x100 mm are considered sufficient). Nobody forbids using round pipes, but working with them is a little more difficult.

The production of a smoke generator is carried out in several successive stages:

1. 2 cm are retreated from the lower edge of the rectangular pipe and a cut is made with a grinder. They do the same on the opposite side. You get two through slits.
2. A rectangular blank is cut out of a metal mesh, which along the long side should be 10-20 mm larger than the cross-section of the pipe. It is carefully inserted into the cuts. It turns out to be a grate on which you will pour wood chips. (This is just one way to make such an ash pan; in the photo below you can see just a grate hammered into the pipe.)
3. A hole is drilled from the opposite end of the pipe at a distance of 2-3 centimeters from the end and a metal pipe with a diameter of 2 centimeters and a length of 10-15 centimeters is welded onto it from the outside. Let's call it an outlet pipe - smoke will go out through it.
4. In the opposite wall, exactly opposite the outlet pipe, a hole is drilled for the compressor fitting. The fitting is secured with a weld or a nut.
5. You need to secure a thin tube in the fitting so that it fits 3-4 centimeters inside the outlet pipe. It turns out to be an ejector: if air from the compressor is supplied to the fitting, an internal draft arises, which is sufficient to pull smoke out of the generator.
6. From metal sheet cut out two square covers, slightly larger in size than the body (that is, the cross-section of our square profile). Despite the fact that we are talking about cold smoking technology, the product is powered by smoldering wood in the lower part, which means that the structure will heat up (at least in the part where the sawdust burns). A strip of heat-resistant metal is welded along the contour of the lid so that it fits tightly on the pipe.
7. At the bottom of the unit (where the mesh is welded) legs made of reinforcement are attached.
8. A plastic sleeve is put on the outlet pipe, through which the smoke will flow into the smoking chamber.

The device is ready! You can start cold smoking. For convenient carrying, handles can be welded on the sides of the body. It is better to install the structure on a non-combustible platform. Cleaning the smoke generator must be thorough and regular, since ash constantly accumulates in it during operation.

Improvements and improvements

The unit assembled using the technology described above is fully functional. But it has certain disadvantages. It is not surprising that DIYers and craftsmen have developed an improved smoke generator based on several improvements.

During operation assembled device Condensation will certainly form. Hot air, heated over smoldering sawdust, when passing through the outlet pipe and sleeve it cools, and moisture is released from it. It must be removed so that it does not clog the sleeve. To do this, install a simple condensate collector.

You can make it using available tools and materials:

• the plastic sleeve at the outlet of the smoke generator bends downwards;
• in this lower part, a water tee is installed into the gap in the sleeve;
• a reservoir is attached to it - a bottle or metal container for condensate.

Solving the problem of traction deficiency

During operation, home craftsmen often encounter the problem of lack of traction. Often the unit simply goes out. The problem can be partially solved by adjusting the compressor power, but it is much more effective to add a small blower to the unit.

How to make this design? The most effective way is to make the product in accordance with the gate principle. We make a small device in the sequence presented below:

1. A pipe with a diameter of 100 to 150 mm with a circular cross-section is welded at the bottom of the unit body. It is placed above the place where the metal mesh is fixed.
2. Drilled 2 through holes along one line (on one side and the other).
3. A metal rod up to 400 mm long is inserted inside.
4. A circle is cut out of a metal blank. The diameter is several millimeters smaller than the same value for the pipe.
5. If the dimensions of the smoke generator are significant, the rod is bent from the outside, forming a “handle”.
6. A handle is inserted into the prepared holes, a sheet is welded round shape. When the handle rotates, air is supplied to the device body.

The adjustable damper is ready for long and intensive use. This is not an automatic industrial unit, but its performance is quite sufficient for domestic use. Such an installation smokes more, the higher the combustion intensity.

Bottom line

If you have minimal experience in working with tools and the necessary materials, organizing a home smokehouse will not be difficult. The design can be made in 1-2 days. We recommend that you study video reviews of smoke generators for cold smoking and only then purchase a specific model.

Have aromatic and delicious smoking!