Has anyone tried venting their pellet smoker from inside the garage using aluminum dryer vent pipe? I was thinking of setting a dryer vent pipe over the discharge stack and making a holder at the gutter so I could grill inside the garage with the door open. A 3” or 4” line loosely attached at the stack should draw enough cool air to keep the discharge temps down. I tried smoking with just the door open and whew, it gets thick in there! Any thoughts? Getting ready for the rain and snow.
Smoking in the garage with door open
- Thread starter Peter C.
- Start date
RickB
New member
Please return the life insurance policys I need you to sign! Just kidding. Bad idea just get you a mak with pellet boss and snuggle up inside and stay warm!
TentHunter
Moderator
The only way we've ever run the grill inside our garage was...
1) Very inclement weather where it was just too nasty to have the grill outside.
2) With the door wide open and the grill just inside the garage.
I've read that Carbon Monoxide poisoning can be a real drag.
1) Very inclement weather where it was just too nasty to have the grill outside.
2) With the door wide open and the grill just inside the garage.
I've read that Carbon Monoxide poisoning can be a real drag.
Last edited:
Salmonsmoker
New member
Welcome to the forum Peter, and yes you can. I wouldn't have solid connection to your smoker as the extra draft will change the way your smoker draws. Think of the way a gas fired water heater is vented. I would suspend a 4x6 or 4x8 reducing coupling(round duct) real close over the smoker exhaust and then run the 4" flex pipe from that out the garage door(as muebe states), but you can have a short horizontal section as long as you have more vertical pipe above that. I have a short horizontal section just before the pipe turns 90 degrees and runs up past the rain gutter. At the bottom of the 90 degree turn I have a pencil hole poked in the bottom of the pipe which lets rain water exit the pipe before running back down into your smoker. The small hole does not affect the draft. Not that it rains much here in the PNW. This is how I vent my DBS. It's under the roof overhang and the smoke would otherwise go into the attic through the soffit vents. Then your whole house smells like a smoker for days. I thought it smelled great, but it didn't impress my wife much.
This is how I vent my DBS. It's under the roof overhang and the smoke would otherwise go into the attic through the soffit vents. Then your whole house smells like a smoker for days. I thought it smelled great, but it didn't impress my wife much.
TrickyDick
New member
This question comes up all the time on the home brewing forums. People burning high BTU propane burners or NG burners, sometimes multiple burners, for brewing beer during winter.
The answer is yes it can be done safely, but you will need to construct a hood to evacuate the exhaust gasses and smoke, and sufficient inlet to permit airflow. Not always easy to do.
Couple posts higher, it looks like a possible solution. I would also invest in a CO detector or monitor, preferably one with a digital readout so you can see if there is any, and confirm your hood is working. If you are a DIY kinda person, I would research carefully, and maybe look over the homebrew forums. I recommend homebrewtalk.com. My grill is going in an outdoor kitchen under shelter of a roof, but in an unenclosed space. There is a large hood above with granite backsplash to prevent smoke stain on the wall. Exhaust fan mounted at far end of hood rated at 1600 CFM. Waiting for the grill to come in next few weeks.
TD
The answer is yes it can be done safely, but you will need to construct a hood to evacuate the exhaust gasses and smoke, and sufficient inlet to permit airflow. Not always easy to do.
Couple posts higher, it looks like a possible solution. I would also invest in a CO detector or monitor, preferably one with a digital readout so you can see if there is any, and confirm your hood is working. If you are a DIY kinda person, I would research carefully, and maybe look over the homebrew forums. I recommend homebrewtalk.com. My grill is going in an outdoor kitchen under shelter of a roof, but in an unenclosed space. There is a large hood above with granite backsplash to prevent smoke stain on the wall. Exhaust fan mounted at far end of hood rated at 1600 CFM. Waiting for the grill to come in next few weeks.
TD
Salmonsmoker
New member
TD, Good info and I realize that, I'm a homebrewer. But....the title of this thread is"Smoking in the garage with the door open."
Cheers!
SS
TrickyDick
New member
Cool! Another homebrewer here!
still, I would avoid smoking in the garage without proper ventilation and a way to monitor the co level.
Just having the door open probably isn't going to do much to exhaust the smoke.
You'd need a way to provide for some airflow and circulate the smoke out and fresh air in.
Prost!
TD
still, I would avoid smoking in the garage without proper ventilation and a way to monitor the co level.
Just having the door open probably isn't going to do much to exhaust the smoke.
You'd need a way to provide for some airflow and circulate the smoke out and fresh air in.
Prost!
TD