Smoker main housing

[Ray Massa]

Question on the main aluminum rectangular smoker housing on the M26. I have had mine built for several months and running. I notice some smoke oil leakage around the base and I can't remember if that main housing has a solid base (5 sides in all) or does that bottom plate that screws on to it become the bottom of the housing, and then in need of silicone seal. Trying to determine if it could be leaking at the base, but if all one piece, then that rules that out. The manual does not show a picture to indicate the bottom of that housing.

Thanks.

[Ray Massa]

Well I answered my own question, it is solid on the bottom of the housing. Leaking is coming most likely from the entry hole of the heating element. Does not look like a lot is coming from the top which is silicone sealed. And there is not a lot of smoke solution in the chamber to overflow from the heating element hole, so possibly just from heated vapor.

[Dan Fuhrman]

Ray,

I had a similar issue, I believe mine is leaking from the heating element opening as well. I had put the Pershing on hold over the holidays but need to dig into it now. I will update with anything different.

Dan

[Ray Massa]

Ray,

I had a similar issue, I believe mine is leaking from the heating element opening as well. I had put the Pershing on hold over the holidays but need to dig into it now. I will update with anything different.

Dan

Thanks Dan. I have mine totally disassembled. I am going to clean everything and reseal it with a different type of high temperature sealant. The the one I’m going to use is rated at 650 degrees although that temp is not anywhere near what is needed, I thought maybe it would hold up better to even a lower temp. I have found the stuff supplied by Armortek tended to get very soft and did not seem to adhere well to some surfaces. But it never really sealed that well or maybe I just didn’t apply it properly. I have also found that where the element inserts into the unit seems to not seal very well just with that piece of rubber that gets clamped down. I think I will seal that area as well.
Also, a note that maybe you can confirm how yours works but on the base unit where it’s supposed to be held down by two cap screws to the main battery tray, the base is not threaded so you would either have to use a nut underneath the battery tray or put the cap screws from underneath with the nut on top. Either way, if you ever want to remove the unit, it would be impossible without removing everything to get underneath the battery tray.
Maybe those holes were supposed to be threaded but mine were not. I ended up drilling the base with holes on the corners of the base and tapping a thread into the battery tray. So now the unit can be removed from the top side with no problems.

-Ray

[Dan Fuhrman]

Ray,

Thank you for the input on the high temperature sealant, that will have to be done after I complete the accessories and paint. I'm sure I will tear the tank down and change a few things this year. I purchased an early Tiger I from an estate and want to dive into that first. Oh how addicting this hobby has become. I am more interested int he build than the RC aspect.

I had the same issue with the smoker attaching to the battery tray, I could only get one fitting attached. I attached the other with a pop rivet knowing that I would have to drill it out when the time came for disassembly. Not the best solution but will fix it later along with my other mistakes.

Happy New Year Ray,

Dan

[Ray Massa]

Ray,

Thank you for the input on the high temperature sealant, that will have to be done after I complete the accessories and paint. I'm sure I will tear the tank down and change a few things this year. I purchased an early Tiger I from an estate and want to dive into that first. Oh how addicting this hobby has become. I am more interested int he build than the RC aspect.

I had the same issue with the smoker attaching to the battery tray, I could only get one fitting attached. I attached the other with a pop rivet knowing that I would have to drill it out when the time came for disassembly. Not the best solution but will fix it later along with my other mistakes.

Happy New Year Ray,

Dan

Dan,

I completed the re-do of the smoker unit. I took everything apart and re-sealed with a red high-temp sealer from Permatex. The main reason I used another sealer was not only because of the higher temp spec, which really was not needed, but I wanted to try another brand to see if it stuck on the metal better - and it does seem to do that so far. It also seems less rubbery and a bit more solid feeling. I also coated the entry point of the heating element.

I also found that at least the sealer suppled did not do too well on the plastic exhaust tubes. It did seem to seal smoke leaks for the most part but there was so much movement between the tubing and the copper fitting that it was also loose. None of this was a big deal really, as I am sure others found it to be no problem, but since I had the whole thing apart, I figured I would try something else. So instead of even using the new red sealer on the tubing and the copper fitting, I used metallic duct tape used to seal furnace duct work. I just wrapped a one inch wide piece around the joints. It seems to work very well and made the connection more secure than just using sealer.

-Ray