Posted by ciel-007 on 10/17/2013 8:53 PM
#62
Quote
Randy G wrote:
... you have a wood box and the plastic fan receiving hot gasses and particulates that enter differently than the original design. In case of a chamber fire or flash-over event in the roast chamber, chaff in the wood box could be ignited...
Randy, thanks for raising a good question.
Before posting about this modification, I roasted over 50lbs of beans during several months. The enhanced Hottop was subjected to non-stop, high-temperature, back- to-back roasting for two hour periods at a time. During those intense trials, I did not see evidence of a fire hazard. As you know, the factory Hottop draws quite a bit of chaff into the rear of the housing; I suppose that might pose a potential fire risk as well.
In the case for the RAF-1 Extreme, since no chaff is drawn up the metal Extraction pipe or into the Plenum, the risk of fire appears to be minimal. I used wood (instead of metal) for the Plenum because I am not equipped for tinsmithing. However, to optimize safety, the wood Plenum could easily be rendered fire-resistant by lining it with metal foil. Ciel