Using silicone and ash to increase insulation?
Posted: 11 Nov 2015, 14:21
Hi all
Nice forum. First time posting as I can't seem to find anything about this so was hoping someone here would be able to assist.
My BBQ loses a lot of heat as it's fairly big. I actually struggle to keep the temperature above160 C without using a ton of coal.
So, I wanted to look at insulating it a little. I can't afford to spend a lot of money on it so have come up with an idea I wanted to throw past you. One thing to note, I still want the BBQ to look normal so would prefer not to bolt welding mats on (or anything like that) and use jackets/blankets unless needed.
So, what I was thinking about was to use the good insulating properties of the ash I end up with in a productive way. To do that I was thinking of buying some high temp silicone ( 320 C), smearing that over the inside of the BBQ and sticking ash onto it. So, that would give a thin layer of ash and silicone which, while not delivering a lot of insulation, would at least be a hell of a lot better than the great conducting steel.
Do you think that would make a difference?
I was also thinking that mixing the ash and silione may make a paste that would work better and be stuck on thicker. I don't know any other adhesive that will allow flexibility with the expansion of the steel with the heat.
I read that the coals burn at about 250 to 300C, so that silicone should hold as long as I don't subject it to open flames. Or would it?
That also brings me on to the worry that while I will be using silicone that says nontoxic, would there still be a risk as I'm heating it up with my food?
Any ideas?
Thanks
Alan
Nice forum. First time posting as I can't seem to find anything about this so was hoping someone here would be able to assist.
My BBQ loses a lot of heat as it's fairly big. I actually struggle to keep the temperature above160 C without using a ton of coal.
So, I wanted to look at insulating it a little. I can't afford to spend a lot of money on it so have come up with an idea I wanted to throw past you. One thing to note, I still want the BBQ to look normal so would prefer not to bolt welding mats on (or anything like that) and use jackets/blankets unless needed.
So, what I was thinking about was to use the good insulating properties of the ash I end up with in a productive way. To do that I was thinking of buying some high temp silicone ( 320 C), smearing that over the inside of the BBQ and sticking ash onto it. So, that would give a thin layer of ash and silicone which, while not delivering a lot of insulation, would at least be a hell of a lot better than the great conducting steel.
Do you think that would make a difference?
I was also thinking that mixing the ash and silione may make a paste that would work better and be stuck on thicker. I don't know any other adhesive that will allow flexibility with the expansion of the steel with the heat.
I read that the coals burn at about 250 to 300C, so that silicone should hold as long as I don't subject it to open flames. Or would it?
That also brings me on to the worry that while I will be using silicone that says nontoxic, would there still be a risk as I'm heating it up with my food?
Any ideas?
Thanks
Alan