Pit Boss Chimney Adjustment: A Full Explanation Guide 2024

Chimneys are important if you want better airflow for your cooking. But if you do a bit of research on pellet grills, you’ll notice that some of those have chimneys and some don’t. It doesn’t matter which brand it is.

The same could be said about Pit Boss pellet grills, as you can buy a Pit Boss grill with a chimney or without one.

In case your one has a chimney, it’s essential to know how to make a pit boss chimney adjustment. Some chimneys are designed to be adjustable. Depending on the temperature you’re cooking with, you can change the chimney position, height and in some grills, you can change the angle.

If you have no clue whatsoever, I can help. Frankly, there’s not much to it, but it’s always good to know what you’re working with before changing something.

In this article, we’ll discuss how to adjust your pellet grill’s chimney and how to replace and clean it. There’s a bonus for those who don’t have a chimney on their grill. You’ll learn how to add a chimney to your pit boss and a few mod options.

Table of Contents

What Does a Chimney Do on a Pellet Grill?

Cooking is all about manipulating heat, especially if you’re working with wood pellets or charcoal as fuel. You need to control and maximize the heat output.

A chimney is vital to keep the fire lit up and increase the quality of the flame. Low oxygen means the pellets won’t burn well. It’s the chimney’s job to keep the airflow going. This helps the exhaust gases escape and increase oxygen through the intake.

It’s an automatic process. When the hot gases leave through the exhaust, cold air filled with oxygen rushes in through the intake.

Hot air exiting through the exhaust leaves a low-pressure zone, which pulls in colder air. This pulling of air is called a draft. No, I’m not going to start a lecture about thermodynamics. But knowing these bits will help!

How to Adjust Chimney on Pit Boss?

There’s nothing much to adjusting the chimney on a Pit Boss grill. It’s all about experimenting with each position.

To adjust the chimney,

Turn in counter-clockwise (to the left) to increase height
Remove the cover by turning it clockwise, i.e., to the right

Pit boss smoke stack adjustment is only done when the grill is set up the first time. Unless you do it wrong at that time, there’s no reason for later adjustment. A good Pit boss chimney adjustment would be to leave a 1-2 inch opening.

How Do You Set Up a Pellet Grill Chimney?

Don’t worry if your Pit Boss pellet grill doesn’t have a chimney. You can easily add an aftermarket chimney to your grill. The following steps will guide you through the process.

This process is for a Pit Boss 700fb, but the process is similar for all Pit Boss grills.

There are two steps,

Step 1: Plugging the Vent Holes

Measure the vent holes and plug them using a bolt, washer, and nut
The vent holes on a 700fb grill measure about a quarter of an inch (3/4^th of an inch)
Put the nuts (5 of them) and the small steel washers that came with the nuts inside the grill
Run the grill to see if it’s sealed properly

Step 2: Installing the Chimney

This step is straightforward.

Unscrew the cover where the smokestack will sit
Attach the chimney using the given screws and a crescent wrench
And do not forget to install the washers for the nuts and the chimney hole
Center it well and tighten everything

It’s done!

Pit Boss Smokestack Replacement

On extremely rare occasions, you’ll need to replace your chimney or smokestack. Chimneys are built well and are usually made of good-quality steel.

When Do You Have to Replace Your Smokestack?

If you notice the following in your smokestack, you need to think about getting an aftermarket chimney.

Part of the chimney is broken
It’s been affected by rust
The walls of the chimney have become too thin, and it has holes

If you’ve got a chimney replacement, do the following:

Use a crescent wrench to unscrew it at the bottom
There should be only two screws on either side
Take off the chimney
Wipe off any grease that has crept through
Take the new chimney and put it in place
Put the nuts inside the grill
Make sure to place the washer between the grill and the chimney
Insert the screws from the outside and tighten them using a crescent wrench

How to Clean the Pit Boss Chimney?

Keeping the chimney clean is the best way to ensure clean and non-smelly smoke. Here’s how to clean your grill’s chimney,

Detach the chimney from the grill
Or you can put a pan under it without removing it
Use any spray solution that removes grease
A foaming spray solution is better
Let it stay on for a few minutes
Loosen grease build-up from the bottom of the chimney
Use a scraper to scrape the inside of the chimney
A paint scraper or a putty knife will work fine
If there are bits and pieces of food stuck inside, spray water to soften it and then scrape it off
Rinse and repeat a couple of times until everything comes off

There are always a few different ways to achieve the same thing. It’s the same here. Other than using a spray cleaner and scraper to clean the chimney, you can use a weed burner to burn everything inside the chimney.

Some users use full-size weed burners (400,000-500,000 BTU). It turns all kinds of deposits inside into brittle carbon dust. And the rest is easy.

Tips to Get More Smoke from Pit Boss

These tips should make your day if you love a slice of good smoked meat. For those using a Pit Boss grill, there’s a built-in feature you can use.

I’m talking about the P setting to control the auger and the pellet feeding cycle. Select the higher P settings, e.g., P6 or P7, for the most amount of smoke.

You could do a few other things to get as much smoke as you can get into the meat.

Keep the lid closed at all times
Monitor the temperature
Inspect the pellet while they’re burning
Use dry pellets
Using cold meat is a good way

But my suggestion would be to aim for clear smoke rather than more smoke. Aiming for more smoke can lead to dirty smoke if you’re not careful.

Tips to Get Clean Smoke

I’d suggest building a coal bed in the firebox. Hot coals in the firebox will help to get a stable temperature. Add small logs one or two at a time. They’ll ignite easily, and there won’t be any sudden temperature surges.

Keep the smoker clean to maintain good airflow. The result will be nothing but clean smoke.

Smokestack Mod (Not forcing it, only if you’re interested)

This is a bit advanced for most people. So, do it only if you wish. There’s no turning back from a mod, I warn you.

Smokestack mods have become popular among the smoking community. They all have different interests. Some want a cooler smokestack, and others do it for practical reasons such as getting better airflow.

The reason why I’d mod a chimney is to get the smoke exit far away from me. Sometimes, the smoke coming out of the small-length chimney makes it annoying when you’re grilling. Getting a longer chimney makes the airflow better while increasing the distance between me and the smoke.

First, get an insulated double-wall gas pipe that has the exact diameter of your chimney pipe.

Here are the tools you need:

A drill
Mini hand cutter with a cutting wheel
Steel wool
Tape measure
Gasket filler
Ultra-black sealant
Sheet metal or self-tapping metal screws
High-temperature rust-oleum

Now, do the following:

Remove the chimney cap
Use the hand cutter to cut the bracket that holds the cap
Place the gas pipe on top of the chimney pipe
Measure how far it went down
Take half of the measurement and draw a line on the pipe from the bottom
Drill 4 holes on 4 sides along that line
Apply a little bead of gasket sealer along the chimney hole
Put the pipe back on
Screw in the metal self-tapping screws in the holes
Use the steel wool on the exterior of the pipe to prepare the surface for paint
Then apply a little paint-prep solution and wipe it
Now use the ultra-black sealant on it
Finally, you can put the cap back on

If you prefer a video guide, this is a good tutorial to follow. Remember, he’s modifying a Traeger grill.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are chimney and smokestack the same thing?

Chimneys and smokestacks have the same design and purpose. They both control the smoke and airflow from burning fuel. The only difference is in the places the names are used. In housing applications, it’s called a chimney, and for industrial applications, it’s called a smokestack.

2. Why do some pellet grills have smokestacks and some don’t?

Usually, pellet grills have smokestacks to have increased airflow. These usually function better as a smoker than one without a chimney. But some pellet grills use fans to achieve the same thing.

3. Should a pellet grill’s smokestack, aka chimney, be left open or closed?

The chimney should always be open on a pellet grill. Too much smoke that can’t escape from the smoker will create an acrid taste in the food.

4. How to reduce smoke in a pellet grill?

Use the P setting to control the amount of smoke generated inside. Use a higher temperature and lower P settings to reduce the smoke produced by the pellet grill.

5. How to get rid of white smoke from meat?

White smoke is bad. It means the fire is almost non-existent. So, it would be best to leave the exhaust vents open to let more oxygen into the fire bed.

Final Verdict

Is Pit Boss chimney adjustment necessary? Well, the question divides people into two groups. I’m on the group that deems it necessary, but only during the first-time installation. And I’m also an avid fan of having a chimney or a smokestack on a pellet grill. It just makes the temperature more stable and keeps the smoke cleaner (just my opinion, folks, don’t start a war about it!). So, get an aftermarket chimney from the market. Installing it is not rocket science, as you’ve seen.

Also Read:

Pit Boss Chimney Adjustment (Smokestack Mod, Replacement, Cleaning Guide)