New thermos

[cokeguy101]

So the guy that built my pit sent me some new bigger dialed thermos, with his logo on them, free of charge...can't complain about that. Think is the ones I have are a much smaller hole. These say 3/4 deep 1/2 inch on the back.

My question is do I drill, tap or cut a 1/2 inch hole and then put a washer and nut on the back to seal it or what do you all recommend

Not the best OK, actually a bad one, maybe it will help maybe it wont

[CJATE]

i drilled mine no washer

I dont see how it would matter so long as it's tight

[Gomeat]

Those are probably 1/2"NPT (national pipe thread) fittings. Most thermos are. So you could weld a 1/2" NPT nipple on to your smoker and screw the thermo in. Or find a 1/2" NPT threaded nut to fit the back and go the drill a hole route. I think you'll have to go to a real hardware store to find the NPT nut. I know that Tel-tru has them on their website as a "Thermometer installation Kit". But they're too expensive IMHO.

[roaniecowpony]

Cokeguy,
I put in two the other day. The best way to put a hole in these things is with a Uni-bit. It's a stepped sort of reamer/drill that has a bunch of diameters. They come in a few sizes and are available at Lowes and HomeD. The downside is that they're pricey. Probably $30 for the one that goes up to 3/4". Put a 3/4" hole in then tap it with a 1/2" pipe tap. OSH will have a pipe tap. My two thermometers from ebay had nuts with them. But, cheap, thin nuts are available in the pipe section of the hardware stores. Put it down low, just a couple inches above the meat rack. Having more than one thermometer will help you understand what's going on in there. Check ebay, they're cheap. By the way, once you use a Uni-bit, you'll wonder how you lived without one.

PS, if you don't want to thread the hole in your bbq and just want the nut to hold it, you'll need to put a 7/8" hole in there.