Jfdiguy
Member
- Messages
- 6
- Reaction score
- 28
- Grill(s) owned
- RT-680
I've always disliked having to scoop or vacuum the pellets out of my RT hopper to change pellet type so here's my 1/2 hour easy solution.
1) I started by drilling a 2 1/2" hole on the side of the hopper. Since the radius of the bit is 1 1/4", I measured slightly more than that from the smoke chamber side for my pilot hole.
2) Once the hole was drilled, I used a grinding stone in a drill to smooth the edges and remove any burrs.
3) Here is a shot of the hole from inside the hopper.
4) I vacuumed out the hopper to remove any metal fragments.
5) I purchased an electrical cover plate from a local box store (Note the attachment hole types) and bent the corner above the notched opening to use as a handle to open and close the cover. The top and bottom screws must be left loose enough to move the cover but snug enough for a tight fit.
6) A view of the cover from the hopper side.
7) The finished product. It works great however I still have to push some of the pellets from the non-drilled side through the hole to completely empty the hopper.
I had the hole saw and self-drilling screws so my only real expense was the $.98 cover plate and a little time!
1) I started by drilling a 2 1/2" hole on the side of the hopper. Since the radius of the bit is 1 1/4", I measured slightly more than that from the smoke chamber side for my pilot hole.
2) Once the hole was drilled, I used a grinding stone in a drill to smooth the edges and remove any burrs.
3) Here is a shot of the hole from inside the hopper.
4) I vacuumed out the hopper to remove any metal fragments.
5) I purchased an electrical cover plate from a local box store (Note the attachment hole types) and bent the corner above the notched opening to use as a handle to open and close the cover. The top and bottom screws must be left loose enough to move the cover but snug enough for a tight fit.
6) A view of the cover from the hopper side.
7) The finished product. It works great however I still have to push some of the pellets from the non-drilled side through the hole to completely empty the hopper.
I had the hole saw and self-drilling screws so my only real expense was the $.98 cover plate and a little time!
