How the SmokePistol Works

The basic understanding of how the SmokePistol™ works is important to get the most out of the SmokePistol™.  The SmokePistol™ does not have its own heat source and does not burn the word itself.  The fire is started by igniting the EZ light tip and of the cartridge.  This tip should be glowing and should be forced out of the cartridge into the SmokePistol™ chamber.  The wood inside the cartridge should follow the smoldering tip and sit on top of the smoldering tip inside the SmokePistol™ chamber.  The SmokePistol™ then has a regulated air source which controls the burn of the wood giving the maximum smoke output for the least amount of wood.  This efficient burning is what enables the SmokePistol™ to produce so much smoke with so little wood.

Difficulty lighting cartridge

To start your SmokePistol™ operating properly you must do two things.  First, you must light the tip of the cartridge and get it glowing, and second you must get the glowing tip of the cartridge and the wood inside the cartridge to fall into the SmokePistol™ chamber.  The SmokePistol™ does not generate its own heat so you must get a fire going.  The problem many people have is that they burned away too much of the tip of the cartridge and the wood falls through the cartridge tip into the burn chamber of the SmokePistol™leaving a partially unburned tip inside the cartridge tube.  To avoid this, light just the very tip of the cartridge, then quickly fan a small amount of air on to the cartridge tip to see that it is glowing.  Then quickly insert the cartridge into the SmokePistol™ chamber.  Now pump the cartridge up and down inside the SmokePistol™ chamber taping it firmly at the bottom of the chamber.  After doing this about four or five times you should feel the wood fall out of the cartridge into the burn chamber.  Now use the ramrod to clear the barrel and set the SmokePistol™ smoke control to medium.  Then hold the burst button on for about 2 seconds then off for about 5 seconds a few times to get the SmokePistol™ smoking.  Once it is smoking well, turn the smoke control to high, and rotate and shake the cartridge so that the wood falls into the burn chamber.  Leave the SmokePistol™ on a high for about 5 minutes before setting to the desired smoke output.

Cartridge burns for a while then goes out

This problem is usually caused by the cartridges being exposed to too much moisture.  When the cartridge starts to burn the moisture in the wood inside the cartridge makes the wood swell and bind up inside the cartridge.  This prevents the wood from falling into the burn chamber.  This can be avoided by shaking and twisting the cartridge during the first few minutes of operation and continuing to shake and rotate or twist the cartridge during the first hour of smoking.  This will keep the wood falling into the burn chamber and prevent it from getting locked in the cartridge.

Smoke comes up from around the cartridge

Smoke coming up from around the cartridge is a sign that there is blockage in the SmokePistol™ barrel.  This blockage can usually be cleared with the ramrod included with your SmokePistol™.  However make sure that your smoker is properly vented so that the smoke being blown into the smoker by the SmokePistol™  can escape through the vent.  If your smoker is not vented adequately the SmokePistol™ will not function properly.