Bought an Old Country Gravity Smoker and have a lot of questions. Combustion Inc Engine vs Blower vs Breezo? Grease drain options? Wood compatibility?

Hey yo! Just upgraded from a Dyna-Glo vertical offset (which I absolutely loved if anyones in the market at that price point) to an old country gravity smoker. I've been using meater wireless thermometers (v1 and now 2.0) but I've both been unimpressed with reliability and software but also now seriously considering a blower in order to be able to do overnight cooks for the first time without needing to stoke the fire every night.

Actual questions:

1. Do I need a blower to confidently sleep through the night or will this thing keep temps ≈ steady +- 25 degrees just with the ball valve?

2. I've watched enough reviews to know I want a variable blower with at least 15 CFM, needs to be water resistant for NW weather, and ideally rechargeable power built in or via the control unit. I've whittled it down to

   a. **Combustion Inc's new engine blower** + giant grill gauge + new wifi probes which is probably my top option but 🤑
   
   b. **Thermoworks rfx + blower** which I love their accuracy and reliability but their system isn't water resistant or have variable blower speeds so just switches annoyingly and loudly on/off all day. Also the rfx is nice that it's wireless but the combustion has the nice screen and rechargeable powered blower battery but it has to live outside next to the cooker which is worthless.
   
   c. **ChefsTemp Breezo V2 + Protemp S1** seems like a decent option, but likely the cheaper route, water resistance problems, and blower needs external battery power
   

Any thoughts on software/reliability/hardware problems that might sway me towards or away from any of these options?

2. Is the grease drain a 1.5" or 1.25" ball valve? Anyone have a good grease drain solution, my dog has a fondness for beef fat so I debated a rubber hose + clam + bucket but seen elsewhere this grease drain is key for airflow. So debating a ball valve and bucket just when I cooking.

3. The only "mod" (hate that term) that I'm intrigued by is the ability for the small 4" chimney stack to have enough strength to pull airflow through. I've seen some people add extensions to get a longer stack height but am curious how necessary this is. Does a longer stack spike temps due to more airflow = more draw = higher charcoal burn rate? Or can you keep a 250 degree cook but get more airflow over the meat with a longer stack height?

4. Curious about people's experience with wood in these things. Wood chunks in the ash pan, wood dabbled throughout the chamber + charcoal, doing a whole split next to or instead of charcoal? Seems bark can be pretty decent from this smoker but the bigger challenge is getting smoke flavor so curious what workarounds people here have found best, especially when trying to keep the smoker set it and forget it.

5. Seasoning. With a painted exterior, is the only smoker seasoning I need to do the inside and the grates? Any preferred guide or guidance on seasoning? High temp oil, lightly applied, high heat to bake in like cast iron would?

If you've made it this far, you get a brisket high five.