The last time that I used the cold smoker was for my bacon. I have to admit that it was a fairly windy day, so that might have had a part in it. I did use the small piece of lump, just like you said, and my chips are from Fruita as well. I lit the charcoal outside the smoker and made sure that it was going well, then dropped it in the tube on top of the chips. Then covered the charcoal with more chips up to the top of the tube. I've only had one experience similar to yours and it was my first. I let the smoker run overnight and when I woke up in the morning, it was empty. So, I thought "woo, hoo" this thing is the schniz! Unfortunately, I have yet to repeat that experience in multiple attempts. I was thinking about shifting from wood chips to pellets???