Not hard to replace smoke resistor if it burns out. Do get rid of the wick sleeve...they scorch, get hard and won't absorb much fluid. The loose wicking works better. When I took mine apart, I did a modification I'd read of in the past...I think Jim Barrett recommended it. The advise was to drill a small hole about 3/16' in the partition between the 2 chambers in the unit. The partition is part of the unit's top and is easily accessed when the top is removed. I did this to mine and it improved smoke output significantly. The smoke unit in this engine is not fan driven so I don't believe the Superchuffer will work with it...but I may be wrong. Best to check with John on this.