High-temp tape for vent holes?


 
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NickMV

TVWBB Fan
I just acquired an extra HeaterMeter from a Pelletheads.com forum member, and I grabbed a 6.5CFM blower from Auber w/gasket, and planning to test-run my 18.5" WSM this weekend. I'm trying to figure out a solution for covering the vent holes. It appears aluminum foil tape is the best solution and is very high-temp, but it's also a ridiculous $60 for a roll of it.


Does anyone have any Home Depot or Lowes-accessible solutions that are cheap ($15 or less sounds reasonable to me)??? I was looking at their websites and coming up with nothing that fits the temperature resistance needed.


Thanks!
 
I think my roll of aluminum tape was 5$, way less than 10$. I got it at either walmart or Menards. It's not that big, I'd bet a contractor would want a bigger roll, but damn, $60 for tape?
 
use one of these for each hole, best solution, clean look and it can be removed if needed, these are lowes numbers


The Hillman Group 1-Pack Steel Hole Plug

Item #: 139405 | Model #: 881267
 
Mike Drewery said:
use one of these for each hole, best solution, clean look and it can be removed if needed, these are lowes numbers


The Hillman Group 1-Pack Steel Hole Plug

Item #: 139405 | Model #: 881267
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Genius, thank you sir. Picked up 2 after work for 3 bucks, and they fit perfectly.

And YES, to those wondering about the tape -- aluminum foil high-temp-rated tape is extremely expensive. Not sure what yall were using but that's one of the only tapes available from a hardware store that is rated for temps that a grill or smoker operates at (250F+)

This plug solution is so much better.
 
RalphTrimble said:
Foil tape is cheap....
http://www.homedepot.com/s/foil%2520tape?NCNI-5
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Maybe I was overly paranoid, but the operating temperatures of almost all of those foil tapes is below 350F. Regardless,these metal hole plugs are way better......until I try to outfit a larger pit. Then I guess I'll go with the foil tape route. My worry with the foil tape is using it on a large offset pit's firebox. That's gonna likely be over 350F. I'm trying to get our cooking rig for BBQ fest (a Tucker cooker) hooked up and running on the HeaterMeter, but am going to start by running a 6.5CFM blower on my 18.5" WSM at home.

Got a female barrel plug w/leads coming in the mail in a few days to solder to my output CAT5 wire, so the blower fan(s) can easily plug and unplug without any additional wire splicing.
 
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I will chime in that every foil tape you get at home depot, menards, Lowe's will not work for any extended amount of time. I have had high heat aluminum foil tape from work and even that will fail. It does work for a few smokes but it will need continuous reapplying.
 
Phillip P said:
The Home Depot and Lowe's prices are pretty ridiculous for the steel hole plug.

You can pick up 10 for $8 at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00MN6GEC2/tvwb-20
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That's a lot of plugs to need. It's a WSM. 2 vents are closed, the remaining one has 2 plugs in it, leaving a single hole.

Maybe some other pits may require you to buy a ton, but I can' imagine needing more than a small handful, unless you're constantly removing and re-using them.

After tax was under $3.50 for 2 plugs. The marginal difference you've noted is kinda silly, if you ask me, esp once you think about the fact WSM users only need 2 plugs.
 
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NickMV said:
Are you planning on exposing them to direct flames all the time? I'm pretty sure this is a non-issue. Unless zinc burns up at 350F. :p
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The plating (and base plating) on the plugs is probably very similar to what's on the cooking grates...
 
NickMV said:
That's a lot of plugs to need. It's a WSM. 2 vents are closed, the remaining one has 2 plugs in it, leaving a single hole.

Maybe some other pits may require you to buy a ton, but I can' imagine needing more than a small handful, unless you're constantly removing and re-using them.

After tax was under $3.50 for 2 plugs. The marginal difference you've noted is kinda silly, if you ask me, esp once you think about the fact WSM users only need 2 plugs.
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My WSM 22.5's bottom vents have loosened considerably with age. So much so that a stiff breeze can blow them open and shut with little effort. I bought the ten pack to plug up 2 full vents (8 plugs) with the remaining one being covered with a pet food bowl fan adapter. I also have "free" Prime 2-day shipping that makes it super easy and my local big box never has any more than one or two of the plugs in stock. YMMV.
 
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How well did the tabs fit into the damper holes for you guys? Pushing mine in from the outside seem to just smash the tabs against the plug and never really popped into place like I imagined. Didn't have much time to screw with it but I'll try pulling them on from the inside with needle nose pliers pulling on each tab to get it seated into the damper hole.
 
Jeff.Ro said:
How well did the tabs fit into the damper holes for you guys? Pushing mine in from the outside seem to just smash the tabs against the plug and never really popped into place like I imagined. Didn't have much time to screw with it but I'll try pulling them on from the inside with needle nose pliers pulling on each tab to get it seated into the damper hole.
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They should pop right in with just a little bit of effort, nothing crazy. The tabs def shouldn't smash. Are you sure you got the right size? I believe the 18" model uses 1/2" plugs and the 22" model uses 3/4" plugs.
 
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