Is this normal? Middle section wobbly


 
Brendan Slack

Brendan Slack

New member
How tight should the middle section fit into the charcoal bowl, and should there be any wobble? I’ve measured the middle section and the charcoal bowl and they both seem to be within an 1/8” of round. I reached out to Weber and they sent me a replacement middle section, but it does the same thing I show in the video (linked below).

Just wondering if this is normal, or if the charcoal bowl could be the culprit? Thanks everybody 👍

 
Flip the charcoal bowl over on a true flat surface and see if you have a gap or if it rocks, same with the mid sections.
 
No, that's not normal. The middle cooking section should seat in a stable way within the charcoal bowl. Use a tape measure to check the diameter of the charcoal bowl and the bottom of the middle section, measuring from 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock and from 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock, then from 10 to 4 and from 8 to 2. These parts are NOT precision built, but all of those measurements should be roughly the same within a small amount.

Assuming this is a new cooker and the parts of way out of round, I'd be wanting a replacement cooker or parts.

www.virtualweberbullet.com

Parts Troubleshooting - The Virtual Weber Bullet

Problem areas to look for when unpacking and assembling your new Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker. Also, solving parts issues that occur with WSM use over time.
www.virtualweberbullet.com www.virtualweberbullet.com
 
Thanks Timothy and Chris. Not seeing any obvious gaps or rocking on a flat surface like Timothy suggested.

Measured charcoal bowl outside edge to outside edge and it was 18 5/8" all the way around.
Bottom of the middle section was 17 3/4" all the way.

Assuming that's within spec (?), may just try to live with it and see if some self-adhseive grill gasket will help the two pieces seat securely.
 
Have you tried rotating the mid section on the bowl to see if it seats better?
Another thing is to check the seam on the middle section, check the weld on the bottom lip.
I've seen a few posts where the bead was a little sloppy causing a gap.
Edit:
tvwbb.com

New WSM 18.5" – is this a defect?

Hi y'all! I'm a newcomer having just received my first WSM 18,5" from an authorized Weber dealer here in Switzerland. After unboxing (the box was fully intact) I noticed that the middle section is slightly warped at the bottom edge, right where the welding seam is. This alone didn't bother me...
tvwbb.com tvwbb.com
 
Last edited:
timothy said:
Have you tried rotating the mid section on the bowl to see if it seats better?
Another thing is to check the seam on the middle section, check the weld on the bottom lip.
I've seen a few posts where the bead was a little sloppy causing a gap.
Edit:
tvwbb.com

New WSM 18.5" – is this a defect?

Hi y'all! I'm a newcomer having just received my first WSM 18,5" from an authorized Weber dealer here in Switzerland. After unboxing (the box was fully intact) I noticed that the middle section is slightly warped at the bottom edge, right where the welding seam is. This alone didn't bother me...
tvwbb.com tvwbb.com
Click to expand...
Oddly enough, the replacement part Weber sent me has a similar look to the one in that thread (porcelain knicks and all). The original midsection seam weld looks fine.

It seats a little better at certain rotation points. I may reach back out to Weber and see what they think.

Sincerely appreciate the insight, Tim!
 
That looks all kinda wrong.
When you did your flat surface test did you use a flashlight to help see the hi-low fit better ?
I would consider using a granite island countertop or something equivalent to that.
 
It might be the bottom section is out of round. That's pretty extreme. I've got mine gasketed these days, but it too several attempt to get the gasket right.
 
Emailed Weber back on Friday and they transferred it to a phone support rep who would be reaching out. Still waiting on a call.

I was able to take a flashlight and see where some of the gaps were between the two sections. Squeezed on a few of those spots and this helped some, but the two pieces still shift around.

I’ll update once I hear back from support. Have a good week, everybody!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top