Mold in WSM


 
PeterD

PeterD

TVWBB Super Fan
Can anybody advise what the easiest and safest way is to get rid of a nasty mold infestation inside the WSM? Looks like my "waterproof" smoker cover isn't and I have about 6 weeks of green greasy grossness growing all around the bottom section and a little bit inside the main section of my old 18" WSM.

And once I get this cleaned off, is there a good source for a really waterproof cover for this unit? The one that came with it was bad from day-one and the one I got from Home Despot a year ago worked fine for a year but it, too has become porous.

Thanks in advance.
 
Give it a good chimney full of burning to clean. Get a big 30gal industrial garbage bag to put between the WSM and the OEM cover.
 
I second both. Quick scrub to get the majority of it. Then assemble with a rolling load of coals. Next time you go to cover leave all vents open and trash bag then oem cover. Never had any water break through.
 
I probably would not ever cook in that wsm ever again. Send it to me and I will dispose of it properly for you!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Vince B:
I probably would not ever cook in that wsm ever again. Send it to me and I will dispose of it properly for you! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Vince,
I thought from your posts that you are one nice guy, but now I'm sure of it. You're all heart.
icon_biggrin.gif
 
I would probably clean it with liquid detergent/hot water to get all the gunk off of it, then I'd wash it with a strong bleach solution to kill off any remaining mold. Let it air dry, and afterwards maybe rinse in fresh water and run a hot fire to make sure the chlorine is all gone.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tom Hinkle:
I would probably clean it with liquid detergent/hot water to get all the gunk off of it, then I'd wash it with a strong bleach solution to kill off any remaining mold. Let it air dry, and afterwards maybe rinse in fresh water and run a hot fire to make sure the chlorine is all gone. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I had to clean my WSM a few weeks back and this is roughly the method I used. I filled the laundry room sink partway with water as hot as I could stand, soap, and bleach, and then scrubbed each component (grates, lid, center, bottom) with a soft brush. Not only did it remove all the mold but a lot of accumulated soot/grease/gunk/whatever came off as well, which left me with a pretty clean WSM. It also left me with a layer of crud on the bottom of the sink...

Brad
 
I had a bad mold problem. Took the grill grates and water pan to car wash. Used the high pressure hose. Worked great. Then I did a burn out. Then took a scrapper to the inside walls of the mid-section and charcoal bowl. It's now ready to cook. Shined up the exterior too.
 
Hey Pete, I had a mold issue in mine once. I had left the vents close after a cook and there was still some water in the pan. I happened to forget about it for a week or two. I washed the grates and the water pan really well and then used Simple green on the inside and scrubbed it down. Then I loaded it up with a full ring of charcoal and left the vents open and let it get as hot as it possibly could to burn it out. Then washed out the inside again.

However, now I make sure I leave all the vents open and there's nothing in the water pan, I haven't had a problem since.
 
I hit mine with a pressure washer then ran a whole chimney lit until it burned itself out. Cleaned it up perfectly.

Mine was caused by mop sauce that dripped into the ashes in the bottom. I put it away without realizing that I had forgotten to clean it out... Live and learn.
 
Wow....talk about an old thread of mine getting dug up four years later on--wow! This only happened the once, and I recall burning a full ring of blue-K as hot as I could get it and using commercial grill cleaner on the cooking surfaces. Ever since then I've stored the barrel portion upside-down as suggested and left the vents open, and covered the unit with a big, thick contractor's grade trash bag. Never had a problem since.

Although I think tonight I may have just started a new mold colony. I did a nice rib cook earlier today and, quite unexpectedly, a sudden and violent rainstorm popped up as the cooker was cooling overnight, with the barrel right-side-up and a full greasy water pan inside. As soon as the rain stopped I took the grate out and unfoiled/dumped the water pan, but there's a ton of wet, soggy ash in the very bottom that's going to sit out overnight. I'm really hoping I don't come out to a green fuzzy smoker again next time.
 
Love it when old threads are still useful. :)

A couple tips on preventing moisture from getting into your cooker in the first place:

1) Don't leave that nasty water pan full in the cooker - especially in the warmer weather. I know, we've all done it, and very often regret it. The day after finishing your cook, get out there and treat that WSM to a little clean up. It's the least you can do after the great job it did cooking for you.

2) Open up at least one (if not all three) of the bottom vents to allow airflow in. This will help to minimize moisture build up.

3) Invert the midsection of the WSM during storage. This allows the lid to fit over the mid section instead of into it. This way, any water that gets through the cover and onto the lid will tend to stay on the outside of the cooker.

4) Use that WSM often. That way, mold never has a chance. ;)
 
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