New WSM owner having problems


 
J

Joe Tacoma

TVWBB Member
I am new using the WSM and have done 3 cooks so far.
After each cook my lid has been getting stuck to the middle section and I have trouble prying it off. Last night it was really stuck on there and I could not get it to come off. Has anyone else experienced this or know what is causing this? I go so frustrated after 5 minutes trying to get lid to come off that I wrapped towel around lid handle and started hammering it to try to get it loose, no success. I did end up damaging the handle and the interior of the lid where handle is attached to had some of the porcelain come off. How do I attach photo so I can show what I am talking about. Does anyone know how I can fix this damage to interior of lid or if I should just leave as it is now?

Also is it normal for some gunk looking stuff to build inside the lid to where it looks like some type of gobby liquid that dried up.
 
my lid seems tight sometimes but hammer tight. I would look to see if the edges of middle section are bent in some where . my lid is a little tight were I put one side in first then push handle side down. you lifting from top or side handle? it could be out of round also. when I first fired mine up I had gobby liquid on in side even after washing soap and water . good luck welcome to the weber family.
 
Joe, my WSM did the same thing when it was new, after about the 3rd cook. Although not as severe as yours seems to have glued up. The lid vent glued up on mine as well. Thankfully after some more use and nice layer of grease has built up and it is no longer sticking. The vent moves free now as well, although a little stiff. Not sure what to do with the handle. Keep going with it, it should fix itself. Maybe try to warm it up to get the lid off again.
 
The middle section is almost perfect. The lid goes on and off easily before and during cooks. Its after I am done cooking, when the lid has stayed on for a few hours and smoker has started cooling that I come back to clean up but lid is stuck. Handle is very top of lid. Thanks!
 
Hi Ted. I am having same problem with lid vent. I have been wiping it down after each cook to prevent vent from getting stuck. After each cook I have been scraping all gunk/grease off from bottom of lid and top of middle section. Maybe I should let it build up.
 
All of my WSMs stick after a cook. It's just the buildup underneath that causes it. Sometimes it's really hard to get the lid of but eventually it pops off. Just keep the lip clean and it should be fine.
 
You don't need to pri or hit the lid to get it off. Simply start a fire by removing the lid and mid section together and reinstalling it. Once it heats up it will be removable again. Once removed simply wipe the edge of the lid and the mating surface on the mid section with a shop towel. It won't stick after that.

I recommend all new users read the FAQ on the Virtual Weber Bullet. In this case this is the FAQ for this issue: http://virtualweberbullet.com/faq.html#stuck
 
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Thanks for taking time to post that link Dwain. I will try this next time. I clean the lip of cooking section and bottom of lid each time and it has gotten stuck all 3 times I have cooked.
 
Joe Tacoma said:
Thanks for taking time to post that link Dwain. I will try this next time. I clean the lip of cooking section and bottom of lid each time and it has gotten stuck all 3 times I have cooked.
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Rgr. In that case I'd use vinegar to cut that grease buildup.
 
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I never tried this but maybe spray the lip down with a non-stick cooking spray like Pam?
And before you open it up next time, let it sit in the sun. In your area it should only take a few hours to warm up.

Tim
 
My lid stuck for the first few cooks as well. Started applying Weber non-stick grill spray around the lip of the cooking section before every cook, and haven't had a problem since.
 
If you get enough grease from your cooks on the lip of the lid and middle section and it's cold out like it is now, the lid will stick. It's the frozen grease holding the 2 together. Just warm it up a little and it will come apart easily. Sorry to hear you damaged your lid trying to separate the 2. Hopefully you can repair the damage.
 
Enrico, yes it looks a lot like that on the inside and with droplets running down the sides from the top. I have though about installing gaskets, but not sure yet. Thanks.
 
I do what Dwain described. Keep the lid and center sections clean where they meet with vinegar and all is well. I also agree that a fire in the pit would have got the lid off better than a hammer, but I learned that after I took a screw driver to mine. Haven't had any problems since keeping it clean.

Looking at your lid (assuming it's like the picture Enrico posted) makes me think something else is wrong. My guess is that you're using water and I'm also wondering if you're getting bad combustion. Are you keeping the top vent wide open?

One thing I would do is light a hot fire (one chimney of charcoal, all vents open, no water pan). I believe that will make that coating flake off. Take a brush to it and clean off the flaking.

Then, on your next cook, try using no water and see how things work. Make sure to keep the lid and center section clean before and after the cook.

As for fixing the damage you've done, there's not much you can do to fix porcelain. I'm hoping that all you've really done is break loose some of that crust you have in your lid. It does look a lot like porcelain. Without seeing, I can't be sure, but look close and hope for the best.
 
I clean the lid and center lip after each cook. I will try the vinegar method, do you apply vinegar before a cook or just after to clean? I wish I would have know about the fire pit before taking a hammer to it and trying to show it who is boss.

This was the first time I used water, but the 2 times before I used no water and the lid still go stuck. However with water in the pan it got really stick, hence the hammer. I open and close top vent throughout the cooks to raise and lower the temps until the stabilize.

I have cleaned the flaking off after each cook, so it is clean when I start my next cook.

Some of that crust definitely flew off when I introduced handle to the hammer. I need to figure out how to post pics to show you. I took a close look at the part that chipped off and its a greyish color underneath the crust/porcelain.
 
Joe Tacoma said:
I clean the lid and center lip after each cook. I will try the vinegar method, do you apply vinegar before a cook or just after to clean? I wish I would have know about the fire pit before taking a hammer to it and trying to show it who is boss.
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I do it just after or during the cook. It seems to work better if the WSM is warm. Note, I'm not really applying vinegar, I'm using it as a cleaning fluid on a wad of paper towels.


Joe Tacoma said:
Some of that crust definitely flew off when I introduced handle to the hammer. I need to figure out how to post pics to show you. I took a close look at the part that chipped off and its a greyish color underneath the crust/porcelain.
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Bummer. I was hoping that was not the case. The good news is that it will get gunked up and that should keep it from rusting. I wouldn't want to try to paint the inside of the lid but if there was some chipping on the outside, you could use a little high temp paint to prevent rusting.
 
Joe Tacoma said:
How do I attach photo so I can show what I am talking about. Does anyone know how I can fix this damage to interior of lid or if I should just leave as it is now? Also is it normal for some gunk looking stuff to build inside the lid to where it looks like some type of gobby liquid that dried up.
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To post photos, you need to host them somewhere on a free hosting site then link them into your posts. See this for more info: http://tvwbb.com/faq.php?faq=vb3_board_faq#faq_postphoto

If you popped off some of the porcelain on the inside of the lid where the handle is welded on, I would probably do nothing. There are ways to do cosmetic fixes to the exterior porcelain - Porcelain Repair - but I wouldn't do it inside, nor would I hit it with high-temp barbecue spray paint. If you're lucky, it will gunk over and not rust.

In my experience, this sticking condition is dependent on what you cook...it seems more likely with fatty cuts of meat. If you do the cleaning with white vinegar or Simple Green before cooking and then wipe these surfaces with a paper towel after cooking and the lid still sticks, I'd bang the edge of the lid with your open hand or gently with a rubber mallet to get it open. Then I'd lay something over the edge of the middle section to keep the lid from seating and sticking...maybe an old dish cloth or rag just to keep the lid propped open a bit. A metal skewer or a wooden paint stirrer laid across the edge of the middle section would also do the trick

As for the build-up inside the lid, if you're using water it's likely to look shiny at first but then dry up, turn brown/rust colored and flake off...use water and a stiff brush to remove and rinse. If you don't use water, it's likely to stay as a black gunk for longer periods of time, but still may flake off after extended period of non-use.
 
Others posting before me know way more about the WSM than I--I will say this: I have a gasket where the lit meets the mid section, and it still sticks after it cools off. I dont need a hammer or anything like that, but I rock it back and forth to break it free
 
This makes me so glad I did the gasket kit before I started using it. Never had it even remotely want to stick.
 
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