Problem with sticking top vent


 
D

d keen

TVWBB Member
I know I read around here a solution to a sticking vent but I have never had that problem with my past Webers so I just kind of ignored the answer.

Well, now the top vent on my 22.5 WSM is very sticky and very hard to turn. So hard that I have to use a stick and am starting to bent the tabs to open and close it. I don't want to use a WD40 or anything like that.

I searched for sticking vent but all I get is threads about sticking thermometers thru vents. Does anyone here remember the solution?

Also, why has this never happened to any of my kettles that I have used for years?

Thanks for the help!
 
Most of the time this is caused by "gunk" building up between the two surfaces. At least that's what happens to me both on the WSM and the Kettle. I keep a sqirt bottle of degreaser for general cleanup on the table of the Perf and to clean the grills of both. I just squirt a little on the vent,let it sit for a few and turn it a few times to softwen the stuff. Wipe up woth a towel. Repeat if necessary. Since it's water soluble,itcan be totally removed. Hope this helped.
Pat Barnes
 
You might consider doing what I once did to free up some blender blades that were all gunked up from making mayonnaise. I decided that what I needed was food-grade paint thinner, but since that didn't exist I used the closest thing: tequila. It worked fine.

Seriously, a little shot of vodka or tequila might help dissolve the crud, and you won't have to worry about toxicity (unless you drink the rest of the bottle all at once).
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Funny, I've not had an issue with sticking vents until the 22.5 WSM. Vinegar worked for me also.
 
If you adjust the stop vent when your hands are fouled with rub or debris from what you are cooking, it could possibly get in between the top vent and the top itself. This happened to me, inorder to fix it, I closed the vent shut and sprayed 409 on tops surface (open and close it to get the 409 in all the spots). I had to do this a couple of times to get all the gunk out. Works fine now.
 
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