Air leak in the 22” WSM

During a 5 ½ hour rib cook this weekend on my new 22” WSM, I found that the temperature was continuing to rise. In 30 minutes, it rose from 236º to 250º (trying to maintain 225º). In a process of elimination, I started duct taping possible air sources. I started, in order, with taping up the door (I already have Permatex high temp silicon on the door, but it doesn’t cover the gaps completely). After 15 minutes, the temp rose to 255º. Next was the seam where the Stoker adaptor met the WSM, then the other two vents, as the temperature continued to rise. Finally, I taped the seam where the middle section fit into the base unit. The temperature started dropping immediately, 30º in half an hour. I then started removing tape from the Stoker adapter, lower vents and door, to reconfirm that the problem was in fact the lower seam. The temperature stayed stable indicating that the sole problem was the lower seam. Before I assembled the WSM for the first time, I checked for round and was within ¼ inch. Before I put the tape on the lower seam, I checked it closely with a flashlight and saw no obvious air gaps. Now I have sticky tape residue all over my WSM, but I’ll take that off with GooGone today, and will add a bead of Permatex to the seat in the base. I’m cooking a corned beef on St. Patty’s so Ill see how it goes.

I put a bead of Permatex around the mid section where it fits into the base, which solved the air leak problem there. Now the leak is just around the door. I’ve done what I could to make it fit including trying to re-round the door, forming a Permatex gasket, adding shims to the inside of the latch so it doesn’t deform the door when engaged, etc. Nothing short of taping the door shut worked. I am at a loss. That seems drastic to me as you would have to lift the entire unit up to add more fuel if need be. I guess Weber would be held liable for offering a faulty design if one would be burned or the house burned down, because the WSM had to be lifted in one unit and the contents of hot coals, hot water and/or hot meat were spilled.

I would just like to point out that it is very normal for a WSM to run hot the first several times it is used. It needs some build up of barbe-goo on the inside for the unit to begin to settle in to a groove where it will maintain its own steady temp. The barbegoo is actually a combination of creosote from the woodsmoke, as well as some of the drippings that steam off from the meat while cooking. This stuff will find its way toward an airleak, and slowly buildup - kinda like Barr's Stopleak for your car's radiator.

In addition, many many cookers from many different manufacturers have air leaks. These things are not being built to fly to the moon, and therefore do not need perfect seals. Some leak more than others, but some leakage is normal.

Also, temp fluctuations are tolerable. Going from 236 to 250 is negligible in the big picture. Temp chasing is a common mistake among new users, so allow for a little more variation.

Funny, I run my cookers at 275 target temp, and I choose to not worry about fluctuations up or down. Nothing magic happens at 225, it still smokes food, but it just takes a lot longer!

Have patience, and hope this helps...

Doug,

It is more than running hot, the temperature continues to climb. When I set the Stoker at 225º and it continues to climb up past 278º, that’s more than negligible. I am sure that the temp would have continued to rise if I hadn’t intervened. I expect the 22 to be of the same quality as my 18. That’s not too much to ask. I can set the Stoker on my 18 and it will maintain +/- 2º for 17 hours, I expect nothing less from the 22. While I’m not a grizzled old veteran of the WSM, with about 25 cooks under my belt, I don’t consider myself a NuB. The Permatex gasket worked well, effectively sealing up the air leak at the base. Now it just that dam door, leaks live a sieve. I had to seal it up with duct tape to get it to maintain a temperature. With that done, I maintained +/- 2º for the remaining 4 hours of my rib cook. The consumer shouldn’t have to do that.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> I guess Weber would be held liable for offering a faulty design if one would be burned or the house burned down, because the WSM had to be lifted in one unit and the contents of hot coals, hot water and/or hot meat were spilled. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You're not serious, are you?

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Chuck R:
Doug,

It is more than running hot, the temperature continues to climb. When I set the Stoker at 225º and it continues to climb up past 278º, that’s more than negligible. I am sure that the temp would have continued to rise if I hadn’t intervened. I expect the 22 to be of the same quality as my 18. That’s not too much to ask. I can set the Stoker on my 18 and it will maintain +/- 2º for 17 hours, I expect nothing less from the 22. While I’m not a grizzled old veteran of the WSM, with about 25 cooks under my belt, I don’t consider myself a NuB. The Permatex gasket worked well, effectively sealing up the air leak at the base. Now it just that dam door, leaks live a sieve. I had to seal it up with duct tape to get it to maintain a temperature. With that done, I maintained +/- 2º for the remaining 4 hours of my rib cook. The consumer shouldn’t have to do that. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

brisket will cook just fine anywhere from 225 to 300 or even 350. the key is looking at where the thing settles in and then guessing the time for which the temp is running.

my 22 wsm ran at around 290-300ish for the first 7 or 8 cooks till the grease built up and sealed the unit now it cooks happily at 255. i consider the perfect temp for a low and slow to be 250. i dont use one of those little electric fans. the sealant sounds like a good idea to get a jump on the airflow issue.

anyway i do agree with you that the door itself is the only part on the wasm that i find to be cheap and of poor quality. the seals around the middle section and the bottom and the lid will seal fine with use or with curing by wetting them with cooking oil and letting it cure. or by high temp silicon.

lol jeez man, you slap a fan on your air intake and then piss and moan that your temperatures are rising?

Maybe you should learn to control your cooker temperature by hand with the vents, and like other posters said, not expect to maintain a tightly controlled 4 degree range in your cooks, as it is unnecessary. This is BBQ, not chemistry.

Also,

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> I guess Weber would be held liable for offering a faulty design if one would be burned or the house burned down, because the WSM had to be lifted in one unit and the contents of hot coals, hot water and/or hot meat were spilled. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I'm a lawyer, and just... no.

Chuck - your 22" WSM is defective - you should send it to me RIGHT NOW so you are not exposed to its imperfections! You can keep the Stoker - never found a reason for all that gadgetry. I'll rehabilitate that 22" WSM and give it a good home and a purpose in life.

Pat (who's also a lawyer but is on vacation, so it doesn't count)