Factory thermometer problem. . .


 

Mike Copen

New member
Just received a new 22.5 WSM for Father's Day! Finally got around to my first smoke yesterday.

The thermometer is seriously not calibrated correctly and there is moisture in the center of the thermometer.

Any one else have this issue? Is there a fix?
 
Most WSM owners consider the factory thermo as a hood ornament. It is usually not very accurate (you can remove it and test it in boiling water) and Weber will replace it if you go to the trouble of contacting them. If you are concerned about temperature accuracy, you will probably want to invest in a separate digital thermometer.
 
My BIL has a new 22.5 WSM and his dome thermo is off by 50 degrees. Replace it with a non-Weber or use a digital like JJ says.
 
Yup - Same Problem my hood ornament is off by 40 degrees. Weird thing is it seems like after it cooks for a couple hours the difference drops to around 30 degrees. Oh yeah I get condensation in mine as well
 
The condensation is no big issue. It comes and goes.

Mine is pretty accurate, at least the last time I tested it.
 
I just checked my lid temp today with boiling water against a calibrated digi sense thermometer from work and also checked my meat thermometer.....the meat thermo and digi sense were reading 212.3 and 212.6 respectively and the lid thermo was reading at the 212f mark (100C).
I think the boiling water method is a solid way to check for accuracy........I used my meat thermo in the vent and thought my lid was off...turns out it wasnt......just my .02
 
I bought a second wsm, the new style, used, partially because I wanted the therm in the hood and unfortunately that's exactly what it is...a hood ornament. It is a bit of a disappointment. Love my Maverick 732 though.
 
Thanks for all the input. . . Looks like I have a nice hood ornament. Although for the prices I paid for this smoker, I would think the thermo should work somewhat accurately. . . ..
 
Mike my 18 gets condensation too so don't worry. I wouldn't worry too much about the therm either. It's close enough if you're cooking for yourself and family. I only use my dome therm to measure temp in the WSM and I have a thermapen to check the meat temps. No one has complained about my cooking yet
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Mine is accurately off by about 25 degrees from the upper grate temp.

As long as you can get to know what your therm is off by in relation to your grate, and it's reliably off, then you can use it as something a tad more than a mere hood ornament.
 
The best way to deal with the lid therm is to ignore it and get yourself a good remote thermometer. I suggest the Maverick ET-732 - thats what I have and a you'll see a lot of guys (and gals) on this forum use the same.
 
Most recipes I've seen call for a temp range. As long as your therm is within range then I wouldn't get too concerned.
 
I have only used my built in temp indicator and as long as I log my cooks, I have no trouble getting to the desired results. Perhaps I'm not as fussy as others or maybe I'm not experienced enough to know the difference but, the meat sure taste very good
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I just called weber about the large amount of moisture in the center of my therm. and they sent me out a new one ASAP!
 
i'll admit to not reading every post about them yet, but interestingly enough mines only off about 6-8 (when it will stay still) per thermapin. I must have been traded a ok therm for a pretty loose fitting unit... still like it cause its mine. Im not wrapped to tight either.. ;)
 
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A WSM dome thermometer is accurate for where it is located in the cooker. WSM dome thermometers often read way different from a good probe thermometer at grate level. This is because the temperatures in different parts of a cooker are often way different.
I use a Maverick ET-732, with the pit probe as close to the center of the grate as I can practically get it. I feel it gives me a much better idea of how my meat is cooking than the dome thermometer.

Bob
 
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I second what Bob stated. It would be interesting to see if you put a good digital probe in the same location as the dome thermo how "off" it would be compared to the digital. As long as it is consistent I can work with it and I am assuming the bi-metal thermo might react a little slower then the digital. :confused:
 
I don't quite understand all the hood ornament comments. I took mine off the day i got my WSM, stuck it in some boiling water, adjusted it and checked it a year later, and she says 210 on the boiling water test. I tested with a friends Maverick and the grate ran about 15 degree"s hotter, knowing that, which has been highly talked about on this forum, i run the smoker accordingly.
 
Glad I found this thread. Maiden voyage with my new 22 today - 6 racks of spares. Noticed the builtin thermometer was 30 degrees cooler than my maverick probe. Started making me question all my cooks on my old 18''. Stuck the my thermapen in the hole next to the one I dangle the maverick probe from and it was 10 degrees cooler. So no consensus but I'll probably just stick with my maverick readings even though it's probably reading a little hot. It's the only one of the three that's going to wake me up in the middle of the night if something goes wrong :)
 

 

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