WSM Fitment issue - Charcoal Bowl to Center Ring


 
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Craig A

TVWBB Fan
I picked up an 18.5" WSM last week. I put it together over the weekend and found that the center ring doesn't fit well inside the charcoal bowl. The center ring appears to be smaller and as a result it rocks when set on top of the charcoal bowl.

I read the Parts Troubleshooting section of this site and I'm not sure if the parts are out of round, I will measure them tonight. I did try turning the parts and I did not see a significant change in the rocking behavior.

I'm wondering how common this is. Do most WSMs fit perfectly with no rocking, or should I expect some amount of movement? Based on the cost of the WSM I expected perfection, but that may not be realistic.
 
Welcome to the forum Craig!
If your 18.5" WSM is brand-spankin' new, give Weber customer service a call and they should fix you right up right away.
 
Welcome Craig
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Sorry about your fitment issues,rare,...the good news, call Weber customer service, they'll help you resolve the problem and generally ship free replacement parts quickly
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...better news;...sounds like you'll still be able to use it in the mean time
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SMOKE ON!!!
 
Originally posted by Craig A: I'll take some measurements tonight and give Weber a call.
Click to expand...
Just tell Weber the size WSM you have, and the part that's bad and they'll send you a new one. They're quicker
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Craig:

I had a similar problem when I got mine a couple years ago. What I originally thought was an out of round center ring (common), actually turned out to be an out of round charcoal bowl.

So make sure you take measurements on both to make sure which one is the culprit.
 
Fitment issues were very common, pre new model WSM's. Mine rocks a little bit, not a big deal. Going on 8 years old for the Bullet, and 100's of cooks on the old girl. Out of round is more of a problem as it can cause the WSM to run hot if you have a big gap. Out of round is easily fixed though. Just make small moves and take your time. The newer WSM's do have better packaging, so out of round is not as common these days.
 
Thanks again guys.

The center section was round within 1/8". The bowl was out by about 5/16". Also, no matter how I shifted the center it always rocked towards the same bowl vent.

Weber will have a new bowl at my door before I get a chance to BBQ this weekend. They don't want the old bowl back so I tried to bend it into shape. I got it closer, but I'm going to try the new bowl and hope the fit is perfect.
 
The new bowl is here already. Those guys at Weber are quick!

Timothy - would you be willing to help me understand why the bowl would work well as a lid? I would think that for high heat I would want the stock lid with the larger vent holes. The bowl has 6 very small holes that would seem to limit airflow. Usually more air == more heat.
 
A few folks modded the older 18" WSM with 1 or 2 extra top vents. Like This
My 18" 08 WSM has 3 bottom vents. so that's 9 holes at the bottom and 3 at the top. And there all the same size.
Might be worth a try.

Tim
 
DUH. My brain was out to lunch this morning when I wrote that. For some reason I was thinking that there were just 6 small holes to attach the legs. Obviously the 9 huge vent holes would move a lot of air. Very good suggestion, I will hang on to the spare bowl for this purpose.
 
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