Mods made a difference


 

TroyS

TVWBB Member
Adding the hinge and casters has really enhanced using the 22.5 but the gasket addition was a boost. I installed gasket material on the upper rim of the mid section and also on the interior section of the factory aluminum door. Since I wasn't totally convinced the gasket would adhere minus any additional adhesive I opted for the door rather than cooker surface. Immediately it was obvious as the temps did not seem to fluctuate nearly as much. This past weekend I did a comp cook and burned for over 13 hours on one full ring of coals along with 6 to 8 chunks of wood.
 
I ordered the hinge/gasket combo through Amazon, and agree with Troy wholeheartedly. I also put the gasket on the door and have much better temp control. The hinge and casters, along with latches to secure the middle to the bottom, make things much easier.
 
I ordered the hinge/gasket combo through Amazon, and agree with Troy wholeheartedly. I also put the gasket on the door and have much better temp control. The hinge and casters, along with latches to secure the middle to the bottom, make things much easier.

Absolutely!
 
I found the gasket on Amazon. Some offer the gasket along with a hinge kit as well as some offer a stainless door. Using the Weber several times it's been easy to see where the heat/smoke loss was coming from. The door sealed up nicely so I could not see purchasing another one.

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00JO00S04/tvwb-20

Thanks for posting this link. It was the most reasonable priced gasket kit when compared to others.

Before installing this kit, I could see several leaks around the door and lid, plus, I would get wild temperature swings. With the gasket installed around the door and under the lid, it holds temp like a champ. It does take longer for it to get up to temp, so I'll either light more charcoal or leave the midsection off for a little bit after dumping the lit before assembling the WSM for a cook.
 
Last edited:
William.
If you're happy with your previous set ups, I wouldn't add more lit charcoal/briqs than you normally do. The reason the cooker is taking longer to come up to temp is that there is less oxygen getting in, now that you have the gaskets installed.
Just allow yourself a little extra time for the cooker to do its thing & come up to temp.
My 0.02p
 
William.
If you're happy with your previous set ups, I wouldn't add more lit charcoal/briqs than you normally do. The reason the cooker is taking longer to come up to temp is that there is less oxygen getting in, now that you have the gaskets installed.
Just allow yourself a little extra time for the cooker to do its thing & come up to temp.
My 0.02p

Before gaskets, it would reach 275 in about 30 minutes. With gaskets, it took about an hour to reach 255. I guess I'm a little impatient :)
 
These look like great products and I will for sure be buying them soon. One suggestion for getting the cooker up to temp, I use a chimney, but when I light it I put it in the smoker so it is lighting the charcoal as well as getting the smoker up to temp. This works good for me.
 
These look like great products and I will for sure be buying them soon. One suggestion for getting the cooker up to temp, I use a chimney, but when I light it I put it in the smoker so it is lighting the charcoal as well as getting the smoker up to temp. This works good for me.

Not a bad idea at all especially if you are in a hurry.
 
Hello everybody,

I've made some mods on my WSM and I am waiting for a roll of gasket material to arrive from Amazon here in the UK. The one I ordered (due to very limited choice to be honest) is ProSmoke FireBlack. It is self-adhesive and my intention is to seal around the top of the middle section.

Now my questions ... is this the right way to seal the lid or should I be trying to seal around the rim of the lid itself (which looks tricky)? How would you prepare the area to be sealed? Is there a problem with the seal getting sticky and gummed up over time? Anything else I ought to know?

Thanks in advance!

David
 
I ordered the hinge/gasket combo through Amazon, and agree with Troy wholeheartedly. I also put the gasket on the door and have much better temp control. The hinge and casters, along with latches to secure the middle to the bottom, make things much easier.

New to site and trying to catch up on all thing WSM. Found the info on the hinge and casters but, can't find any info on the latches. Would you cite where they can be found? Thanks, Mark
 
...can't find any info on the latches.
Many discussions on latches in these threads:
http://tvwbb.com/search.php?do=proc...um_Post&include=102&query=latches&titleonly=0

There are many ways to do it. Cajun Bandit sells this product:
https://www.cajunbandit.com/Cylinder-Lock-Kit-For-18-5-and-22-5-WSM-p/clkit_nowlk.htm

There's this hardware:
https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?27917-Modifications-I-find-very-conveinant

This is an example of wing turn latches, I've seen these used often and probably the one I'd try if not the Cajun Bandit product:
https://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?37540-quot-smokin-quot-deal-on-craigslist-and-some-mods
 

 

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