Mold


 
G

Greg Schaefer

New member
Brought the WSM up from the basement to try following Chris' Salmon brown sugar rub recipe. For the third time since I bought this one in about 2001, I found the cooking chamber and grill to be covered in mold. I'm pretty good about washing the grates and water pan, but haven't spent much time on cleaning the middle section. Wonder if other people have had this experience, and how they might have prevented it from reoccurring.

Greg
 
I've had the same problem once or twice. I did a high heat burn the first time to get rid of it. The second time i just took it to the carwash and powerwashed the drum. Thought it better to start fresh plus I was planning on replacing all the nuts and bolts with SS, so the wash made it a bit easier (cleaner!). Now I leave the door off and vents open when I store it (I store mine outside under a cover).
 
Mine is under its cover on my deck. I keep the bottom vents about 1/3 open when not in use and with the mid section upside-down. Only had a mold problem once and that was when it was accidentally stored closed up and with the mid section right-side-up.
 
JimK said:
Mine is under its cover on my deck. I keep the bottom vents about 1/3 open when not in use and with the mid section upside-down. Only had a mold problem once and that was when it was accidentally stored closed up and with the mid section right-side-up.
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Mid section upside down...I'll have to try that. Thanks for the tip.
 
Tom said:
I've had the same problem once or twice. I did a high heat burn the first time to get rid of it. The second time i just took it to the carwash and powerwashed the drum. Thought it better to start fresh plus I was planning on replacing all the nuts and bolts with SS, so the wash made it a bit easier (cleaner!). Now I leave the door off and vents open when I store it (I store mine outside under a cover).
Click to expand...

I scrubbed the mold off with an old sponge and flash sterilized the inside with a chimney of charcoal. Will try leaving the vents and door open.
 
I store both the mini and the 18.5 with all the vents open and I remove the door on the 18.5 and store it inside the barrel and cover both. No mold problems so far.
 
It's happened to me only once in 20 years, and not sure why. Used to keep my cooker under the stock cover plus a big yard bag over that, out in the rain, all vents closed. Never had mold until one day when I did. But humidity is pretty low here in California.

I guess it's all about keeping the interior dry so mold can't form. Make sure cooker is completely dry inside before storing. Prevent new moisture from getting inside. Provide ventilation to allow moisture to escape. Use desiccant if necessary. Dehumidify your basement! :D
 
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