WSM 22 Inch


 

George Payne

TVWBB Fan
I have been out of the smoking scene for a few years but have owned two WSM's and loved them. I just bought a new 22 inch WSM and it's assembled. I've read about the gasket mod's etc. for the lid and door. Most all the posts were regarding "LEAKS" of air, smoke to help with temp control. In my previous ownership of one of my WSM's, I had issues with creosote buildup between the lid and the center barrel and at times, it was so "Sticky", I had trouble removing the lid from the smoker.

Question is, If I'm going to add the gasket around the lid and/or door, I should do it NOW, while the smoker is brand new and CLEAN. Maybe I don't clean that rim around the top of the barrel enough but it was aggravating when it would happen. Anyone else experience this ?

Last, would anyone recommend the gasket that uses the RTV high-temp adhesive OR the self adhesive gasket ? Could anyone reference a brand name on either ?

Thanks in advance. I'm happy to be getting back into the game.
 
My experience is similar to Darren’s. I had problems with my 18.5 forever and could never get it to seal. Finally gave up on bending etc and bought a gasket kit. Cleaning off years of gunk was a major pain. Addition of the gaskets was a game changer. If it were me, I would put them on from the beginning and be done with it.
 
A few cooks worth of gunk will come of with some degreaser, but I wouldn't let it go forever. I used Fast 505 I think.
 
Mine stuck once. I simply removed the top and bottom together, started a fire, put the top and bottom back on. After it headed it was unstuck. Then I simply wiped the mating surface with some paper towels.

I don’t have leaky lid or access door and I don’t use a temp controller (I don’t need one with the WSM), so I don’t have a requirement for a gasket kit.

But if I did want to install one I’d want to install it on a new cooker. The reason I have no leaks is due to the well seasoned cooker and I wouldn’t want the job to clean that off.
 

 

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