Rust in my Weber Smokey Mountain...


 

ChrisABBQ

New member
I just got a Weber Smokey Mountain 18. Got it used. Cleaned it up, replaced some screws and such because they were rusted badly. Rust also built up on the side bars and anything non black porcelain on the inside. A few screw were so rusted they could not be removed. Cleaned it all up and smoked on it yesterday. However I am getting the rust build up again on everything, new screws bolts, the water pan, the side metal bars, etc. Anyone have this happen and have a solution? Thank you for responses in advance!
 
It's probably not rust. There's a buildup that can happen when you use water. It's harmless. You can quit using water or live with it. If you don't use water it's usually black.
 
I've had rust form in many of my weber grills. Oddly enough the newer grills are the worst. Quality at weber has pretty much gone into the toilet over the last few years specifically with the porcelain coating. But anyway, since you are not the original owner your pretty much out of luck as far as the warrantied parts go. But you can call Weber and buy pretty much any part you need, You might even get luck and they might cover something.
 
I've had my WSM maybe three years. The hardware is still fine. I can see your bolts rusting. Replaced those with stainless. Those brackets that hold the grates should hold up, but there's no way the body is rusting. People always mistake the buildup for rust. Even the old Weber's get carbon build up inside that people often mistake for peeling paint.
 
However I am getting the rust build up again on everything, new screws bolts, the water pan, the side metal bars, etc. Anyone have this happen and have a solution? Thank you for responses in advance!

Well first of all I agree with Dustin, your just seeing the brown residue from using water.

But just use it more. Frequent cooks make more grease which keeps everything lubed and don't go super anal on cleaning.
A little leftover BBQ gunk actually protects all those parts.

Tim
 
Contrary to what J Graz said, this is not a porcelain quality issue in the WSM. It's not porcelain coming off, it's not steel rusting.

This is not rust:

LWtRyZG.jpg


It's smoke/grease/water residue from barbecuing. The stuff inside the lid will dry-out and get flaky. Just brush it off so it doesn't fall onto your food. If you hit it with a garden hose and brush it off, it will look like this:

aUCqpJs.jpg


But it will accumulate again with further use.

It also accumulates on the walls of the middle cooking section:

GNN40hD.jpg


Just brush off any loose material.

In my experience, when you cook without water, you get a black, shiny residue. But it, too, can get flaky and needs to be brushed off.
 
Also to the OP whom appears to be a new member, the sub-site whose link is below provides a wealth of informative detail, including FAQ's, troubleshooting, recipes, etc. (links to the various sections are at the page menu header). It's perfect to ask questions and seek help but I read-through the FAQ (which includes a troubleshooting section) shortly after I purchased my first WSM and it proved to be an invaluable learning experience. This topic of rust is discussed in the troubleshooting section. Perhaps you do have some rust from hardware but much of what you see inside your unit is doubtful to be rust. Good luck!

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com
 
Thanks for information. I am also going to BBQ paint the bolts and nuts. Definitely the sludge water build up causing excessive rust, damage. Going to paint and clean it. Then also heard Paming the unit will make for easier clean up. Thoughts tips appreciated!
 
Rather than painting the nuts and bolts, I'd replace them with stainless. It'll probably cost you about the same as the paint and you'll never have to worry about the paint wearing off.

As for clean-up, I can see doing a thorough scrub since you don't know what's happened with that used unit, but after that I wouldn't go crazy with the cleaning. The build up of gunk may look unattractive but it helps provide a better seal and better insulation. Unless it's really excessive, like you can scrape it off with a putty knife, I'd just leave it. Clean the surfaces the food touches and leave the rest alone unless there's stuff growing on it.
 
I agree with Chris. My WSM is stored in a garage with the cover on it.

When I take it out I also have that "rust". It's from condensation after cooking. All I do is crumble up a couple pieces of newspaper and scrub it clean.
 
Then also heard Paming the unit will make for easier clean up. Thoughts tips appreciated!
If you've got brand new, shiny cooking grates and want to make washing them after cooking easier, you can spray them with Pam before adding meat. But you don't need to spray the inside of the cooker with Pam and certainly not the outside!

If it were mine and the look of the nuts/bolts bothered me, I'm replace them with stainless. I'd buy new cooking grates. Give the outside porcelain surfaces a good cleaning with Simple Green and 0000 super fine steel wool. If the aluminum access door and knob are in good shape, I'd clean the outside with Barkeepers Friend, otherwise replace the door. Maybe replace the lid handle if it's shot. Then I'd build a nice hot fire to burn-out the inside, brush out everything, and just start cooking on it!

WSM Replacement Parts
 
I already replaced the screws and they were severely coated with the build up after a short smoke. I know the build up is a good to a degree. However after one cook it was rough. I figure painting them will allow me to at least get them off in the future. When I got the unit two were rusted shut/on, so I just want to make sure I can replace parts in the future if needed. And yeah, Pam for the inside only, to help with some clean up.
 
Spray painted the screws last night and really helped. Firing it back up Saturday for some ribs. See what happens. Definitely a lot of crud and build up if not cleaned will rust the bolts and screws. Gonna use less H20 also, one thing I learned from my first use.
 
Spray painted the screws last night and really helped. Firing it back up Saturday for some ribs. See what happens. Definitely a lot of crud and build up if not cleaned will rust the bolts and screws. Gonna use less H20 also, one thing I learned from my first use.

To each his own...but I think you're overthinking the issue of rusted bolts and screws. It's gonna happen. It's unavoidable. They're exposed to high heat and moisture and acidity just through normal use and those things can't be avoided.

Remember this photo I posted earlier? That's a 21 year old screw and nut, still holding things together. It's never been removed because I've never had a need to remove it.

GNN40hD.jpg
 

 

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