26" Kettle already rusting apart


 
S

Scott P.

TVWBB Super Fan
Last weekend, I noticed a bit of a lean to my 2014 26.75" kettle. Of course, I didn't really notice it until it had a load of charcoal in it. The welds where the leg mounts are welded to the grill were rusted apart. One of the wheeled legs was down to one weld that was holding while the mount that held the non-wheeled leg has one weld rusted through. I got though my cook of burgers and poppers without incident. I called Weber Monday morning and a new bottom bowl was sent to me under warranty. It arrived on Wednesday and I spent a bit of time in the hot Houston sun transferring the parts over. The leg mounts came off the bowl before I could twist the legs themselves off, even with a bit of penetrating oil helping.

I am impressed with Weber's customer service in getting a replacement bowl to me without any hassle or photos required. I am just a bit disappointed in how quickly the rust occurred. My 2001 silver kettle lasted tough thousands of pounds of charcoal, being disassembled and dragged to numerous events and being kept outside in Western New York winters and Houston summers. It only was replaced in 2014 when the handle just about rusted though the lid. This one failed and rusted after just four Houston summers. Maybe it was just a bad batch of powder/porcelain coating that failed. The porcelain had rusted off in a circle around the mounts. I need to get around to finding a new photo hosting site so I can post a picture or two.
 
I've got a 22.5 from 2011 or 12 and I think one of the welds on the front leg is loose. Nothing is rusted though. That's too bad on your 26. I'm glad weber replaced it. Of course it super more humid in your neck of the woods.
 
I have beeyotched about this issue over and over again on these pages.

It is an issue with the 26er, not others. The extra weight of the kettle and grates overwhelms the strength of welds on the flanges (leg mounts). You get the R2D2 look (leaning backward).

Consider yourself lucky that you got 4 years out of the original. Hopefully you will get 4 more out of the warranty replacement.

Mine was leaning by the end of the 1st year. My replacement from Weber also started to lean within a year. So I table mounted the kettle.

For you 26er owners out there, be very careful about how much weight you put on the grill. NEVER NEVER NEVER drag it by its handle to roll it on its wheels. To move it, pick it up completely and carry it. Of course, you must wait until it is cool to do so.

I think one of the reasons that the 26 costs soooo much is the number of kettle bowls that they must replace for warranty claims. They would be better off to redesign/strengthen the leg flanges.


The rust was not the cause of the problem. It is a symptom. The tabs on the flanges peel off/de-laminate away from the kettle bottom from weak welds, exposing metal that is not enamel coated like the rest of the kettle. Weak welds and flange metal that is too soft are the cause. Rust is the effect.
 
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Thanks Darrel,
I think that an instant “Overperformer” table is what I do if I ever breakdown and get a 26”! Half designed in my head already.
Big boy on the left, spot for Smokey Joe to the right and a spot for the Go Anywhere slightly to the rear between the two.
Maybe, only time will see that to fruition.
 
Wow, that's crazy. I'm going to have to check the welds on mine. I live in the Houston area too, but my 26er stays in the garage when I'm not using it. The only bad thing is that I drag it by the handle through the house to get it to the patio.
 
Is this common for 26" kettles? I'm looking on craigslist but may just get a new one. This is the first negative thing I've heard about them.
 
Lew said:
Is this common for 26" kettles? I'm looking on craigslist but may just get a new one. This is the first negative thing I've heard about them.
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Yes it is very common. I wouldn't shy away from a used one, but I would mount it in a table.

There are several ideas for mounting the kettle. My first idea, which is how my table is now, is that the kettle sits on 2 steel chain "swings" that are bolted to the table top. The chains have turnbuckles, so I can make height adjustments. This certainly works, but moving the table (it's on wheels) makes the kettle bang around the table too much.

If I were to do it again, I would make a table top out of 2x8's. I would cut a perfectly round hole just about 3/4 inches bigger than the kettle bottom all the way around. I would drill a dozen evenly spaced holes around the inside cut of the circle, and insert eye-bolts, and let the lip of the kettle sit on the eyes of the bolts.


I just never want any wood directly supporting the weight of the kettle, even though I have seen plenty of people use that method.
 
Lew said:
Is this common for 26" kettles? I'm looking on craigslist but may just get a new one. This is the first negative thing I've heard about them.
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I can add some more negatives.
1) It is pricey at double the cost of a one-touch 22.5
2) Replacement parts are way expensive (the grate is about 4 times as much as a 22.5's)
3) There are a whole bunch more accessories designed for the standard 22.5.


But the extra cooking surface is great to have.

And I'd still buy one again.
 
I have two old style “flat top” 26ers. One is a “DD” 2000 model which seems to have solid leg mounts after 18 years. I wonder if they made them better back then? I am upgrading it with an ash pan from an old 22. (I was surprised to find that the 22 ash pan ring adapted to the 26.) The bad thing about these old flat tops is that the grate sat lower and as a consequence it is smaller than the current model. Not many options on grates, but fortunately KillaGrilla makes a spectacular set. A little pricey but worth it for the very thick, heavy stainless. I also sourced a 19.5 inch stainless grate to use as the charcoal grate.

My other 26 project is a “patent pending” red flat top. I am guessing from the early 70’s based on the classic heavy old wheels. This one does have a rusted off leg mount, but I hope to get welded back. Really not that bad for pushing 50 years old;); sounds like the new ones will never see that! I am trying to keep this one original and reuse the main grate and the charcoal grate I scavenged from the 2000 26er.

I have seen two contemporary 26 kettles on OfferUp or Craigslist, both with the R2D2 lean:p. Thanks for the explanation; now I know why and to be wary.
 
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I have had my 26" for 3 to 4 years and will have to look at the leg mounts. I recently gave my neighbor my old 22" i felt kind of silly with that the 18"WSM and the gensis. Now I am using the 26" a lot more than i used to and am finding its a fuel hog! I went to do the popular fried chicken recipe last night and started out with a crowned weber chiminey starter and laid the glowing coals in a even blanket on the bottom of the grill. Max temp barley hit 400 but dropped real quickly so i had to use the gasser to finish. I have tried the with the 2 baskets as well but similar luck. Any suggestion? It was quite a bit of chicken i had the gill pretty much covered. But that's why I have the 26".
 
Jim,
I don't think Darrel was trying to be funny, I agree with him.
One chimney for a grate full of chicken is not enough IMO.
That much meat was acting like a heat sink holding down the temp.
I'd put the lit on some unlit, and best to have a 2 or 3 zone fire with the KFC unless you plan to stand there and turn it constantly.
 
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I love my 26er and haven't had any issues with it. I'm very careful moving it. That said I wish Weber made a performer version. I would buy it day one.

Jimz,

If anything my 26er runs hotter than the 22 I had. Have you tried cracking the lid when you need to run hotter?
 
JimZ said:
Funny guy.... I've read that the 26" really doesn't take much more fuel than the 22 but that's not been my experience. Its not horrible and I wont be giving that thing up anytime soon thats for sure.
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Jim, whoever wrote that the 26er doesn't use much more fuel than the 22 didn't know what they were talking about. I have both and I love my 26er but I only break it out when I need the real estate. I usually start with a full chimney of Kingsford, spread it out and top it with more Kingsford, or a bunch of lump charcoal. It is a beast that must be fed.
 
So, wanting a 26" is like being hammered at a bar and lusting for the beautiful woman across the room, only to regret it when you wake up next to her the next morning and see all the warts? I still want one!
 
This was some interesting reading. I guess I've been lucky. My 26er is a 2013 model. After reading this I went out and examined mine and it looks great. No sign of rusting or deterioration at all. Maybe it's too blasted hot up here to rust. For those of you on the edge in deciding whether or not to buy one I'll say I love this grill, particularly around the holiday season. I don't use it all the time
but it's there when I need it. Without a doubt it uses more charcoal to feed the additional grill space. I usually start a cook with at least one and a half chimney's when cooking direct and use around 40 briquettes per side when cooking indirect.
 
Lew said:
So, wanting a 26" is like being hammered at a bar and lusting for the beautiful woman across the room, only to regret it when you wake up next to her the next morning and see all the warts? I still want one!
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No, not at all. The 26 is the beautiful woman at the bar that you realize, after scoring a date or three, is really fun to "play with" but can be high maintenance in a few different ways. Worth the trouble, but you have to treat her with a little more tenderness than you would have thought. Then you can take the top off, get 'er all hot and bothered, stroke the curves, fill it with meat.... THE GRILL... I MEAN THE GRILL!

I was not being flippant about adding more charcoal. I actually wrote out a whole page on it, but my login here timed out and didn't save. I was too flustered to retype the whole thing.

My main point was that you can add charcoal IF you don't use lighter fluid or lighter fluid pre-soaked briquettes (Match Light). Those are bad and I never recommend them. Some people fear adding charcoal because they think it affects the taste, but I think that harkens back to partially burned off lighter fluid. Get a chimney instead for the initial lighting, and it's fine to add more later.

Also, reminder that briqs will burn, in general, longer and lower than lump, if the OP had been using lump.
 
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Darrel Williams said:
No, not at all. The 26 is the beautiful woman at the bar that you realize, after scoring a date or three, is really fun to "play with" but can be high maintenance in a few different ways. Worth the trouble, but you have to treat her with a little more tenderness than you would have thought. Then you can take the top off, get it all hot and bothered, stroke the curves, fill it with meat.... THE GRILL... I MEAN THE GRILL!

I was not being flippant about adding more charcoal. I actually wrote out a whole page on it, but my login here timed out and didn't save. I was too flustered to retype the whole thing.

My main point was that you can add charcoal IF you don't use lighter fluid or lighter fluid pre-soaked briquettes (Match Light). Those are bad and I never recommend them. Some people fear adding charcoal because they think it affects the taste, but I think that harkens back to partially burned off lighter fluid. Get a chimney instead for the initial lighting, and it's fine to add more later.

Also, reminder that briqs will burn, in general, longer and lower than lump, if the OP had been using lump.
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I love the analogy. I wish your writing could have been published. In the future I will just add more charcoal. Im a KBB guy.
Thanks
 
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