Alternative Replacement Water Pan for 18.5" WSM


 
Chris Allingham

Chris Allingham

Administrator
Staff member
Note - July 2020: Since I originally posted this, there have been complaints about size variations in these Winco bowls, some a little too small in diameter, some a little too large. Apparently these are not precision made and vary slightly from batch to batch. If you order one and it's too large, you don't have much choice other than to return it; if it's a bit too small, you may be able to adjust the grill straps as shown here. I'll keep looking for the perfect replacement pan. For now, it's probably still the old Brinkmann 812-0002-0 smoker charcoal pan, it's a perfect fit as a replacement water pan in the 18.5" WSM.

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Winco MXB-1300Q stainless steel mixing bowl


By the way, I don't know where they get off calling this a 13-quart mixing bowl. Filled to the tippy top it's just shy of 7.5 quarts.
 
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Pat G said:
Chris, thanks for the review and great find. Do you know if the pan cover some of us are using will fit in it?

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B01DE6NC0Q/tvwb-20
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Yes, this mixing bowl is the same diameter as the stock water pan, so the pan cover will fit. But why? I thought purpose of pan cover was to eliminate need to foil/clean the deep stock water pan. Eliminate the stock water pan...what's the purpose of the pan cover? Unless maybe you're filling the water pan with water or sand or ???

MTeP5BO.jpg
 
Chris Allingham said:
Yes, this mixing bowl is the same diameter as the stock water pan, so the pan cover will fit. But why? I thought purpose of pan cover was to eliminate need to foil/clean the deep stock water pan. Eliminate the stock water pan...what's the purpose of the pan cover? Unless maybe you're filling the water pan with water or sand or ???

MTeP5BO.jpg
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I leave my water pan in and put the pan cover over it. With the stainless pan I could fill the charcoal ring higher for longer cooks. That was my thinking.
 
Chris Allingham said:
Winco MXB-1300Q stainless steel mixing bowl
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Hi Chris,

I have a 2000-2008 WSM and bought this bowl to replace the Brinkman charcoal pan I've been using for years. The Brinkman pan started developing some holes from rust due to neglect.

I just got the new pan and did a quick test fit. It doesn't quite sit securely on the brackets. That is, the overlap on the lip of the bowl is small enough that the bowl can be shifted to one side, and the opposite edge will slip off of the bracket. Has this been your experience as well? I think I may be able to compensate for this by simply bending the brackets inwards a bit. I'll give that a shot.

Thanks,
clay.
 
Hi Clay,

My bowl has some left/right movement, but it doesn't fall off the grill straps. I made a video on how to make an adjustment with washers behind the grill straps...or worst case you can try bending the end of each grill strap.


By the way, are you using the pan empty or with water? If empty, you can wrap the outside and then the inside with 18" foil, and you may end up with enough additional material to stabilize the pan on the grill straps.
 
i know this has been said before but the new weber water pan is too deep for those who smoke waterless but use it as heat shield, limits how much charcoal that will fit in the ring for super long cooks (18 "). I took the heat shield off the bottom of my smoker and use it as it fits perfectly in place of the waterpan and allows the bottom grill grate to be used as well...I cover it in foil, I searched for something like a pizza pan or stone but couldnt find something that fit properly....I do have an original wsm water pan that is lower volume but havent checked to see if it fits the new wsm.
 
Chris Allingham said:
Hi Clay,

My bowl has some left/right movement, but it doesn't fall off the grill straps. I made a video on how to make an adjustment with washers behind the grill straps...or worst case you can try bending the end of each grill strap.

By the way, are you using the pan empty or with water? If empty, you can wrap the outside and then the inside with 18" foil, and you may end up with enough additional material to stabilize the pan on the grill straps.
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I did another test fit today and found that bending the support straps out just a bit was enough to give a nice secure fit. Before bending them, the pan was sitting on there pretty precariously.

It also made me realize that I really ought to replace the straps. They are also starting to rust out after many years of use. It might be time to order or fabricate some replacements. Is there a good source out there for reasonably priced replacements?
 
ClayHarmony said:
It also made me realize that I really ought to replace the straps. They are also starting to rust out after many years of use. It might be time to order or fabricate some replacements. Is there a good source out there for reasonably priced replacements?
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They are available from third party sellers, but the prices can be outrageous. I would simply call Weber customer support at 800-446-1071 and see what they charge. They are motivated to keep your smoker humming and to keep you a happy customer!
 
I agree, Weber support is really great! I had some issues with my Summit gas grill with some holes rusting through cookbox and burner supports/ignitors falling in. They asked for photos and ended up shipping me a complete cookbox, new stainless lid, and all new burner tubes for free. This was a few months before 10 year warranty up. I bought a few additional items like igniters, flavorizer bars, new wheels, etc. which they shipped free with the warranty stuff. Rebuilt it all to a like new grill, good for another 10 years or more I hope!
 
ClayHarmony said:
I did another test fit today and found that bending the support straps out just a bit was enough to give a nice secure fit. Before bending them, the pan was sitting on there pretty precariously.

It also made me realize that I really ought to replace the straps. They are also starting to rust out after many years of use. It might be time to order or fabricate some replacements. Is there a good source out there for reasonably priced replacements?
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eReplacementParts.com has them for $23.00. Weber is probably the way to go. Their customer service amazes me.
 
Here's the complete info:

Pre-2009 pan: 14.75" wide, 3.25" deep
2009-today pan: 14.375″ wide x 7″ deep

The Winco s/s mixing bowl: 14.75" wide, 3.75" deep
 
Chris Allingham said:
Here's the complete info:

Pre-2009 pan: 14.75" wide, 3.25" deep
2009-today pan: 14.375″ wide x 7″ deep

The Winco s/s mixing bowl: 14.75" wide, 3.75" deep
Click to expand...
Chris Allingham said:
Whaaat? Too big? The complaint has been sometimes a tad small. Weird!
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Yes sir, but by all the discrepancies in Amazon product descriptions I’m not too surprised. I clicked on your link and ordered it from there. It’s not too deep but it’s 15” ID, and over 16” OD. This was actually the second time I’ve ordered this pan. A month or so ago I cancelled the order because it was on a slow boat from China. The wife found another SS mixing bowl on Amazon that was the right diameter this afternoon, but it was deep. I believe it was no more than half an inch shallower than the current OE Weber pan.

Hopefully we can find a solution for a better pan in the near future but I guess I’ll have to send back the 12” Dutch oven liners I ordered as well. I may wait a bit on that I suppose. I’m actually surprised that a BBQ Supply Co. or a BBQ Smoker Mods Co. hasn’t started selling a replacement pan that would be the perfect dimensions.
 
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