Ash Sweep Maintenance


 
John_NJ

John_NJ

TVWBB Wizard
What if any is your maintenance on the charcoal ash sweep?

I have never owned a charcoal grill before the WSC, and it’s coming up to one year in use.

I am still learning about grill maintenance, and the ash sweep has always been on my radar, but until today I haven’t given it much attention.

Here is what I found
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So I decided to give it some attention

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That’s a great job on it. I typically don’t take the sweep apart to clean it. I try and deep clean mine maybe once per yearon high usage grills This is just to get ash/soot/grease buildup clean on the sweep and the bowl. That buildup is what locks down the sweep or bends the fins which causes leaks.
 
Seriously stellar cleanup. What method and products did you use? I’m due for a deep clean on mine before winter hits.
 
Brett-EDH said:
Seriously stellar cleanup. What method and products did you use? I’m due for a deep clean on mine before winter hits.
Click to expand...
I had some time yesterday afternoon before grilling, and decided to try and clean the sweeps.

What should have been a relatively easy removal was not happening. There was gunk between the sweeps and hardware that was getting in the way.

This morning I had time for a more methodical approach.

I removed the snap jet and lifted the bowl from the stand. Once the bowl was upside down, I had better leverage and was able to remove the ash sweep.

The ash sweep was encrusted in hardened grease, so I boiled the parts in some water and white vinegar. They cleaned up easily.

I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to clean the bowl since there were no obstructions. Getting the grate holders out took a little effort. Once removed, they went into the hot water vinegar also.

Typical razor blade and simple green and the bowl looked good.

I used some anti seize on all the fasteners for future ease of removal.

I plan on regular removal of the sweeps, since it is relatively easy if they aren’t too gunked up.

For what it’s worth, I couldn’t find a lot of information about cleaning the sweeps.

I wanted to put it out there for the community to see what other people are doing, or not doing as the case may be.
 
John_NJ said:
I had some time yesterday afternoon before grilling, and decided to try and clean the sweeps.

What should have been a relatively easy removal was not happening. There was gunk between the sweeps and hardware that was getting in the way.

This morning I had time for a more methodical approach.

I removed the snap jet and lifted the bowl from the stand. Once the bowl was upside down, I had better leverage and was able to remove the ash sweep.

The ash sweep was encrusted in hardened grease, so I boiled the parts in some water and white vinegar. They cleaned up easily.

I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to clean the bowl since there were no obstructions. Getting the grate holders out took a little effort. Once removed, they went into the hot water vinegar also.

Typical razor blade and simple green and the bowl looked good.

I used some anti seize on all the fasteners for future ease of removal.

I plan on regular removal of the sweeps, since it is relatively easy if they aren’t too gunked up.

For what it’s worth, I couldn’t find a lot of information about cleaning the sweeps.

I wanted to put it out there for the community to see what other people are doing, or not doing as the case may be.
Click to expand...
Boiling water with vinegar is good for deep cleaning? What ratio.

Simple green on the bowl? The green stuff or the purple pro HD which is safer for metals. I know the green stuff was not recommended for metal firearm parts (can corrode metal and aluminum), but I don't remember the ingredient that did it (see below).

You definitely clean like I like mine. What do you do with grates to clean them?


I am no scientist so those smarter than me can tell me if I am correct:
Green MSDS:
1695056343225.png
Pro HD MSDS:

1695056401226.png
 
Todd K Wisc said:
Boiling water with vinegar is good for deep cleaning? What ratio.
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I just eyeballed it- I would guess about one cup white distilled vinegar to four cups water.
Todd K Wisc said:
Simple green on the bowl? The green stuff or the purple pro HD which is safer for metals. I know the green stuff was not recommended for metal firearm parts (can corrode metal and aluminum), but I don't remember the ingredient that did it (see below).
Click to expand...
Simple green diluted about eight to one with tap water. It works ok, maybe a lubricant for the razor. I finished up with some 4/0 steel wool.
Todd K Wisc said:
You definitely clean like I like mine. What do you do with grates to clean them?
Click to expand...
lol, I am still trying to figure that one out. I have a steam cleaner, but I haven’t done the deep clean on the grates yet. Maybe a wire wheel in an angle grinder. TBD.
 
About two or three times a year I will scrape out the bowl with a 2" plastic putty knife. That's all I do. I like to leave my grills a little greasy. I use drip pans when possible and that really helps with grease build-up.
 
Todd K Wisc said:
I know the green stuff was not recommended for metal firearm parts (can corrode metal and aluminum), but I don't remember the ingredient that did it
Click to expand...
Bob Bass said:
The US Air Force issued a directive years ago regarding using Simple Green on their aircraft. The Green formula was attacking the aircraft aluminum. There is a Simple Green formula that is designed specifically for aircraft aluminum. Had a bbq friend that is on the corporate staff @ Simple Green.

Looks like the Department of the Interior also issued a warning...
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Good to know.

I know the WSC and WSK lid interior is made of aluminum.

Next time I do a deep clean, I will look into alternatives.

Thanks for the information.
 
Bob Bass said:
John, There is an aviation approved Simple Green. There's also a Simple Green line for BBQs.
Click to expand...
I use the pro hd as a general purpose cleaner and I know it is safe for firearms, so definitely safe for the WSK

simplegreen.com

Simple Green Household Cleaning Site

Simple Green | US | Household | Products | Pro Hd Cleaner DegreaserLearn about Simple Green's full line of environmentally safer household cleaning products. Discounts, cleaning tips, reviews, special offers and more.
simplegreen.com simplegreen.com
 
Todd K Wisc said:
You definitely clean like I like mine. What do you do with grates to clean them?
Click to expand...

I did a little research and decided to try soaking the grill grates in vinegar with baking soda.

I bought a plastic 24” water heater drain pan and a pvc plug from Home Depot.

The grill grates were pretty dirty after a year and needed some cleaning. I decided to go all out to establish a baseline for future reference.
IMG_6810.jpegIMG_6812.jpegIMG_6814.jpeg

I used two gallons of vinegar and one box of baking soda, soaked for around 24 hours.

Power washed and still not sufficiently clean, so two more gallons fresh vinegar and another box of baking soda.

Not 100% but I miss grilling:


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I unscrewed the top vent and soaked that in simple green pro, it cleaned up “ok”

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I wanted to see what was involved in cleaning the grill grates.

Go what it’s worth.
 
I have a 16 inch second level grate for the BGE that I store on the third rack of the dishwasher. After a weeks worth of dishes it ends up pretty clean. Unfortunately I can't fit anything larger.

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