charcoal conservation


 
D

David Somerville

TVWBB Fan
Hey folks!

Had my first cook in my WSM this weekend.

This thing kicks my offset's #@$. A main benefit for me is fuel usage. I used a large ceramic saucer instead of the water pan and cooked for 10 hrs on ~12 lbs of charcoal. When I was done I shut down my vents (top and bottom)thinking that I would be able to save any charcoal that had not been used.

When I cleaned up this afternoon the last few pieces were still smoldering but it was essentially completey gone. Is there any way of stopping unused charcoal from burning or is it essentially gone after being lit?

Thanks,
David
 
If you shut the vents, they should have died out by now. You may have a leaky WSM. Seeing that it is a new WSM, it should get better after you get some build-up around the lid/door. Mine burns out after about an hour.
 
You definitely have a leak. The door is a main culprit of leaks. Next time you fire up the WSM, look at see if any smoke is coming out around the door or anywhere else. No WSM will be air tight, but if your fire isn't actually going out, your's is leaker than it should be.
 
Instead of waiting till the next cook just take the top off and look for daylight getting in around the door or the bottom vents. If the door is loose you might be able to tighten it up by working on the latch. The door might also need a bit of creative shaping. Just be go easy and be careful. See troubleshooting parts for more details.
 
If you have smoke leaking out of the door, you can bend it (gently) and get a better fit. If it's coming out between the lid and the center section, unless you're really out of round, cooking will help. Also, check your vents to make sure they're tight (snug) and were actually fully closed when you shut down.
 
A lot of people have reported better results using the door upside down. Mine definitely allows less airflow when I use mine upside down. I use it upright only when I want to run at higher temps.
 
I would still wait until I got a little build-up on the WSM. A little smoke coming out of the door is not a big issue, or from under the lid. On your first cook, did the temps hold well? Have any issues at all maintaining a 230-270 temp? Not to ask a stupid question, because I have done it myself, but if you did hold temps well, are you sure that when you were done with the cook, the lid was sitting on the middle section right after you removed the food?
It just would not make sense that you have a leaker, but temps held well.
 
For a quick shut down, you can remove the center section and put the lid right on the bottom section, at least this is what I am told. I have not tried it yet.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Cliff H.:
For a quick shut down, you can remove the center section and put the lid right on the bottom section, at least this is what I am told. I have not tried it yet. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Don't believe everything you're told. That may in fact work, but why would anybody risk it when a WSM shuts down pretty quick fully assembled. Taking the middle section apart if you have water in the pan is very unsafe and even if you don't have water in the pan, there might still be grease dripping or you might just get burned exposing the fire (charcoal). Many people pull the middle section to refuel but I wouldn't take that risk just to put the fire out. Just my opinion.
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Thanks for all the leads. My temps held pretty steady most of the time. I would get occassional spikes when a wood chunk would light up.

That being said, I had to run with two vents completely closed and the third vent only open to 1/4. I was surprised that that was enogh of a vent opening. A leaky system makes the most sense to me.
 
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