Closing lower air intakes on 22"


 
R

Ralph Gray

New member
Hi there

Relatively new to WSM. The 3x lower air vents have tangs on the end of them to stop them closing over completely. Why is this? I would prefer to have complete control e.g. close two of the three and have fine control on the last one. Of course I can remove the tang (a bit fiddly) but would first like to know why they are there... any thoughts?

Ralph in Auckland
 
I call them a "blind stop" as you don't have to "look" but "feel" when you are fully opened/closed. In time that slight gap will seal up with gunk, but you could snap them off with a pair of pliers if you like.
The bottom ones on my 08-18.5" WSM are worn or bent off completely.

Tim
 
I don't care for them myself but it's a nice safety feature to have so you know the vent's are closed.
 
I agree with Tim: very shortly the hole will be filled with "seasoning" and will seal 100%.

On the 2014 14.5" that problem was solved by making the hole tear drop shaped vs round. The blind stop fits into the point which allows 100% closure. Not sure if this feature translates to the other models or not.
 
You can always bend them slightly. Look for the one or ones that touch first and then a very slight adjustment should reduce the opening.
 
Thanks for the suggestions on how to rectify, but what I was after was an understanding of why the stops were there at all... why not allow the vents to be closed right up?
 
Ralph Gray said:
why not allow the vents to be closed right up?
Click to expand...

timothy said - I call them a "blind stop" as you don't have to "look" but "feel" when you are fully opened/closed.

Weber has used those stops dating back to my oldest kettle (early 70's) and probably before that. They're there so the user didn't have to crawl under the grill to see if the vents were wide open or fully closed. (which is how most people grill anyway.)

I'm thinking you and Weber have different definitions of "closed right up." If I have a hot cook going, 300+ degrees, I can (and have) closed all 3 bottom vents until the stops hit and the coals snuff right out. I think you're splitting hairs once you factor in the bowl-to-midsection/midsection-to-lid/door are all metal to metal fittings. As in, they're not air tight.
 
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