Consistently High Temps/Air Leakage. Need help.


 
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Henry Joe Peterson

TVWBB Super Fan
My WSM runs consistently hot.

How hot? On typical Minnion method cooks I get temp spikes from 280 to 310. (Then I have to go open up the lid and let it cool off)

I can get it to hold about 260-275, but that?s with 2 out of 3 bottom vents closed completely, one open only about 10-20%, AND the top vent shut down to about 10%. I just can?t get the thing to hold at 230-250 without snuffing the fire. The food turns out good, it just that things like butt and ribs and chicken can get a little too dark too quickly.

So I have an air leak somewhere.

Well, the door seems mostly flush with the sides of the midsection. So I think that?s OK. And the lid gits snugly to the top of the midsection, so that?s OK.

Then I found it. Apparently the midsection of my WSM is off-round at the base, and doesn?t fit the bottom section snugly. There is a 3 or 4 inch section where a gap of about 1/8 to 1/16th of an inch appears.

Which explains the high temps.

So my question is ? how to fix this?

I hate the idea of trying to bend that midsection by myself. How do I achieve perfect round? Will I bend it to fit the problem area, but create another gap eslewhere in the process? Just seems too risky for me.

Do I just plug up the problem areas with foil? Can I seal the edges of the bottom and midsection with something more permanent?

If worse comes to worse, will Weber sell me a new midsection?

Any advice helps.

Thanks.

HJP
 
You can roll the midsection put lite presure on it and you can improve that fit.
Are you using lump or briquets?
Jim
 
Briquettes, with 5 or six smaller chunks on top.

The air leak causes the chucks to flame, rather than smoulder.

This past cook I lit only 10 briquettes and placed them on top of the full charcoal pan, and spaced them so no two lit coals were touching.

Still shot up to about 290 before I went down and lifted the lid. And this was about 3 hours into the cook, after more coals had caught fire and were fed by the leak.
 
You can also make a gasket out of foil and that would seal up the gaps. Give that a try and see if it stops your heat spikes.
Jim
 
Wrap the bottom joint with 2" aluminium tape.
I also put it around the door. This gives the vents more control. Get it at your local hardware store in the heating and cooling dept.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>So my question is ? how to fix this?
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>My two cents is to call Weber. I does not sound, like you have owned the cooker that long. I bet, Weber, will make good on your problem.
If after your call, they claim it's not their concern, report back.
Try that approach, I bet you get great results.

Personally, I refuse to make modifications to a piece of eqiupment, that cooks food. If it does not operate correctly out of the box, or crate, I want no part of it. That being said, many on this list have had great satifaction with the WSM, without add-ons.
I am considering buying two more cookers from Weber, since it has treated me well. If they refuse to cooperate with you, please mail me, since there is an array of alternate cookers, on the market, which I can consider.

Jim
 
Henry,

I assume you've already read the section on the out of round condition on the Parts Troubleshooting page. If not, the tip about rotating the middle section while seated in the charcoal bowl until it binds and closes the gap may solve your problem.

Regards,
Chris
 
Henry Joe,
The mid section of the WSM is fairly easy to manipulate without trashing. However, before you make any adjustments on it, it would be wise to take some measurements to determine which section is out of round. Measuring the diameter of the base of the mid-section at several locations around the base will tell you immediately if it is actually out of round. It is possible that the fire bowl is the culprit.

Here's something I have found. After taking the WSM apart for cleaning, and dumping the ashes out of the fire bowl, I find the the mid section sometimes wobbles as I place it back on the fire bowl. I have found that by pulling on one or the other legs straightens out the base so that the mid section sits tight on it. And... I usually have my WSM sitting on a concrete pad so I am not dealing with uneven ground here. I was surprised to see that a slight leg movement could affect the roundness or seal of the base to mid section. The base appears to be pretty solid, and it doesn't take much movement to see this affect. Before I'd make any drastic changes like putting Aluminum Duct tape on it, I would use some foil, or a piece of fiberglass stove door sealing rope to see the effect. The fiberglass is fairly stretchy, and will allow you to adjust it or remove it for cleaning, should you decide to continue using it.
Hope this helps.
 
Yes it is a great forum/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
I would add that when my Homer Simpson one touch arrived from Amazon the lower kettle was banged up but serviceable. Weber answered the phone late at night and sent me a new one only wanting to know the date code on the upper vent and no paperwork sent to them. You may be able to fix it yourself however if Weber wants to send you a new one for free I'd take it.
~Teddy Bear
 
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