Hi from St. Louis, Mo!


 
D

D Fillman

New member
Hey all,
I am a brand new member and glad to be here! I had a question that maybe you could help me with:
I have a 22.5 Weber Kettle I bought back in 2015. It’s getting a little worn and I decided to get a new one. I bought one a week ago, but returned it because of 2 things that I noticed:
1) there was about a 2” gap between the grill grate and the bowl ( don’t know or thats the correct terminology ) and the grill slid around because of the gap. 2) the grill supports (what the grill grate rests on) on the new kettle are rounded at the top, so when the grill grate would slide to one side it would dip down a little.
On my old Weber the grill supports are flat and looked to be molded into the bowl. Also on my old one, the grill fits nice and tight with only about a half inch of play. My question is why such a huge gap and these rounded supports on the new models? The lid also seems to be not a very tight fit.. I went to a couple of different stores and they were all the same. I also put the new grate in my old kettle and it was tight, so it wasn’t the grill grate.
I decided to keep my old on because of this. Am I the only one who think's this isn’t good engineering?
Thanks for any input!
Dave
 
Welcome aboard from another STL area member. The grate issue sounds odd to say the least. Maybe it was a return? Dunno. Ace Hardware has most of theirs assembled so you can look at them. One of the Westlake Ace’s has a huge bbq room full of charcoal, and everything else bbq as well. Good luck.
 
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Hey Dave - John here, also from the St. Louis area.I agree with Jason, sounds like you got a kettle where they welded in grate supports incorrectly at the factory. Also agree that Westlake Ace in Brentwood is a good place to shop for a new kettle. I wouldn't let your not-so-good experience steer you away from Weber at all. Every company has a problem every once in a while. I saw this beauty the other day at Schnar's Do It Best in Webster Groves.... I believe it's an anniversary edition, and there are other colors (see link below). Dine green shown below, but If I were in the market for a new kettle, I'd be torn between rock n roll blue or hollywood gray. I love the wooden handles!

70th Anniversary Limited-Edition Classic Kettle Grill - Weber

In 1952, our founder George Stephen introduced a charcoal kettle grill that started a cooking revolution. This limited-edition Collection celebrates Weber's innovative spirit.
www.weber.com www.weber.com

1655653263727.png
 
Thanks John and Jason! What is strange is that I went to St. Louis bbq supply, looked at a new one on display and it was the same thing, the grate had at least a 2 inch gap between it and the bowl and slid around. I’m wondering if the kettles made back in 2015 we’re all just tighter?
I’ll check out Brentwood and Shar’s; maybe I’ll have better luck!
Thanks again,
Dave
 
Hey guys, Dave again, here is a picture of my old Weber. Wanted to show the tight fit and the good, flat grill supports. The new ones were not like this
 

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Hey Darren,
The cooking grate on my old weber (as in this photo) has no more than maybe a half inch play if you move it from side to side.
I don’t have a photo of the new one ( because I returned it), but if you moved it to one side, there was at least a gap of an inch and a half. The grill supports prevent the grill from falling, but the fit is nowhere as tight as my old 2015. I’m just trying to find out why the manufacturing has changed and can’t seem to get an answer. Guess I’ll just keep the old dog going.
 

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Welcome D. I have a grand girl in STL. Are you sure that you do not have a 26" Weber? Another thing is that you may have gotten a mispacked grill for a 18.5" WSM. In any case, call Weber Customer Service. They are second to none. Get out the tape measurer and check the dementions.
 
No, it was definitely a 22.5 I got at ace hardware. I think you made a good suggestion: I’m going to go to a couple of places and will bring a tape measure, and take a couple of pictures so you guys can see it too.
I can’t believe no one else has run into this. I just got some quick steel thermosteel to patch up my old 2015 Weber, cause with the luck I’m having,I think I’m going to have to keep it going for a long time…
thanks for the input everyone!
 
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