How to Deal with Rust


 
J

John Groove

New member
I purchased a Spirit E-210 on Craiglist.

It was a year old but had never been used. It still had the stickers on. It was kept outside, with a cover on.

Everything looks good. There are a few rusty spots where the grates meet the body and on the bottom of the grates, in the same spots.

I believe they are enameled cast iron.

Is that something to worry about?

Should I do anything to remedy that?

Thank you.
 
Like Clint said oil up the grates and as you use it the fire box will gunk up with grease pretty much taking care of any more rust issues.
 
Thanks for the info. Here are some photos.

What should I oil it with?

At this point, I just let the grill run on high for about 15-20 minutes to burn off some of the treatment.





 
The "rust" spots on the fire box are just stains from the rust on the grates. Spray 'em down with Pam, and get cooking. This is not something you have to worry about.
 
Should I spray all over the grates or just the rusty spots?

Do I need to remove the rust from the grates somehow first?
 
The rust appears to be very minor. But, if you want to remove it, try using a green scotch brite pad to get it off. Then oil the grate or spray with Pam. Since the grate is cast iron and prone to rust, I would spray the whole grate. Also, be sure to rotate the grates every now and then.
 
doesn't look to be much of an issue at all, I wouldn't go at it aggressively, maybe even just an oiled rag/paper towel.

At the suggestion of someone on this forum I picked up a misto sprayer a few years ago. I recently got a grate like yours and everything was sticking so I took my misto sprayer and hit the grates......only did that for 2-3 cooks, and I've probably cooked on it 8-10 times without oiling them again but they're probably due even though nothing sticks yet.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004SPZV/tvwb-20
 
If this amount of rust gets you going, you might as well toss the cast iron grates now and pick up some stainless steel ones. Seriously.
 
Chad Bman said:
If this amount of rust gets you going, you might as well toss the cast iron grates now and pick up some stainless steel ones. Seriously.
Click to expand...

It's my first Weber, and my first cast iron grates, so it was just a question.

I have a lot of cast iron cookware and know how it behaves.
 
I wasn't trying to be an @ss, but it reads like I was. :)
If you know how cast iron behaves, then you know leaving these grates outside is going to be an on-going battle against rust. I'm not bothered by it and a quick spray/wipe with paper towel is good enough for me. But, others don't feel the same way and see a spot of rust as an imminent death sentence.

Welcome to the world of weber and one of the best forums on the net.
 
No worries. I actually love cast iron and am accustomed to dealing with rust. I just wanted to make sure I didn't need to do anything special in this case.
 
I would season the grates with Crisco, just like you would a cast iron pan. Then after each cook, while still hot use a weber brush to clean it, then spray it with olive oil and close the cover. You will never see rust again. This is what I do, and it builds up a nice dark black non-stick surface on the grates.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top