Keeping water out of S-470 without using a cover?

[Dan Carman]

My new-to-me S-470 collects rainwater in the grease pan, which eventually overflows making a mess. Without using a grill cover, are there any specific spots on this grill where water can be blocked from entering the cooking chamber? There are a ton of vents and gaps that probably shouldn't be covered up at random, but if I could find which ones are letting all the water in maybe I could fabricate a baffle or louvers or something.

 

[BPratt]

My new-to-me S-470 collects rainwater in the grease pan, which eventually overflows making a mess. Without using a grill cover, are there any specific spots on this grill where water can be

Welcome Dan,

The cabinet style grills like the summit have vents and spaces to promote airflow. While it’s not good to cover those while using you could place a sheet of metal or plastic on the tables when not in use.

The water gets in here on my wife’s grill see photo. I mounted the tank on the outside so I use a center hanging grease tray that is away from the water flow. The key is getting the tank out of the cabinet so you are not restricted by the the need for a heat shield

 

[Brian B Atlanta]

Buy a cover. This is just one of many articles that point out the benefits and that its a myth using a grill cover will encourage rust formation or whatever. I would think if you have a wooden deck with the grease pan overflowing your gonna stain that deck.

Grill Covers: Do you need one? - Armand's Discount, Inc.

A BBQ grill can last for many years if it is well maintained, so you’ll want to take the best possible care of it. Can a cover extend your grill’s lifespan?

www.armandsdiscount.com

 

[timothy]

Shrink wrap or park it under cover.

 

[Dan Carman]

Buy a cover. This is just one of many articles that point out the benefits and that its a myth using a grill cover will encourage rust formation or whatever. I would think if you have a wooden deck with the grease pan overflowing your gonna stain that deck.

Grill Covers: Do you need one? - Armand's Discount, Inc.

A BBQ grill can last for many years if it is well maintained, so you’ll want to take the best possible care of it. Can a cover extend your grill’s lifespan?

www.armandsdiscount.com

I have a cover, but like all covers, it's an eyesore.

 

[Bob Erdman]

I would just put a piece of foil or metal over the drip pan. Just remember to remove it before cooking on the grill.

 

[BPratt]

I put a bucket under the grease pan until I fixed the issue.

We use our grill every day so a cover isn’t practical.

 

[Fred Smith]

Maybe a Bernie cover or a modified tarp. There's also building or buying a grill tent.

 

[Dan Carman]

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions!

There is plenty of room on the floor of the cabinet for me to place a bucket or maybe a foil half pan directly under the grease pan, so I will definitely do that.

Looking more at the way this grill is built, it seems the designers placed a whole bunch of slots/holes all around the cooking chamber to keep the front control panel and side tables from getting too hot. Rainwater goes right in. For the side tables it will just fall right through to the ground, but on the front panel some of it will hit the internal heat shield which just funnels the water right to the holes where the burner tubes enter the cooking chamber.

I put some aluminum foil tape over the gap between the top of the heat shield and the front of the cooking chamber. If need be I'll replace it with sheet metal (a strip of flashing should work).

There's also a big gap across the back where the cooking chamber sits on the frame. Not sure if rain water would be able to get to the grease pan from there except when wind is blowing from that direction but I'll keep an eye on it.