Making my WSM 18" Airtight


 
J

James Harvey

TVWBB Pro
Hi All,

Any suggestions on the above? I thought about duct tape but wondered whether it would melt off or leave a residue or odour. Does anyone have suggestions? I seem to be leaking most at the middle / base contact.

Thanks,

JDH
 
I just don't think it's natural for a WSM to be airtight. I would just do several heavy smokes and see how that helps. I would also get the Cajun Bandit door.
 
James, it's gotta breath! On the other hand, you don't want leaks in the wrong places. Sounds like you have an "out of round" situation. Several options here. #1, measure the diameter of the 2 sections in several places. See if the distances are all the same. If so it is round, if not, it ain't. If not then you can try to manipulate it into round.
# 2, you can call Weber CS and tell them you have a defective section and they will send you a new one. When you get it, check for roundnes.
#3, if you really want to tape it, use a metal backed tape, silver, that you find in a hardeware store. It is used to tape chimney pipes and exhaust pipes for wood stove, hot water heaters etc. it will not melt, unlike duct tape.
Oh, and as the previous poster said, cook on it a few more time and it may develpoe enough gunk to seal itself.

Hope this helps. Let us know what you decide.

Mark
 
James - are you having trouble maintaining temps in your WSM? Why would you want it to be airtight?

WSM's, much like vintage guitars & cars, were meant to be used. I have to agree with Shaun R. too - use it and it may seal up well enough on its own. I bought mine used off CL, and it was pieced together from two different WSMs, and it is most certainly out of round, so I am trying to create a better seal by using aluminum foil in the too wide spots between the charcoal bowl and the middle section, and waiting for the gunk to build up enough to seal better through cooking on it. Like Shaun also said - they were never meant to be airtight. I spent too much time & effort getting mine in like new condition both inside & out, which was a mistake. I cook on mine every chance I get, and I make sure that my cooks have plenty of smoke to help with internal buildup, or seasoning, as many call it here.

I think I would use it for a few cooks & see where it goes. Good luck!
 
Thanks All. My usage of "airtight" was too harsh. I've used my WSM quite a few times so I have plenty of grime to cover small deficiencies but I still get quite a bit of smoke from the bottom and door. I'm waiting on a Stoker so I wanted to know how to clear those leaks as best I can so it can perform properly. My understanding is that leaks can lead to operation issues.
 
James, I don't use a Stoker but if you are letting air in from some other source other that the stoker blower, I would assume that the only consequence would be that you fire will burn a little hotter and the stoker fan may not have to work as much. Of course if you have a big leak and your temps are out of control with all vents closed that is another issue.

Mark
 
Ditto on the out of round. With some tweaking this can be fixed, also the door can be tweaked as well. Does your fire die when you close the vents after cooking?
 
I'm sure you prolly seen this
But it is worth a repeat, in-case any newbs run across this post.
wsmsmile8gm.gif


Tim
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Noe:
Why would you even want a stoker, using a stoker is not bbq. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Are you trolling? Of course it's BBQ. Just like something cooked low and slow or hot and fast in a digital Bradley smoker or Traeger pellet grill can be BBQ.
 
Thanks all.

OK. I really didn't want to mention the Stoker as it seems that some here feel "it's not real BBQ" but I don't want to hijack the thread with ATC talk even though I started it. Aplologies.

That said, Mark makes a good point about minor vs. major leaks. I guess I won't know until I try with the Stoker.

ALL of that said, I think it would be nice to have input regarding leakage and remedies in case they do affect non ATC cooks. I do notice temp fluctuations over 30F with my WSM mid cook. I specifically have an issue with long cooks as the longest I can sustain a reasonable low and slow cook is around 10 hrs with a full, tight ring.

Example, I did a butt last weekend; 8#, full ring of RO lump tightly packed, full bowl of HOT water from the start, nice night, no wind. Butt on at midnight, temps started to fall around 9am. I added fuel (existing was done) and finished at 194F at 11am. I've read that many get a much longer cook given the same parameters (even with the water, just to cut out that variable in the argument). My thoughts were that, maybe, leakage was the culprit.

Sorry for the long repost and thanks to everyone for their input.

JDH
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave from Denver:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Noe:
Why would you even want a stoker, using a stoker is not bbq. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Are you trolling? Of course it's BBQ. Just like something cooked low and slow or hot and fast in a digital Bradley smoker or Traeger pellet grill can be BBQ. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Not a troll dude, just that using a stoker takes the fun out of queing, tending to the fire is part of the fun imo.
 
The wsm is going to leak no matter what. If you have an out of round condition or if your are have problems with your door then you have a problem and you will want to contact Weber cs. If none of the above apply, I would suggest just learning your grill, try to have the same setup and procedure everytime and create as many consistencies as possible thereby minimizing the variables. Good luck.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by James Harvey:
Thanks all.



ALL of that said, I think it would be nice to have input regarding leakage and remedies in case they do affect non ATC cooks. I do notice temp fluctuations over 30F with my WSM mid cook. I specifically have an issue with long cooks as the longest I can sustain a reasonable low and slow cook is around 10 hrs with a full, tight ring.

Example, I did a butt last weekend; 8#, full ring of RO lump tightly packed, full bowl of HOT water from the start, nice night, no wind. Butt on at midnight, temps started to fall around 9am. I added fuel (existing was done) and finished at 194F at 11am. I've read that many get a much longer cook given the same parameters (even with the water, just to cut out that variable in the argument). My thoughts were that, maybe, leakage was the culprit.



JDH </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

James, to my way of thinking, if your temps are dropping 30F during a long cook, I would venture to say that it is not due to air leaks. Air leaks will increase cooker temps due to the air fuel ratio. If your cooker temp if falling it is either due to a low fuel/coal situation or a low air situation. Many cooks report extremely long cooks on one ring of coal, others don't get such long cooks. Bottom line is your smoker is going to run like it wants to and you need to control the variables to make the cook run as you want.

How did the butt turn out?

Mark
 
When I first got my wsm I had a little leakage in the same spots you mentioned. I used tinfoil strips, doubled and folded over the lip of the base all the way around and it works like a charm. It's also easy to remove and leaves no marks, residue, etc. As far as the door goes, I just kept bending and working until I got a good fit. After a while I stopped worrying about it and just let it do it's thing.
 
Mark - The main fluctuations are heat spikes but I do get significant temp drops (fuel is fine) occasionally as well and I know that the drops are not a leakage issue. I think it may be inconsistent burning of lump. The butt actually turned out great, thanks. Unfortunately, I only got one sandwich on the run as the guests devoured it with a modified No. 5 sauce on the side.

Trev - I've heard foil mentioned a few times and will try it today with some ribs and a few chickens and see what happens.

Thanks for the input all.

JDH
 
there's plenty of good advice here so I'm just going to confirm some of it, sorry I can't credit you all.

foil around the base prior to inserting middle works well

foil tape around door does not hold when at cooking temp. I bought a bunch of pipe clamps and strung them together and have my door banded to the middle section. It works great but it makes it a pain to stir the coals.

leaky doors seem to be more of a problem for my stoker, than leaky bowls.

smoke leakage isn't an issue, if there's enough inside the cooker so that some escapes, then there's enough in the cooker

leakage wont cause temps to go down, they will prevent you from getting temps down. Getting the wsm air tight helps you (or the stoker)control your temps and uses less fuel

I usually expect a temp drop (even with a stoker) after around 6-7 hrs. This is usually corrected by stirring the coals to get them unclogged with ash. This is one more reason why its good to foil your meats. As long as the meat is good and foiled, stir away.

I just happen to run 3 18" wsm's for two cooks on Wednesday and Thursday. One of the 3 had a stoker, the other 2 did not, all three were running at 260-280*. The wsm's without the stoker held temps and required about the same amount of attention as the wsm with the stoker.
 
One other thing I'll add. On my WSM, it fits just right when the charcoal bowl and middle section are aligned a certain way. So, I took a small piece of duct tape and applied it to both sections. That way I have it lined up just right each time.
 
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