Missing heat shield inside 14.5

[Jeff Padell]

I set up my new 14.5 and it has the heat shield inside the 14.5. Looking at my older one the heat shield is missing.

I was wondering does this really matter? I have the two 14.5's set on cinder blocks on a brick patio. is the shield to protect the inside of the base or to protect say a deck or patio?

 

[Chris Allingham]

It's meant to protect surfaces under the cooker. We don't have them in pre-2009 WSMs. If I was confident that the surface under my smoker wasn't going to burst into flames, I would personally not worry about it.

 

[Jeff Padell]

Thanks Chris, as you can tell from how I have my 14's set up it would take a lot of heat to light up the cinder blocks ROFL!

I put them on the blocks as I have very bad knees and this way I don't have to bend to them. Too many years of being over 250 lbs and arthritis