Need two Fixes for a 22.5 OTG

[Craig J]

I just bought a 22.5 OTG on Craigslist. I have a Genisis, but I want to try charcoal and the smokenator. Anway, the kettle is a little wobbly and the top vent is a little loose. Two questions: Is there a way to tighten the vent? Is there a way to remove some of the wobble? It feels like it is wobbly where the legs meet the kettle. Thanks for all of the great info on the forum!

 

[Robert Oleksak]

I ran a self tapping screw through each leg holder. It's still a bit wobbly but the legs don't fall off anymore. The top vent you can drill out and replace with a small bolt and a locking nut. Don't use the ones with the plastic though. They make all metal locking nuts.

 

[Craig J]

For the vent, should I drill into it from the underside of the kettle?

 

[Glenn W]

For the vent, should I drill into it from the underside of the kettle?

Yes. Use a 3/8" bit and drill just through the rivet until it releases. If the rivet starts spinning you can use pliers on the lid side to hold the head of the rivet. Put though one vent hole and apply slight pressure on the head of the rivet while drilling.

 

[George Curtis]

to tighten the top vent, just take two hammers, one to back up the rivet and one to hit the other side lightly. this will tighten the rivet. as to the legs its kinda normal. but you can take the legs out and reexpand the legs. i use a steel pipe that fits inside and then i hit the pipe as i rotate the leg to get it back into shape. you can use screws or you can put wood plugs into the leg tops also so the legs wont get loose.

 

[Craig J]

I drilled out the vent rivet and replaced it with a screw. Worked perfectly!!!! Thanks for the info.