Originally posted by Ashley Ruthstrom:
When I search for the tape I get many types. What brand of tape did you guys get? I just want to make sure I get the right one.
Originally posted by Mac McClure:
Here is the setup for a WSM
Originally posted by Gary Hodgin:
I just got my gaskets from bbqgaskets today. I bought the WSM kit for $25. Plan to work on it after my broken finger heals a bit.
Originally posted by Andy P:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Gary Hodgin:
I just got my gaskets from bbqgaskets today. I bought the WSM kit for $25. Plan to work on it after my broken finger heals a bit.
Originally posted by Mark R (LR):
I've had my wsm for a little over a year, used it quite a bit, and usually had trouble holding the temperature down in the 215-225F range. I did this mod over the Memorial Day weekend to try to make it easier to hold low temperatures without partially closing the top vent (which I've read is a bad idea).
The mod was fairly easy and seems to have worked. Before the mod, to stay in the 215-225 F range, I usually had to close all of the bottom vents and set the top vent to about 50% or more closed. After the mod, I was able to leave the top vent completely open and had to leave one of the bottom vents partially open to stay in the 215-225F range.
Turning to the mod itself, I didn't use acetone. It sounded like this originated from the need to remove glue & gunk left by the original gasket on the Big Green Egg mod/gasket replacement. The areas cleaned up well with a good scrubbing with dish detergent, a sponge with the green scrub backing, and paper towels. I used nitrile gloves, the fine-tooth end of a comb to spread the adhesive, and a slightly dampened sponge and plenty of paper towels to wipe away excess adhesive. I applied adhesive to 5 or 6 inch segments at a time, spread it with the comb, set the tape, wiped away excess, and repeated. Between wiping away excess adhesive from the middle section and from the comb, I went through quite a few paper towels.
After it was done, I let it set for an hour or two, then heat cured it by assembling the smoker, slowly running the temperature up to 400F, and holding it there for a couple of hours. After that, I played with the vents into the evening to see how it would do holding low temperatures. Getting the temp down from 400F to 200F was much easier than I expected, and once there, it was easy to hold it there without touching the top vent.
I would not recommend this as a mod to do when you first get your wsm, but it is a worthwhile mod if your wsm still runs hot after giving it a chance to season.