S-650 cookbox rust


 
I think you raise a fair enough question, but I have to agree with @Bruce and @LMichaels.

I think Weber went with the porcelain steel firebox due in part to (1) the extra high heat a Summit grill produces (50,000 btus in my 1st gen vs. ~ 36-42k in a Genesis with the same size firebox) which may have been too hot for aluminum and (2) to promote faster drain off of grease into the bottom catch tray. I think they felt this design would last as long as most of the well healed buyers who could afford the Summit in the first place would keep their grills. I seriously doubt they gave much thought to rehabbers/buyers of used old Summits. This issue and the bloated design of the 3rd generation Summits is what makes them an iffy proposition for restoration.
 
You can just keep using it as is as long as you want to. There are lots of Summit owners out there that probably don't even realize what's going on inside their grills happily cooking away with cook boxes in much worse shape than yours. At least when it does finally get bad, you will know why. Did you ever check to see if you could get a new cook box from Weber, warranty or not?
 
Haven't called Weber yet but hey it's worth a try. Any advice on how to approach this with Weber? There were no obvious symptoms when using the grill, I only came across this because I'm replacing the manifold. I don't think I should open the conversation with that, understand Weber frowns on manifold swaps. Could just say I was replacing the burners and discovered this damage and I'm concerned about the safety of the grill?
 
Joe DeCarolis said:
Haven't called Weber yet but hey it's worth a try. Any advice on how to approach this with Weber? There were no obvious symptoms when using the grill, I only came across this because I'm replacing the manifold. I don't think I should open the conversation with that, understand Weber frowns on manifold swaps. Could just say I was replacing the burners and discovered this damage and I'm concerned about the safety of the grill?
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Yeah, definitely don't mention anything about a manifold swap although I don't personally see a problem with that either as long as you're using Weber parts. Your second suggestion seems spot on.
 
What if I got another one of these 70319 heat shields and modified it so that it fit on the inside of the front panel? Could be adhered to the panel using a a high temp adhesive as suggested by Jon. The heat shield is made of stainless and all the valve/ignitor openings match up exactly. So there would be sandwich with a one of these shields on the outside of the cook box and one on the inside. Has anyone tried this or have thoughts on how this might work (or not)?
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That’s an interesting idea. I would say worth pursuing. If you can get it flat so it can bbe applied to the cookbox front panel with some high heat RTV you may well have your fix👍.
 
Called Weber today and they are sending a replacement cook box. :)Thanks go out to Bruce and Steve for suggesting that I call Weber. I have to say that I'm really impressed with how Weber stands behind their products. (y) I'd still like to try the solution suggested above, I wonder if adding that extra layer of ss on the inside of the cook box would extend the life of a new cook box?








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I think if you trimmed the flanges off the heat shield to make it flat, it should cover enough of the panel to protect it. The corrosion always starts at the edges of the openings and spreads from there.

Good on Weber for giving you a new panel - never underestimate the leverage you have when safety is brought up
 
That's great, Joe! I'm glad it worked out for you. Post some pics of your grill and new cook box when you get a chance.
 
Yeah, Larry did not get that treatment. I suppose Weber ran out of fireboxes and didn't want to make more to cover their warranty obligation. That was a blight on their record for their most expensive grill, but I am glad you are getting help on yours, Joe.

I like the idea of reinforcing the new front panel from day one.
 
I probably would as well. If you plan to keep that grill long term, then I would try to ensure that same issue doesn't crop up again in the near future. I don't think Weber will be as accommodating at that point.
 
Update on this 650 refurb project: I received the new cookbox from Weber but unfortunately the left end casting was broken off right where the manifold bolts on. Didn't want to push my luck with Weber so decided to find a fix myself. Thought about repairing the end casting by welding the broken piece back on, but ultimately decided to take the endcap off the old cook box and put it on the new cook box. That worked great, but I discovered there was a bead of sealant between the porcelain coated panels and the end cap. My question is, what is the purpose of that sealant and is it really necessary?
Also ordered another heat shield and will be cutting it down and adhering it to the inside of the fire box. Time will tell if it slows the corrosion.
Once I get this beast back together I'll post pics.
 
hey Bruce and Steve, that's a great idea. I just ordered a tube on Amazon..
On another subject, before I took this grill apart, I forgot to cover it one night and it rained. Next morning, Lo and behold the drip pan was full of water as was the floor of the cabinet. So I understand why y'all call these Summits rust buckets. Once I get this thing back together I'm going to try to find where all the water is coming from. I know there's a rain shield on the back of the cookbox covering the rotisserie burner, so Weber was at least thinking about water intrusion but somewhere they missed the boat. Maybe with some kind of flashing, the water can be diverted outside the grill. Might help some owners of these grills to slow the corrosion process.
 
That has been a shortcoming of the Summits since the 2nd generation. The 1st gen had a wire rack floor in the cabinet
 
Joe DeCarolis said:
hey Bruce and Steve, that's a great idea. I just ordered a tube on Amazon..
On another subject, before I took this grill apart, I forgot to cover it one night and it rained. Next morning, Lo and behold the drip pan was full of water as was the floor of the cabinet. So I understand why y'all call these Summits rust buckets. Once I get this thing back together I'm going to try to find where all the water is coming from. I know there's a rain shield on the back of the cookbox covering the rotisserie burner, so Weber was at least thinking about water intrusion but somewhere they missed the boat. Maybe with some kind of flashing, the water can be diverted outside the grill. Might help some owners of these grills to slow the corrosion process.
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Is the tank inside the cabinet on those? I feel a good amount of the moisture comes from the condensation of the tank, and condensation in general. While it is not a LOT of moisture, it tends to seep towards the edges where there really aren't any drain holes, just tight spaces for it to pool and slowly drip out. Edges of panels are naturally more susceptible to chipping and have less paint to protect the metal. Then the rust monster shows it's ugly face. If I ever were to source a nice new floor panel I would roll a bead along all 4 edges, and put a hole at all four corners that is slightly indented down to help promote any drainage away from where the panels meet, and maybe one in the center.
 
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