Thermometer Port on a Weber 22.5"


 
I'm a newbie to the WSM. When I first put the cooker together, everything went pretty smothly after I finally, with the help of my wife, got the heat shield and legs on (also added casters so I could move the monster from place-to-place on my patio). Intalling the thermometer port was another b***h (rhymes with Mitch) of a job that took four hands and a few sharp words with my wife. Now, after my first cook, I was removing the grill thermometer probe and the thermometer probe came out with the probe. Does anyone know a trick or technique to getting the thermometer port back in the hole in the side of the cooker? I hate to tell my wife that I need her help (and patience) again to reinsert the port. Thanks.

Dave :mad:
 
I don't know if this will help but I got one end in and start turning the grommet guiding it around the track, like you would a bicycle chain. Good luck! And welcome to the Forum!
 
Dave i just did two WSM bodies recently. The first was a royal pain but the second was much easier. Like Greg B said above align one end and then spin the port while guiding it around.

When removing the probes: press two fingers on the outside edges of the port and Gently push the probe out from the inside using the other hand (let them cool after cooking!).

I learned the hard way, If you pull probes by the cable you end up damaging the probes, and they act like grappling hooks and catch and pull everything on the way out.

My Guess - with no evidence to support it - is that over time grease smoke and gunk will help the grommet seal in place.
 
When I first got my WSM I put the legs on, then went to do the thermometor port thing and it went right on in like 10 seconds. No idea what i did except I must of twisted and bent just right. BUT then I learned after trying to put the lid on that the center section was terribly out of round. Way beyond a gentle bear hug fix. Called Weber, the great customer service company they are they sent out a new middle section (and to their credit new legs, theromoetor grommet thing etc as well).

Went to put the NEW one on and darn it if it didn;t take me 10 + minutes. I know that doesn't sound like a lot of time but it was. I turned, twisted, tugged, rotated etc in every which way.

I did get it on, and now I am careful to hold it and push the probes through holding the thicker metal part versus pulling via the corded part

per the one comment it does seem to be knid of in there due to grease etc maybe now. if it came out that easily for you perhaps it wasn't seated right the first time anyway. maybe
 
After you get the grommet installed, then just notch the barrel and use that. It is MUCH easier to use than the grommet. Using an angle grinder it takes maybe two minutes and the aggravation is OVER!

Keep on smokin',
Dale53:wsm:
 
Assembled my WSM 18" on Sunday 7/10.

Trying to get this grommet in the hole was hard.

Finally got it. It took me more than an hour of on again, off again trying.

The trick was to squeeze the edges and make the middle bubble outward, then start pushing the outer edge through the hole.

Assembled:

http://imgur.com/a/BJ9h6/layout/grid


I have a Flame Boss 200 coming soon, will assemble that on the WSM too.
 

 

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