Vent damper mod ideas?


 
T MacGreggor

T MacGreggor

TVWBB Pro
Has anyone come up with a insulating mod for the vent damper on WSMs and traditional Weber kettles similar in function to what the Master Touch & Performer line has as shown in this Weber video?
Been poking around on the net for such a mod idea with no luck so far. Considering routing out a small piece of wood slightly larger than the vent damper tab, but I'm betting someone has come up with a better idea.
 
T MacGreggor said:
Has anyone come up with a insulating mod for the vent damper on WSMs and traditional Weber kettles similar in function to what the Master Touch & Performer line has as shown in this Weber video?
Been poking around on the net for such a mod idea with no luck so far. Considering routing out a small piece of wood slightly larger than the vent damper tab, but I'm betting someone has come up with a better idea.
Click to expand...

After another day of adjusting too hot dampers on my WSM I was thinking th3 same thing, T. I also looked around the Internet and found nothing.

The only thing I came up with was Home Depot sells a ton of different spring clamps from 37 cents up to about $5. I'm sure one of these would work okay.

If anyone knows of anything better, let's hear it, please.

Thanks
 
You could drill a hole in the tab and use an eye bolt, this seems to work well on my 18.5" WSM and my 3 mini's.
I dipped the eye part of the eye bolt in plasti dip for added insulation, has worked great.
I'm sure others have some great ideas here on the site also.
 
That looks like the ideal solution for the traditional kettles, Dwain. Thanks! Even if it doesn't fit snugly on the non-insulated damper's tab, a little high heat epoxy should do the trick.

Anyone have any experience with using this part # on the WSM's upper and lower dampers? At least on my 14"WSM, they're considerably smaller.

Here's a detailed shot of that part number:

bbBs9bN.jpg


The eye bolt dipped in plasti dip is a really good idea too!
 
I realize my response is not the mod you are looking for, but - can't you just tap the bottom vents with your toes (covered in shoes, sandles, etc)?
I didn't realize the bottom vents were a problem...as I am always just tapping them with my toes.
 
Dwain Pannell said:
Try part number 63048 from Weber or http://www.ereplacementparts.com/handle-for-lid-damper-molded-black-p-2127037.html. Here's a Google search with various results: http://www.google.com/search?q=6304.....34.mobile-heirloom-serp..0.1.91.pTN-sywN1kc
Click to expand...

Dwain, I just ordered this part from Weber for the top vent on my WSM. The women at Weber recommended not using this part on the bottom vents because they very well could melt. Other than the toe method which I use, putting an I bolt on the lower vents should make them easier to use. Since I use a control system with my WSM, two of the lower vents are are always closed and the fan device is on the third. The top is the one that is normally used. The only time I use the bottom vents is if I am using high heat with the WSM and lately if I want high heat I just use the Performer.
 
The possibility of that part # melting on the WSM's lower dampers was my main concern, so thanks for passing that info from Weber along, Bob. I just called Weber to price it for my kettle's damper and though it's only $5ish, the shipping was $7 for that tiny little piece of plastic. Considering how small & light it is I can't justify paying more for shipping than the part itself costs. No way it costs them any where near that much to ship it. ereplacementparts.com was similarly overcharging on shipping with the final cost only $1 less shipped. I read on another forum last night where someone got it from Weber with free shipping at one point as a consolation because the item was currently out of stock.
 
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