WSM 18 - New Thermometer


 
crap.. I drilled the 2+4 holes required for the unknown BBQ hinge. things I guess didn't line up well and the lid doesn't close flatly. loosening the bolts isn't working to line things up
 
EricV. said:
Did you reference this video as a guide to help install it:

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I tried my best to, but I must've drilled the pilot holes for the bottom piece a smidge too low on the body. Now theres tension from the hinge causing the lid to not sit flat on the body. Any tips on how to resolve this? I already enlarged the holes 1 bit size up from 1/4", i believe to 5/16". Should i continue to enlarge? Should i take the 1/4in bit and grind down the top of the hole to enlargen the opening at the tops of all 4 "body" holes?
 
EricV. said:
Please post a few pics.
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Sorry i didn't snap any pics, but I seem to have solved the picture. So here are a few learnings / mistakes I made and how I fixed the Unknown BBQ Hinge:

1. I drilled the bottom 4 holes about 1/4" too low. So when I have the pin that connects the 2 pieces together installed, the lid won't close tightly, leaving about 1/2" open on the front (theremometer side.)

2. I tried to open up the 1/4" hole to 5/16", but that didn't change much at all.

3. I didn't want to keep opening up the hole bigger and bigger due to smoke leakage or whatever, So I basically took my 1/4" drill bit and grinded the top of the hole open a little bit at a time until everything moved up about 1/4"

4. Hinge now works perfectly with a lid that closes as if new.
 
I removed the OEM theremometer to temperature test for accuracy in boiling water, it was accurate within 2-5 degrees. I tried to reinstall it and noticed some condensation under the glass. The condensation covers about 50-75% of the glass when the smoker is preheating, but it went away after an hour or 2. Would this warrant replacing with a tel tru? Total cost for that would be:

Step bit - $10-$40 - recommend me a good one i can continue to use for the next few years, i dont like buying cheap one time use things.
Thermometer - $55 (BQ300, 3in face, 2.5in probe)
Nut - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0055778PI/?tag=tvwb-20 (do i actually need this? Why doesn't the thermometer include a nut that screws down from the back of it?
 
The BQ300 now includes a small zinc locking nut but the one from the installation kit looks much nicer and is made of stainless steel. The kit also includes a stainless washer to sit between the back of the thermometer and the surface of the smoker lid, which should cover the little rectangular bezel hole on the WSM.
 
Michael Chen said:
The BQ300 now includes a small zinc locking nut but the one from the installation kit looks much nicer and is made of stainless steel. The kit also includes a stainless washer to sit between the back of the thermometer and the surface of the smoker lid, which should cover the little rectangular bezel hole on the WSM.
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people care about the looks of a nut on the underside of their all black greasy smoker cover? lol

The question should be... does zinc or chrome plated or whatever that nuts are made of have any problems being on the inside of the smoker where the food is... as opposed to stainless steel.
 
I don’t think it’s a big deal appearance-wise. I guess what I mean by “looks nicer” is that the stainless nut appears more substantially made. The included locking nut is really thin. Not sure if there’s a big difference in functionality 😂
 
Chris Allingham said:
Sorry you had a problem drilling those holes.

As for people dissing lid thermometers, I'm a contrarian on that issue.

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I like to use an oven thermometer from the grocery store or ol’ Walmart and read it from there by placin’ it in the middle section the best way I can(can’t always though like the video explained). And compare that temp readin’ with the Weber lid thermometer. Not that far off to be honest. But am considerin’ changin’ that Weber thermometer with a Tel Tru but am optimistic though.
 
Shaye said:
Looks great. Did a good job there. Does it work accurately? I like to compare the Weber probe to an oven thermometer on the cooking grate in the middle between pork butts and ribs.
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It seems to work accurately! I'll admit I did not actually do any testing to verify the accuracy of the Tel Trus, but the three different examples of this model that I own do match.

One of my original Weber thermometers was pretty dead on when tested with boiling water, while another seemed to stick on occasion and never seemed quite right, though I did not bother chasing it down.
 
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