WSM 18" not Cooling in a Timely Manner after Use


 
C

Chris OH

New member
Hello,

My six year old or so 18" WSM is taking multiple hours to cool down after use. Usually, I check after an hour or so, and at that, point, it's still 200 - 250 degrees at the lid, and way too hot to put the cover back on it. After I use it, I fully close all vents including the lid, so I suspect I have a leak somewhere. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do so I don't have to continue waiting until the next morning for it to fully cool down? Thank you!

Chris
 
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timothy said:
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Frequently Asked Questions - The Virtual Weber Bullet

Answers to the most frequently asked questions about the Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker, including temperature control, troubleshooting, cleaning & more.
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Thanks. The leftover charcoal is NOT completely consumed the next day, so it sounds like a leak is not the primary issue. If so, I have no problem continuing to wait until the next morning to put the cover back on.
 
timothy said:
Yea that's what I usually do. What are you using for fuel? Some brands burn hotter longer.
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Kingsford blue bag briquettes. Potentially related, I have noticed that my smoker temperature does seem a bit hard to control but always assumed that was due to not using water in the pan. The door does seem to have a bit more of a gap than normal, so it's probably time to try to bend it back into place a bit or even give the (expensive) Cajun Bandit door a try.
 
I don't think it is a good idea to put a cover on any charcoal Weber grill until the day after you use it. Kettles stay hot for hours too...
 
Chris OH said:
Hello,

My six year old or so 18" WSM is taking multiple hours to cool down after use. Usually, I check after an hour or so, and at that, point, it's still 200 - 250 degrees at the lid, and way too hot to put the cover back on it. After I use it, I fully close all vents including the lid, so I suspect I have a leak somewhere. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do so I don't have to continue waiting until the next morning for it to fully cool down? Thank you!

Chris
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Hey @Chris OH - I haven't read all of the advice/articles that everyone has posted in this thread, so forgive me if I'm just repeating what everyone else has said. I've never sat with a stopwatch and IR gun to track how long it takes my WSM to cool, but I always end up waiting before the cover goes on. Depending on how hot and/or how long I ran it, I have come back an hour or two later and she's still warm. That said, I'm also slightly paranoid about accidentally bumping the vents open when I put the cover on so I typically wait till the next day (or right before bed if I finished an overnighter that morning) before putting on a cover.
 
I dont think it should take multi hours to cool down , my 18 was well broke in and when the vents were closed it was around an hour to cool down so it didnt have any air leaks at all. I run it 250-275

edit to add: I did a test this evening in my 22 kettle grilling burgers with the slow n sear- lid temp gauge is over the coals and hit 500 degrees. After shutting all the vents down it took about an 1hr 10 min for lid to hit ambient outdoor temp which was 83
 
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I agree that it shouldn’t take hours and hours to cool down.

With the price of charcoal I run reused coals on just about every cook on both my wsm and my kettles.
My cookers snuff out the coals pretty fast.
I’ve never really timed it but it’s not long.
I even see a little leakage sometimes at the lid seal but not really that much.

The flimsy OEM door with a gasket works great for me.
I considered getting the fancy stainless one but to me it seems that it would be harder to bend to correct any fitting issues.
Even though the stainless doors look nice I’ll keep what works for me.

Are you running a door gasket?
 
Andy Kaminski said:
I agree that it shouldn’t take hours and hours to cool down.

With the price of charcoal I run reused coals on just about every cook on both my wsm and my kettles.
My cookers snuff out the coals pretty fast.
I’ve never really timed it but it’s not long.
I even see a little leakage sometimes at the lid seal but not really that much.

The flimsy OEM door with a gasket works great for me.
I considered getting the fancy stainless one but to me it seems that it would be harder to bend to correct any fitting issues.
Even though the stainless doors look nice I’ll keep what works for me.

Are you running a door gasket?
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I am not currently running a door gasket. If it would help, I'd be happy to post a picture of the current door fit (I haven't bent it yet) to see if bending it is the route most would recommend prior to considering a gasket kit and/or after market door.
 
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Just thinking here,
Maybe you could put a very bright light like a bright camping lantern that illuminates 360 degrees inside of your wsm and see if any light leaks out.
Possibly do this in a dark shop or garage area.
I don’t see how the stock flimsy door without a gasket can’t leak.
Good luck to you 👍.
 
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