WSM 22.5 side door


 

Joe - theqguy

TVWBB Member
Hello and good morning to all. I've been reading a lot about the 22.5" WSM (mine will be in tomorrow from FireCraft) and read lots of comments about the side door leaking air. Have you guys had any issues with this? I've seen that there is a gasket kit available for the WSM and didn't know if I might need to pick that up. OR I'm a mechanic so I have high temp RTV Silicone and could use a light bead of that around the opening if I needed to. What are your thoughts. Thanks for your time and any answers you might have.
 
Joe, I can't say it made a difference or not but before I ever used my new WSM I installed the gasket kit. In fact, I had my gasket kit before my WSM arrived. I can tell you this that I have no leaks from my door or from the mid section upper or lower joints. Whether I would have had leaks without the gasket I don't know. I just decided that it was an inexpensive fix for a possible problem that had been talked about on this forum for some time. It worked great for me is all I can say. As for just a bead of RTV silicon, I would think that would not have enough give to seal the gaps. The nomex has the feel of felt and it has enough give to fill those gaps. Just my 2 cents worth. Good Luck.
 
Most people are able to tweak the door enough to get a tighter fit and after a few smokes the residue helps seal the little leaks that may exist. I was given the SS Cajun bandit door for X-mas and installed that after a few smokes and its a nice addition on mine although I didn't have any real big leak problems with factory door. I say use it a few times and tweak the door and see if that helps fix leaks, if any at all, you may have. Some people have reported no issues at all after playing with it. Then if it does you can spend some $$ and either go the gasket route or even the Cajun bandit door route....
 
I recently added a 22.5 wsm to my collection, and the door leaked quite a bit. I tried bending it into shape, but that required more skill or finesse than I possess, so my attempt at that didn't make much difference. I had already done the gasket mod on my 18.5 and had enough material left to add a gasket to the 22.5 door. It was a very easy mod, it worked well, and I no longer have smoke pouring out the door. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough material left to add gasket material to the top of the mid-section, where the lid fits. That is next on my to do list.
 
Thanks for all the info guys. I'm gonna just fire it up and see what happens. Maybe I'll have Dwain and Greg's luck and it'll work great. I'm just trying to get an idea of what to expect.
 
I just got my 22.5 wsm a week ago, they must have droped the box and the side door was bent and did not fit well, Weber said they would get a new door out to me, but I could not wait to fire that big boy up. I spent about an hour fitting the door the best I could. I must say it worked like a charm, no leaks, so if there is a problem I'm sure you can make the necessary adjustments.

Dave
 
Most people are able to tweak the door enough to get a tighter fit and after a few smokes the residue helps seal the little leaks that may exist. I was given the SS Cajun bandit door for X-mas and installed that after a few smokes and its a nice addition on mine although I didn't have any real big leak problems with factory door. I say use it a few times and tweak the door and see if that helps fix leaks, if any at all, you may have. Some people have reported no issues at all after playing with it. Then if it does you can spend some $$ and either go the gasket route or even the Cajun bandit door route....

I just got the CB door and it looks that same as the factory door, i.e. not touching the WSM on the top corners, I have started to tweek it, is that usual or a sign my WSM may be out of round? The body doesn't seem out of round in the base or top.
 

 

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