WSM 18-22?

danbono · Jun 28, 2016

Hi All Did my 1st cook on the 22 the other day.Went just OK stiil have to learn/play with some more.

Only major problem with the 1st cook , it didn't want to shut down. Coal burned thru the night and the next morning there was only ashes.

Did a trail run no food yesterday temps help well but didn't shut down. I did notice some small holes by 2 of the vents. Could this be causing the coals burn? After 1hr the temps were still reading 200.

Thanks Dan

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danbono
Jun 28, 2016

gomez93 · Jun 28, 2016

You are correct, the vents need to close tight enough to starve the fire of oxygen for it to go out.
The bad news is it looks like the previous owner left it full of ashes which drew moisture, which is bad.
The good news is that it looks like it is the aluminum dampers that are rotted out and not the bowl.
Google Weber damper kit or contact Weber for replacements and you should be good.

danbono · Jun 28, 2016

Gomez93 said:
You are correct, the vents need to close tight enough to starve the fire of oxygen for it to go out.
The bad news is it looks like the previous owner left it full of ashes which drew moisture, which is bad.
The good news is that it looks like it is the aluminum dampers that are rotted out and not the bowl.
Google Weber damper kit or contact Weber for replacements and you should be good.

Aluminum dampers= vents?

I was thinking along that line to replace the vents, but was looking for any easier way out.

The vents/dampers look perfectly round and don't look pitted, just a little gunk that I see there.

I tried my best to clean them yesterday, but the openings are still there.

Thanks DanB

gomez93 · Jun 28, 2016

Maybe I'm interpreting the picture wrong thinking the dampers/vents have the holes.
Either way, it has to be sealed to choke off the oxygen.

danbono · Jun 28, 2016

Hi In the pic it does look like the vents/damper are rotted , poor pic on my part..sorry.

Just took another look at them there are round.

Thanks Dan

danbono · Jun 29, 2016

Gomez93 said:
Maybe I'm interpreting the picture wrong thinking the dampers/vents have the holes.
Either way, it has to be sealed to choke off the oxygen.

Hi You maybe right

Gomez93 said:
You are correct, the vents need to close tight enough to starve the fire of oxygen for it to go out.
The bad news is it looks like the previous owner left it full of ashes which drew moisture, which is bad.
The good news is that it looks like it is the aluminum dampers that are rotted out and not the bowl.
Google Weber damper kit or contact Weber for replacements and you should be good.

Hi You maybe right..Took a better look today the holes they might be out of round! I put some foil to closed up the holes hope it stays on.

Just looking for an easy way out..I could always drill the dampers out and replace them with new ones.Just looking for an easier way to fix this minor problem

Next time I fire up the WSM I'll see "IF" the foil helps.

THanks Dan

gomez93 · Jun 29, 2016

Heat resistant foil tape would also work and isn't all that expensive. I use that to close off the open holes in the damper with the Party Q adapter in it.

wade · Jun 29, 2016

DanBono said:
Hi All Did my 1st cook on the 22 the other day.Went just OK stiil have to learn/play with some more.

Only major problem with the 1st cook , it didn't want to shut down. Coal burned thru the night and the next morning there was only ashes.

Did a trail run no food yesterday temps help well but didn't shut down. I did notice some small holes by 2 of the vents. Could this be causing the coals burn? After 1hr the temps were still reading 200.

Thanks Dan

Did you close the top vent too?

danbono · Jun 29, 2016

Gomez93 said:
Heat resistant foil tape would also work and isn't all that expensive. I use that to close off the open holes in the damper with the Party Q adapter in it.

Hi I was in Home Depot the other looking for something like that, Didn't see any, I should have asked someone..Looks like it will slove the problem!!

Thanks Dan

Wade said:
Did you close the top vent too?

Hi Yup all the vents were in the closed position..How long after shut should I see temps dropping and the coals stop burning?

Maybe I'm expecting too much. When I shut down my little Smoky Joe, the coals die out quickly. maybe the Joe spoiled me?

The day after there are still unburnt coals. With the WSM all that was left the next morning was ashes.

Thanks Dan

wade · Jun 29, 2016

You should see the temperature start to drop within about 15 minutes or so. The fact that all of the coals burned to completion suggests that the bottom vents were not sufficiently airtight.

danbono · Jul 1, 2016

Gomez93 said:
Heat resistant foil tape would also work and isn't all that expensive. I use that to close off the open holes in the damper with the Party Q adapter in it.

Hi Does Home Depot or Lowe's carry Heat resistant foil tape?? See alot of tapes on the web site non say heat resisitant?

Thanks Dan

danbono · Jul 5, 2016

Hi All

Did my 2nd cook on the 22 WSM, temps held good. Used some foil tape that I got at Lowe's to try and close the pin holes on the damper vents.
Still had some minor smoke leaks, where the lid meets the barrel.Used the foil tape around the door no leaks there at all.
Only problem was the WSM would not shut down, at 6 the cook was done, closed ALL the vents 2 hrs later the temps were still reading 190 down from 275.
Does that sound normal?
Chicken and ribs came out on the dry side. Chicken was brined for 24 hrs.
Only smoked the BB's for 4 hrs un foiled. The chicken maybe 2.5-3 hrs..Temps 250-275.
Thanks DanB

PS What are your thoughts about closing down the top vent in order to control temps..I had enough air/smoke coming for where the lid meets the barrel, that I didn't think the top vent opening was not necessary?

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danbono
Jul 5, 2016

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danbono
Jul 5, 2016

gomez93 · Jul 5, 2016

Closing the top vent will restrict air flow; less air flow equals lower temps. That said, there's nothing wrong with smoking at 275° or higher.
There is normally a little smoke that escapes around the lid, but if you are having a lot it makes me wonder if the body (barrel) is out of round?

jasper7 · Jul 5, 2016

I wouldn't run mine with the top vent closed, you need to maintain air flow in your smoker to prevent creosote build up on your food.

danbono · Jul 5, 2016

Jasper7 said:
I wouldn't run mine with the top vent closed, you need to maintain air flow in your smoker to prevent creosote build up on your food.

Hi I was getting good air flow from the leaks around lid, that is why I adusted the the top vent.Is that really a bad thing? THis WSM is going to be used mainly for long or over night smoke.

I did read on Harry Soo's site that he uses the top vent to control temps.

I do have a stick burner, see avatar, for when I want to just sit arouind and feed the smoker.

Thanks Dan

danbono · Jul 5, 2016

Jasper7 said:
I wouldn't run mine with the top vent closed, you need to maintain air flow in your smoker to prevent creosote build up on your food.

Hi I was getting good air flow from the leaks around lid, that is why I adusted the the top vent.Is that really a bad thing? THis WSM is going to be used mainly for long or over night smoke.

I did read on Harry Soo's site that he uses the top vent to control temps.

I do have a stick burner, see avatar, for when I want to just sit arouind and feed the smoker.

Thanks Dan

When you open the exhaust vent on the WSM, you allow hot air to leave the pit and this creates a vacuum suction to draw air in from the bottom intakes. Thus, by skillfully manipulating the top vent, you can control your WSM like a pro. Many beginners constantly fiddle with their intake dampers in hopes to maintain a constant temperature with less success than leaving the bottom vents untouched and fiddling with the top vent to control the draft within their WSM. In future articles, I’ll address the mechanics of damper control on the WSM (e.g., old school versus automated blower systems) and the science on dirty smoke, white smoke, clean smoke, blue smoke, sour smoke, etc. For now, just give my technique a try and see if it works for you.

jasper7 · Jul 5, 2016

We all learn from experimentation. I'm happy with my fire management, but I would be glad to hear if this technique works for you. I had heard about Harry Soo's technique, but have never tried it. I still have concerns about creosote, but they may be unfounded. Good luck and good smoking.

gomez93 · Jul 6, 2016

If you look at the instructions from Hunsaker Smokers, he says to set the bottom vent at 1/2 and use the top vent to control temps. I have one and it works without producing any more creosote than my WSM with the vent wide open. In fact I think it creates a little more humid environment but that's a different topic ;)

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