Lid for UDS

oneeyedblueberry · Aug 9, 2010

Hey Gang!!

While I know barrel diameter is key, what brands "typically" fit as lid for UDS. That way i'll know what to look for on craigs list, etc.

Saw generic 22.5 in grill and big lots today for $29 almost grabbed, but was unsure.

Thanks in advance for the help!!

pandemonium · Aug 9, 2010

That big lots grill fits some barrels, but not on mine i bought it and my drum is bigger around, but it does fit on two other drums i have. if you need a measurement let me know?

oneeyedblueberry · Aug 9, 2010

If you can grab a measurement, that would be cool.

My barrel appears 23 5/8th OD. I guess I will wait for some more input and see what happens.

Thanks!!

Bill P.

pandemonium said:
That big lots grill fits some barrels, but not on mine i bought it and my drum is bigger around, but it does fit on two other drums i have. if you need a measurement let me know?

pandemonium · Aug 11, 2010

The drum that it fits on is only 22 5/8" OD Pretty sure thats what my first UDS measures and I dont see a way to bang the metal out to make it stretch that far.

rbranstner · Aug 11, 2010

As a lot of us have found each barrel can be different so the only way to know for sure if your lid will bit your barrel is to bring the lid with when you pick out your barrel. If you can't do that you will have to get a little creative with your lid/barrel to make it fit. There are plenty of tips/hints on here on how to make your lid fit if you can't find one that fits properly.

ak1 · Aug 11, 2010

I've found that with my barrels, I've had to take the 22" Weber lid and flatten the rim to make it sit properly.

kaveman · Aug 13, 2010

you could cut a3-4 inch ring off the top of the bottom bowl of the grill and weld it inside your drum,you may need round stock to fill the gap. but then the lid fits perfectly

oneeyedblueberry · Aug 13, 2010

kaveman said:
you could cut a3-4 inch ring off the top of the bottom bowl of the grill and weld it inside your drum,you may need round stock to fill the gap. but then the lid fits perfectly

I guess I'll work to find one that fits. Maybe have to get oven seal type "gasket" to seal it in. Was trying to avoid welding...

lugnutz · Aug 13, 2010

I used the top 1/3 of another barrel, the ridge around the barrel can be flaired out to fit over your cooking drum

tom37 · Aug 14, 2010

I'm with AK1 on this one. My big lots kettle lid was close to fitting on my drum but I wanted a taller lid so I used the bottom of the kettle. I used a 2x4 in the vise and a rubber mallet to flatten the lip and then just set the bottom section on the drum and carefully shaped the freshly flattened lip to fit the size of the drum. Its a close fit and you would have to be carefull to keep things centered while forming the new rolled edge.

pandemonium · Aug 14, 2010

Tom37 said:
I'm with AK1 on this one. My big lots kettle lid was close to fitting on my drum but I wanted a taller lid so I used the bottom of the kettle. I used a 2x4 in the vise and a rubber mallet to flatten the lip and then just set the bottom section on the drum and carefully shaped the freshly flattened lip to fit the size of the drum. Its a close fit and you would have to be carefull to keep things centered while forming the new rolled edge.

ok so there is hope? i wouldnt think i could get another inch out of it?

ak1 · Aug 14, 2010

Probably not another inch. What I did with mine was keep it flat, but I made sure it was a good even fit all around to minimize leakage.

pandemonium · Aug 15, 2010

so it doesnt really overlap very much then?

ak1 · Aug 15, 2010

pandemonium said:
so it doesnt really overlap very much then?

Nope! Maybe 1/16 to 1/8"

pandemonium · Aug 15, 2010

so i am assuming that it is a good seal? sounds like if you bumped it or a good wind gust could knock off the entire lid? If so I dont like that idea.

tom37 · Aug 15, 2010

Hey pan, I figured out why things just don't seem like they are quite right. To start I had not mentioned that I actually used the bottom of my drum for the top. This is where the difference is as far as the drums I have. The top outside edge of my next drum is 23 1/2". Way to big for the biglots grill. I didnt actually measure the bottom but heres a couple pics of the top and bottom with lid nearby and also one that maybe shows the lip I flattened and reformed for mine.

This is trying to set the dome lid on the top of the drum after taking the open top lid off. Sorry to anyone I may have mislead here, I forgot that there was that much difference.

Here is the lid set on the bottom of the drum.

And here is a close up of the lip on the lid that I use on my current drum.

pandemonium · Aug 15, 2010

Tom i think you did mention that you used it upside down but mine was already opened one one end so thats what i am stuck with on all my drums, I also fount that the bottom of the big lots grill was actually smaller in diameter than the top that is not as deep, the first pic is what mine looks like, so you can see it doesnt seem like it would stretch that far to make a good seal?

ak1 · Aug 15, 2010

pandemonium said:
so i am assuming that it is a good seal? sounds like if you bumped it or a good wind gust could knock off the entire lid? If so I dont like that idea.

It's a very good seal. It actually gets better as the drum cooks. What happens is that the smoke mixes with any moisture in the chamber, then condenses on the lid, and runs down to where the lid meets the drum. It almost acts as a weak glue. After a long smoke, I actually have to give the lid a harder than normal tug to take it off.

So far I've had no issues with the wind shifting it, it stays stable even in heavy gusts. It wasn't my ideal solution, but I built this as my first drum, and I wanted to make it no weld since I don't have a welder and because I wanted to be able to make changes if it didn't work quite right. What I may do is put some clamps around the drum to clamp it just to be safe.

pandemonium · Aug 15, 2010

Thanks for the info Ak

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