building uds

[budlighting]

using a weber lid,It doesint fit air tight,is there a silicon or something to help with this or good ole foil?

 

[beer-b-q]

There are several members here that have built UDS units. I am sure one of them will be along to give you some sound advice.

You might also send Nutzman a PM as he has built 8 of them to date I believe...

 

[budlighting]

lol,guess he would be the one to know then!

 

[mikey]

I don't believe that Nutzman (Le) uses a Weber lid, however, DDave & Travcoman 45 (Tip) both use a Weber lid on their UDSs'.

 

[solaryellow]

Is the Weber lid too big or too small for the outside diameter of the drum? If it is too big you can try fiberglass rope that is used for fireplaces and wood stoves. My local Ace hardware carried it for about $7/ for 12'.

An easier route would be RTV. Any autoparts store and probably even Walmart carries RTV. It is silicone gasket in a squeeze tube and good for up to 500*. It costs roughly $6 or $7 a tube. Simply line your lid where it meets the drum with RTV and give it 24 hours to set up (usually less but I don't how much of a gap you need to fill). Once it has set up, put the lid back on and check for leaks. You also could get a better fit with the RTV by putting a strip of wax paper over the fresh RTV and then putting the lid back on the drum. That would allow the RTV to conform to the drum without sticking to it.

If your lid is too small to fit the outside diameter of the drum as my Weber knock off was, I used a pair of channel locks to bend the vertical surface of the outside of the lid into a horizontal surface. My drum had a welded lid so the outside diameter was a little wider than I anticipated. You will have some initial gaps but it is nothing a 4 lbs sledge, a little patience, and some RTV can't fix.

Good luck.

 

[budlighting]

ok thank you,yea the lid is too big.sits pretty good but still alot of air can squeeze through.

 

[mballi3011]

I didn't know about tip but I do know that le has made a science over his UDS builds.

 

[ddave]

I cut part of the bottom of a Weber kettle and mounted it inside the drum so the lid could sit on it.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=74979

I used some woodstove gasket and cement to seal the gaps.

Tip wrapped a piece of thin steel (I think) around the inside of his drum and pop riveted it in place to sit the lid on. I actually liked his idea better than mine. It would have been easier I thnk.

If your lid is too big, I would think you could glue some of the wood stove gasket inside the channel at the bottom of the Weber lid. Or if you can find some food grade RTV sealant, you could put some inside the lid, then put some saran wrap on the drum, then put the lid on the drum and let it set up. The saran wrap should let it release from the drum.

Good luck.

Dave

 

[rickw]

If the lid is not grossly over sized, just use it. If some leakage happens, so what, long as it doesn't affect temp control.

I tried the Weber lid trick and for my own use don't care much for it. I like to use the original lid that came with the barrel.

 

[travcoman45]

Here be what I did on mine:



It's 1/8 inch by 1 inch aluminum strip riveted ta the inside a my barrel, could go outsid the barrel if ya need it to. Works great fer me.

I like the added space the dome lid gives me ifin I'm smokin beer can chickens er a turkey.

RTV silicone would work like others have described to.

 

[budlighting]

thanks again.yea i RTV'd the dome.I also have the barrel lid,im gonna add stack to that and see which i like the best.gonna do a test run tomarrow,since im laid off from work!

 

[budlighting]

im painting it now,razorback red.Wont be perfect but keep the rust off.gonna try some spareribs this weekend.just gonna use digital thermo for temp.that will work wont it?

 

[ddave]

Should work fine.

Dave