I just replaced the One Touch Cleaning System on my 22†Weber Kettle. It went pretty well so if you’re thinking about doing it I say go for it.
The damper blades on my Kettle got bent a while ago. If you use lump charcoal a stone or piece of lump inevitably ends up under the blades when you are moving the blades back in forth with the handle. They tend to bend the blades up so the vents can never be completely closed. This was never a problem for me until I joined this site and started understanding the importance of temperature control. Up until now I only used my Kettle when I felt like burning something. J
I’ve been reading about the reverse sear method and really want to give it a whirl. On a whim I decided to try the reverse sear Steakhouse Burger. I picked up some 80/20 chuck hamburger from a local butcher and fired up the grill.
The temp in the kettle roared to Warp.x and I could not get the temp down even with the bottom vents completely closed and the top vents at 1/3’ish. Since the bottom vents were bent up from the bottom of the kettle it was like they were full open the whole time. Too much oxygen, not enough sense in the chef!
So I decided to fix that issue so I could try again with a lot more control over the heat.
I bought the replacement kit from Amazon for $14.99. I followed the instructions that came in the box without any difficulty although I would add a few tips to make it go easier. One, flip the grill over, grab some WD40 and lightly spray the One Touch "H" bracket assembly on the bottom. Mine was pretty rusty so I hit it a few times with the WD40 and let it sit for a minute. And two, before you do step one, hit the assembly with some forced air to get all the ash out of the area so you can see what you’re doing and not make a mess of things with the WD40. I also used a small hammer and small flat bar to lightly tap out the old hardware through the "H" bracket. I guess it goes without saying, clean the inside and outside of the grill when you have all the assembly parts removed.
Here’s some pics.
Everything you need to replace the One Touch Cleaning System
Bent damper blades
Rusty "H" bracket assembly.
Blades removed
Done. Better than new ‘ cause the kettle is seasoned!
This job was easy-peasy and fairly cheap too. Now with that said, nothing broke on the old damper assembly when I removed it. I am pretty sure I could have just removed it, straightened out the damper blades and put them back in. You may want to try that first before you replace them.
-Mudkat
The damper blades on my Kettle got bent a while ago. If you use lump charcoal a stone or piece of lump inevitably ends up under the blades when you are moving the blades back in forth with the handle. They tend to bend the blades up so the vents can never be completely closed. This was never a problem for me until I joined this site and started understanding the importance of temperature control. Up until now I only used my Kettle when I felt like burning something. J
I’ve been reading about the reverse sear method and really want to give it a whirl. On a whim I decided to try the reverse sear Steakhouse Burger. I picked up some 80/20 chuck hamburger from a local butcher and fired up the grill.
The temp in the kettle roared to Warp.x and I could not get the temp down even with the bottom vents completely closed and the top vents at 1/3’ish. Since the bottom vents were bent up from the bottom of the kettle it was like they were full open the whole time. Too much oxygen, not enough sense in the chef!
So I decided to fix that issue so I could try again with a lot more control over the heat.
I bought the replacement kit from Amazon for $14.99. I followed the instructions that came in the box without any difficulty although I would add a few tips to make it go easier. One, flip the grill over, grab some WD40 and lightly spray the One Touch "H" bracket assembly on the bottom. Mine was pretty rusty so I hit it a few times with the WD40 and let it sit for a minute. And two, before you do step one, hit the assembly with some forced air to get all the ash out of the area so you can see what you’re doing and not make a mess of things with the WD40. I also used a small hammer and small flat bar to lightly tap out the old hardware through the "H" bracket. I guess it goes without saying, clean the inside and outside of the grill when you have all the assembly parts removed.
Here’s some pics.
Everything you need to replace the One Touch Cleaning System
Bent damper blades
Rusty "H" bracket assembly.
Blades removed
Done. Better than new ‘ cause the kettle is seasoned!
This job was easy-peasy and fairly cheap too. Now with that said, nothing broke on the old damper assembly when I removed it. I am pretty sure I could have just removed it, straightened out the damper blades and put them back in. You may want to try that first before you replace them.
-Mudkat
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