Leaky Weber

[wile_e8]

After Meathead's Tweet this afternoon, I read the article on Using Vents To Control Temperatures. The main part the interested me was the section about leaky cookers - every time I've smoked something on my Weber kettle, I've noticed smoke coming out the sides where the lid doesn't seal perfectly on the grill. My Weber was a Christmas present, so it's not like it's worn or warped or something. Is this normal for a Weber kettle? Or should I expect to see smoke only coming out of the exhaust damper? And does anyone have recommendations on how to fix it if it's a problem?

[DWCowles]

That is common for them. I have read somewhere on here that someone use binder clips to hold the lid down tighter. You can also put a gasket on it. You can get them at the link below.

[richinlbrg]

WOW, what great timing for this. I just hadn't gotten around to posting the same question!

Thank you!

Feeling better that my kettle doesn't have an unusual issue

[Mike Prince]

If the smoke is leaking from the lid/base area, that is not a big deal. If it is pouring out (as much as the vent puts out) then you have a potential issue. I used to use binder clips to try and seal it up, and in truth it didn't make much of a difference. I now accept the small amount of leakage and have no issue maintaining temps in my OTG. If you can maintain steady temps in the grill, I wouldn't worry about a thing.

[_John_]

Yeah nothing really to worry about, you can put a bead if silicone in the groove on the lid and that will help keep a seal without having to do something more permanent or messing with clips.

[JeffJ]

Mine does the same thing. It's not a problem.

[wile_e8]

Thanks for the info everyone. I might look at some gaskets to put in the lid, but unless it looks simple I'm probably better off letting it go rather than making things worse by trying to "fix" it.

[Jerod Broussard]

Mine leaks a little. Didn't prevent my fan system from holding 224-227 the whole cook. Better than a stinking oven.

[David Parrish]

Try laying the lid down on a flat table or floor (a big flat surface). If you see a gap between the lid and the flat surface you know it's warped a bit. You might be able to hand bend it back into shape.

[The Burn]

I used gaskets from bbqgaskets.com. It's really easy to do - just cleaned the lip of the top and then it's peel and stick. And it helped to maintain temps in the winter and use less charcoal

[Ailkiw]

Yep. Another vote for the gasket here. Had a roll left over from when I sealed up my WSM so I used it on my Performer. Works like a charm and took less than 10 mins for the install. Cheers. Andy.

[FLBuckeye]

I have used 5-7 binder clips for years to minimize leakage and extend the life of the charcoal. Dropped my lid off of the deck once...oops!

[DrQuatsch]

Before trying a gasket, you can measure the diameter of the lid and the kettle in a few different directions and see how close each is to round. Mine was off by about 1/4 inch and it was pretty easy to just squeeze the longest part back until the measurements were the same.

This plus 4 binder clips worked like a charm for me. I can close all the vents and the kettle will be cold to the touch within an hour. Before, the leak from the lid would let enough air in to keep the coals warm for many hours.