I think it's time for a new door and a gasket kit. This after I put some gasket tape around the door.
by ynotbor
11 Comments
Far_Isopod_3613
Bend it around a ten gallon bucket
RelativeFox1
Just bend the door back. So the latch pulls it in and seals it.
Bearspoole
They sell some really nice upgraded doors. Gives you a hinge and locking mechanism, I love mine. I don’t ever worry about the smoke coming from the lid though. That’s gonna happen and mine is still pretty much set and forget when it comes to temp control
EC_TWD
It looks like your gasket material is what’s causing the problem, remove it and just bend the door back to shape. Mine is 16 years old and 100% bone stock and I can get a consistent 18-20hr cook with loads of charcoal left over to use in my kettle.
Cymboli
Cut that gasket piece at the top of the door where the latch swivels. Rest of the gasket will be fine. Need to give that latch freedom to move and lock. Then you can slightly bend the door if needed.
Blue_MTB
Get the seal tape on Amazon for smokers.
Birdsareallaroundus
You can bend the door back to make it better, but, imo, you don’t want a perfect seal. Those leaks and the airflow generated are what allows the WSM to be such a good smoker just as the perfect seal on the Weber Komado is why it sucks as a smoker.
jcnaz
Bend the door back into the proper shape, then install it upside down. It is harder to use it for access, but it makes a better seal.
Bdowns_770
Cajon Bandit used to sell upgraded doors.
Almostmadeit
Yea. I ran into similar issues on the used 18″ I bought. It leaked like hell from the door and from one side of the lid cause it had probably been dropped and was out of round. I bent the door a little more inward, and got a lavalock stick-on gasket kit. I ran gasket on the sides and top of the door which sealed that up perfectly, and I put gasket all the way around the surface that the lid sits on. Works wonderfully now. Used 90% isopropyl alcohol to prep the surfaces and that worked very well.
I contemplated buying a Cajun bandit door at first but was going to see if this worked and I have no need for that upgrade now.
daphatves
Back in the day, say 15 years ago – the hack for this was the cajun bandit door and “the latch”. It works well. I think the wsm on-line forum might still have links for these products.
11 Comments
Bend it around a ten gallon bucket
Just bend the door back. So the latch pulls it in and seals it.
They sell some really nice upgraded doors. Gives you a hinge and locking mechanism, I love mine. I don’t ever worry about the smoke coming from the lid though. That’s gonna happen and mine is still pretty much set and forget when it comes to temp control
It looks like your gasket material is what’s causing the problem, remove it and just bend the door back to shape. Mine is 16 years old and 100% bone stock and I can get a consistent 18-20hr cook with loads of charcoal left over to use in my kettle.
Cut that gasket piece at the top of the door where the latch swivels. Rest of the gasket will be fine. Need to give that latch freedom to move and lock. Then you can slightly bend the door if needed.
Get the seal tape on Amazon for smokers.
You can bend the door back to make it better, but, imo, you don’t want a perfect seal. Those leaks and the airflow generated are what allows the WSM to be such a good smoker just as the perfect seal on the Weber Komado is why it sucks as a smoker.
Bend the door back into the proper shape, then install it upside down. It is harder to use it for access, but it makes a better seal.
Cajon Bandit used to sell upgraded doors.
Yea. I ran into similar issues on the used 18″ I bought. It leaked like hell from the door and from one side of the lid cause it had probably been dropped and was out of round. I bent the door a little more inward, and got a lavalock stick-on gasket kit. I ran gasket on the sides and top of the door which sealed that up perfectly, and I put gasket all the way around the surface that the lid sits on. Works wonderfully now. Used 90% isopropyl alcohol to prep the surfaces and that worked very well.
I contemplated buying a Cajun bandit door at first but was going to see if this worked and I have no need for that upgrade now.
Back in the day, say 15 years ago – the hack for this was the cajun bandit door and “the latch”. It works well.
I think the wsm on-line forum might still have links for these products.