Best way to clean/loosen WSM vents.

vraknari

vraknari

Knows what a fatty is.
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Years of neglect have finally caught up to my WSM. Used primarily for grilling hot and fast, my cleanup consisted of only ensuring ash and any leftover charcoal were removed. Over time a thick crust formed which is preventing me from moving the bottom vents at all.

What would be the best method to use to get that crust off and loosen the vents? Should I just take a metal scraper to it, carefully?
My first thought was to use much power washer on it, get it completely cleaned up and start "new". Seems a bit drastic though, even if it would be the fastest way to clean it up.

If you've gone through this, how'd you handle it? Thanks.
 
My first try on anything like this is WD-40, sprayed liberally onto the vents, then working them lose.
 
boil some vinegar and pour it on and let it soak

I clean my Tip Top Temp controller with this and it works great, cuts the stuff well
 
I would use a small pick of some sort to carefully get the build up away from around the vents, then use some type of degreaser (Greased Lightning works) to saturate the stuff in the vents themselves.
 
I've done this a few times. Personally I'd go get some grill cleaner and soak those vents. Maybe even put the lid in a black plastic trash bag before you do it. Then after you hit the vents seal the top of the bag and let it sit in the hot sun for an hour or two. Then just rinse it real well. Make sure you use gloves and eye protection because that stuff does burn if you let it hit your skin and don't wash it off.

On my first 18.5" (that I've since sold) the vents were so bad I ended up drilling them out and buying new ones from Weber. They come with a screw to hold them in place instead of a rivet but they still spin the same.
 
Take the charcoal grate out and drop 2/3rds of a chimney of rippin hot coals on the vents. Let it burn, work loose.
 
This worked for me on a really old kettle vent... Sprayed some penetrating oil (liquid wrench) between the vent and the kettle then hit the vent with a blow torch. It didn't take much and there was a little smoke but it freed right up.
 
Since I prefer the older daisy wheel webers, I've dealt with this a few times. Since you don't want to re season the WSM, soaking the vent with vegetable oil or the application of heat is a good start, but do not try to force the vent to turn, or pry on it. Once bent, they never seal as well. The best route is to drill or grind the rivet off, clean things up, and use a SS bolt and nut to reinstall it. That way, the next time you clean it, it goes much easier.
 
If its stuck from carbon use a spray can of throttle body cleaner- use it sparingly a little does alot
 
I would never use a cleaning solvent on my cooker.

To loosen my vents, I sprayed with Pam and worked them loose with a fire built. You can remove the door to allow plenty of O2 inside. I tapped mine lightly with a small hammer.
 
Spray the daises with Simple Green and a couple of taps with a block of wood to persuade 'em open then spray 'em good & wipe off the gunk.
 
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