"Custom Fit" the Front Access Door on a WSM

[Eapples]

"On the one down side, the front access door is a little flimsy so you should be careful not to bend it out of shape. The upside of this is that you can "custom" fit it so that it holds in the smoke better."

This came from "about.com."  My question is -- how does one custom fit the access door on a WSM?  AND is it really necessary to custom fit the access door?  I mean, if it ain't broke, why fix it?

Thanks, as always, for your input.

[Duke]

I bought a Cajun Bandit replacement door. It was worth every penny.

http://cajunbandit.com/wsm-parts-mods/

[Bman]

The WSM door is made from Reynolds Wrap and the 'weakest' part of the smoker.  Once you see it, you'll understand.  What they mean by custom fit is taking it in your hands and adjusting the curvature so it fits the smoker better.  Like Duke, I bought the CB door and my OEM door never even saw it's first smoke.

[MaxBobcat]

Just for a different viewpoint...

I have the OEM door and it works perfectly fine for me.  No smoke leaks out or anything.  I have heard some other people's do, but mine doesn't. 

If it did, I would buy the CB, but for now, I'm not going to fix something that isn't broke.

[G$]

  I mean, if it ain't broke, why fix it?

[G$]

The WSM door is made from Reynolds Wrap and the 'weakest' part of the smoker.  Once you see it, you'll understand.  What they mean by custom fit is taking it in your hands and adjusting the curvature so it fits the smoker better.  Like Duke, I bought the CB door and my OEM door never even saw it's first smoke.

Bman, not to be 'that guy', but you never even used the flimsy door yet still pronounce it ineffective!

FWIW, I think the flimsiness is more a problem on the 22 than the 18, due to the larger area and increased flex that larger area produces.  I think eapples was leaning toward the 18?

[Bman]

G$ - I never said it was ineffective, just a flimsy POS.  The entire WSM is a well built cooker, except the door.  Obviously people use the OEM door with great success and happiness.  Me, I was happier replacing it and never giving it a chance to work.

Yes, eapples was leaning towards the 18 so that door would be quite a bit smaller to seal up.

[Doug S.]

Replaced mine also.......

[Bosibus]

My door sealed up excellent after about 3 cooks.  I use the IQ110 and can go 20ish hours on a full bin of charcoal at 250.

[Duke]

I bought mine automatically. I have had several wsm's and can say I really like the ss door. Has anyone thought about doubling up an original door?

[G$]

Sort of a philosophical tangent here: 

I would really recommend folks get to know their cookers by making actual food on them a few times before starting modifications and process changes.  This is especially true of the original product (a WSM in this case) is a proven and known well designed piece of equipment.

It is a fact, that the door of a WSM is, by literal definition, the thinnest part of a WSM.  Whether this is a problem in practice is up for debate.  I will say:  the door is less an issue on the 18, for certain.  The 22s that I have owned were fine as is.   I was known to use bungee cords around one of my square door  22s to form and keep the door tight.  I have cooked with both original doors and the CB door with perfect results each way.

YMMV and all that!

[pbe gummi bear]

"On the one down side, the front access door is a little flimsy so you should be careful not to bend it out of shape. The upside of this is that you can "custom" fit it so that it holds in the smoke better."

This came from "about.com."  My question is -- how does one custom fit the access door on a WSM?  AND is it really necessary to custom fit the access door?  I mean, if it ain't broke, why fix it?

Thanks, as always, for your input.

The discussion above is spot on. The door can work fine, but its not sturdy. If you are cooking at home that's fine, but if you move the smoker alot things can hit the door, it bends, leaks and all of a sudden you can't get your temp under 280-300.

The door of the smoker has a step at bottom, so that portion is more rigid than the top:



There other sealing challenge is that the door straddles the sheet metal at the bottom. I needs to seal from the inside at the bottom edge and from the outside on the sides and top edge.

To adjust it, the first thing you need to do is make sure that the bottom is not excessively bowed. You want it to have a slightly larger curvature than the mid section, so that it "springs" up against it when you lock the handles. The second thing you want to do is make sure that the left and right edges are straght. If they are excessively bowed, they will leak in the middle. Last but not least you want to bend the top edge. For this portion you want the curvature to be slightly smaller than the midsection (top corners touching first without the lock). This way, when you lock it the edge is pulled in tight.

All these adjustments are doable on the 18" but can be challenging and frustrating since it's so flimsy. It's even more challenging on the 22" because of the size, flimsiness of the door, and the geometry of the hole.

Finding leaks in the WSM is trial and error. This is inevitable because of the number of parts it has compared to a kettle. But once you get it locked in, it's a pleasure to use. Seasoning helps seal the WSM, but it will not fix a leaky door.

Look at this picture and tell me the OEM door doesn't leak. Mind you this is an official Weber pic, and the smoker is probably brand new, but you get my point:

[pbe gummi bear]

Sort of a philosophical tangent here: 

I would really recommend folks get to know their cookers by making actual food on them a few times before starting modifications and process changes.  This is especially true of the original product (a WSM in this case) is a proven and known well designed piece of equipment.

It is a fact, that the door of a WSM is, by literal definition, the thinnest part of a WSM.  Whether this is a problem in practice is up for debate.  I will say:  the door is less an issue on the 18, for certain.  The 22s that I have owned were fine as is.   I was known to use bungee cords around one of my square door  22s to form and keep the door tight.  I have cooked with both original doors and the CB door with perfect results each way.

YMMV and all that!

+1 on this. Sometimes I overthink things and the process would be less fun. Half of the fun of this hobby is trying new things and experimenting. Nail your process and technique down before trusting hundreds of dollars of meat on a smoker and a bunch of potentially unhappy guests. YMMV, obviously. The CB door looks sweet but I would not call it a necessity. But G$, If a company sells a premium product, it shouldn't require mods to get it function. I admire the Mcguyver solution of bungees, tin foil, silicone, and nomex seals, but isn't it also nice when things just work?

[G$]

But G$, If a company sells a premium product, it shouldn't require mods to get it function. 

It doesn't. 

[sparky]

My 22 door leaks a small amount of smoke but it will still run at 250 for 12 hr on a full load of coals , works for me