Weber Kettle Club Forums
Grill Talk => Weber Grill Forum (Grills, Accessories) => Topic started by: saxart on May 18, 2013, 08:59:09 AM
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I'm surprised, "we" always do a good job of finding these gems on C/L and posting them up, but this one flew under the radar screen. 8)
Picked up my first (and LAST according to the better-half) SS Performer today. It cost me a $100-bill which isn't bad.
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/saxart/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/CompleteGrill.jpg) (http://s15.photobucket.com/user/saxart/media/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/CompleteGrill.jpg.html)
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/saxart/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/GrillTop.jpg) (http://s15.photobucket.com/user/saxart/media/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/GrillTop.jpg.html)
It came with the correct indirect-baskets and flip-grate...
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/saxart/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/GrillInside.jpg) (http://s15.photobucket.com/user/saxart/media/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/GrillInside.jpg.html)
Once I got it home, there was a surpise inside the charcoal bin!
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/saxart/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/Cover1.jpg) (http://s15.photobucket.com/user/saxart/media/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/Cover1.jpg.html)
BONUS!!!!!
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/saxart/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/Cover2.jpg) (http://s15.photobucket.com/user/saxart/media/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/Cover2.jpg.html)
This grill is REALLY dirty, and has a few minor issues, but it should clean up well...
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/saxart/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/InsideLid.jpg) (http://s15.photobucket.com/user/saxart/media/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/InsideLid.jpg.html)
As you can see, it's missing the 'bulkhead' name-plate that mounts just below the table top. Just before I left the owner's house I asked if he knew where that piece was. Without saying a word he walked over to his garbage can and pulled it out saying, "Well, it's right here, but I couldn't figure out how to put it on", so we tossed it into the truck. ???
More updates to come...
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100 is pretty good for a clean and complete specimen with good bones! I can't beleive you didn't open the bin before you took it home! Congrats on the new addition to the family.
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That grill was put together wrong.. The nameplate is supposed to be front left by the bowl.
I think the name plate is held on with a push nut type connection. Not sure why it came off.
You might be able to find the nut at the hardware store.
Before yo uget all exicted, see if your tank is expired, new ones are around $60. You may be able to get it recerified, but the cost may not make sense.
Congrats! AJ 8)
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That grill was put together wrong.. The nameplate is supposed to be front left by the bowl.
I think the name plate is held on with a push nut type connection. Not sure why it came off.
You might be able to find the nut at the hardware store.
Before yo uget all exicted, see if your tank is expired, new ones are around $60. You may be able to get it recerified, but the cost may not make sense.
Congrats! AJ 8)
Sax, were you talking about the big long panel with the weber plate? I see its missing in the pics.
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Nice catch, Sax! And that cover looks to be in great condition (carefully preserved in the charcoal bin, lol).
You make a good point about the WKC 'net': the Kettles we are willing to share show up in the Trading Post, but no one sees the ones we take home until they are in the Kettles and Accessories thread. ;-)
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That grill was put together wrong.. The nameplate is supposed to be front left by the bowl.
I think the name plate is held on with a push nut type connection. Not sure why it came off.
You might be able to find the nut at the hardware store.
Before yo uget all exicted, see if your tank is expired, new ones are around $60. You may be able to get it recerified, but the cost may not make sense.
Congrats! AJ 8)
Sax, were you talking about the big long panel with the weber plate? I see its missing in the pics.
Only costs 10-15 to get the tank recerted here in CO. However, my propane guy never checks mine . He just fills it up.
BTW, that is the good tank which has the OPD. So you should be good on getting it recerted if you have to. Don't ask don't tell ! ::)
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Nice looking grill! Just in case you were not aware, you can download instructions for it from Weber's web site. I can't imagine it's that hard to fit that panel on but it is possible there are other errors in assembly that make that a problem.
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Nice score!
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Nice catch, Sax! And that cover looks to be in great condition (carefully preserved in the charcoal bin, lol).
You make a good point about the WKC 'net': the Kettles we are willing to share show up in the Trading Post, but no one sees the ones we take home until they are in the Kettles and Accessories thread. ;-)
Nice score! Mike is correct... :) I have shared with Aman(ChadA) my interest and he has shared with me his. His to me get first dibs for him, if he doesn't find it first. Any other WKC members we can share, send a PM with your e-mail address. I have shipping options to get Kettles from point A to point B. We are all about the Modo!
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As my kettle buddy Bman has PMed me on several occasions, "If I'd have wanted it, I wouldn't have told you about it". Right on.
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Fantastic Score!! Nice looking Performer.
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Thanks for the comment so far. All kidding aside, this is a GREAT place to hang out an learn about these great Weber products.
Hey Jude-
I don't think the grill was put together wrong, but for some reason this guy couldn't figure out where this panel went:
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/saxart/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/Panel.jpg) (http://s15.photobucket.com/user/saxart/media/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/Panel.jpg.html)
Luckily I asked him about it because he was "storing" it in his garbage can! :o
It's funny you guys commented about the tank. I was empty, so I took it to my local place for a fill. The kid looked at it and said, "Um... We can't do those tanks here". So, another 6 miles down the road and I found a place that could. Sort of.... The young lady hooked up the tank, and when she opened the valve on the fill nozzle, it popped off spraying propane everywhere. I helped her rehook it up and we got it filled, but she didn't think it was filled all of the way, so she let me go for free!
I need to download the manual for this grill because he burner doesn't seem to be burning correctly. It has a tall whispy orange flame and I'm guessing it should be more of a short bluish flame, correct? Is there any way to adjust the flame on this burner? I didn't see any movable 'damper' like you sometimes see on small gas burners.
Also, a couple more questions:
The previous owner must have broke the lid handle off, although I don't see any trama to the lid as if it was dropped or something. His "fix" was to drill some holes and install a couple of small bolts to hold on the handle. Would this be something Weber would stand behind by sending a new lid?
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/saxart/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/HandleScrews.jpg) (http://s15.photobucket.com/user/saxart/media/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/HandleScrews.jpg.html)
Adding insult to injury, it's apparent that he also pried up the vent by putting something under it and pulling up.
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/saxart/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/Vent.jpg) (http://s15.photobucket.com/user/saxart/media/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/Vent.jpg.html)
The vent now wobbles on it's rivet, and can be spun like one of those pin-wheels you stick in the grass on the 4th of July. He must have done this early in the grill's life as there is a lot of gooey build up under the vent now. I'm guessing the only 'repair' here would be to drill out the rivet, flatten the vent and reinstall with a bolt?
In the end, this WILL be a great grill, but it's frustrating because it's obvious this guy thought of this thing as "just a grill".... >:(
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OK, you can try to Warranty the lid form Weber. It all depends on if they have that color and you can convince them that the handle rusted off. It does actually happen. They will ask if you are the original owner. You are right? ;)
If they don't, you have some options. Buy SS harfware for the handle. Buy a new vent from Weber.
Just clean up the lid before yopu install. Its as you say, drill it out and replace with a nut and bolt.
I suggest if you get one from Weber, to change them to SS.
As for the propane burner, there are no adjustments to the flame. Take the hose off and clean the tube of any debris. Its a spiders haven. If after all that, you may have a bad regulator. Let us see some pics of it burning after you clean it out.
I had thought that the panel was on the back side, I didn't know it was completely off!
I thought you were just missing the little Weber logo plate.
Any other issues? Based on what I see, you have to fix the one touch as well.
If you are going to spend money, just pugrade to the newer SS H style set up.
In the end, you will have a great grill Just don't try to spend too much on the rebuild.
AJ 8)
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I find a simple approach often works when calling Weber CS (or as a mentor of mine repeatedly told me, "Never volunteer anything!").
"Hi, my name is Saxart, and I own a Performer. It has some rust on the lid, by the handle. Am I eligible for a replacement under warranty?"
They will surely ask you to send some photos, and you can explain then that the handle got so rusty that it needed to be attached with bolts and nuts, but you have recently learned that Weber warranties lids and bowls against rust.
And yeah, like AJ said, give your burner tube assembly a good cleaning. I posted some photos about that on another thread ( http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/what-lies-under-yonder-cover!/msg33368/#msg33368 ), and pbe gummi has a whole thread about rebuilding Performers. Here's hoping that all you need is a thorough cleaning, and not a new regulator.
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Hey, Saxart, I just took my own advice and spent a few minutes with my 'new' SS performer. I just want to re-affirm what AJ said about getting that burner tube nice and clean-- mine was full of dust and dirt and ash and all kinds of remains of insects. Even with the tube removed and standing over a sink with a long piece of metal to clean it out, I *still* had trouble getting all of that junk out. So yeah, definitely remove the tube (tip: after removing the brass piece I mentioned before and the ignitor assembly and the clamp holding it to the bracket, pull it *toward the bowl* since the business end is pinched and will not fit through the bowl) and give it a good cleaning. It transformed my burner from 'nada' to 'good to go'.
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Thanks for the thoughts on the new lid. I guess all I can do is call Weber and see what happens... Maybe I'll get some time to clean out that burner tomorrow.
Hey Jude-
What's wrong with the one-touch set up on this grill? It seems to work fine as far as I can see.
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If the One Touch works, then leave it alone.. It just looked real loose.
Ther intent of the OT is to easily remove ashes and to control the temp. If it lets too much air in. your temps are going to go up. You also use more fuel than you probably need.
8)
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Are the handles painted black or something? They look so dark....Just get a new vent and replace the old one. Maybe if they send you a new lid then it will have a vent. I would also suggest to find a vent code that is less than ten years old. I don't know what was the last year that the SS Performer was made but I would know the 2005 vent code off hand so if they ask you can tell them....the rest I pretty much agree with AJ....believe it or not
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Just a observation on the burner tubes. The Performer tubes has a long slit on both side, maybe about 1 1/2 inch long. The flame from that size opening will be larger than that if a Spirit or Genesis burner tube. Those have very small holes for the gas-flame to burn. The performer flame can be 2 1/2 inches long while the Spirit/Genesis will be about 1/2 to 1 1/2 long.
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Are the handles painted black or something? They look so dark....Just get a new vent and replace the old one. Maybe if they send you a new lid then it will have a vent. I would also suggest to find a vent code that is less than ten years old. I don't know what was the last year that the SS Performer was made but I would know the 2005 vent code off hand so if they ask you can tell them....the rest I pretty much agree with AJ....believe it or not
Here ye, Here ye... You heard it here first.. Brian agrees with me.. What did I say? 8)
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Oh calm down...even a blind dog finds a bone every now and again.....
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Well I'm gonna take my bone and run! 8)
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Hey sax I have heard that weber only stocks the new style performer lid where the thermometer is on the lid, not the handle. If you do get it warranteed don't toss out the old lid!
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Brian-
Yes, the handles on this grill are a very dark charcoal grey, almost black. They're kinda LAME looking in my opinion, I think this thing is gonna need to get dressed-up with some nice dark WALNUT handles instead. ;)
Gummi-
Thanks for the tip, I'll keep that in mind when I check with Weber on a replacement lid.
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On the SS Performers, Weber made some handles in black and some in grey. The little plastic handle on the vent tab and the ss lid handle will match. 8)
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Are the handles painted black or something? They look so dark....Just get a new vent and replace the old one. Maybe if they send you a new lid then it will have a vent. I would also suggest to find a vent code that is less than ten years old. I don't know what was the last year that the SS Performer was made but I would know the 2005 vent code off hand so if they ask you can tell them....the rest I pretty much agree with AJ....believe it or not
I called on mine because where the lid bale lower bolt rotted through the porcelain, leaving a hole, and they tried to get me hunting for the serial number (apparently all of the gas assists have one, not just a vent code) and told me without that they'd have to charge me. EZ is out of warranty, FWIW. So be prepared for that. I'm going to try calling back to see if I can get a friendlier rep.
Good luck-let us know how you make out.
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Well, you guys were correct... I called Weber today and they said my lid is of course no longer under warranty. They also said that they didn't have the dark GREEN color left anyway, so they would have to sell me a BLACK lid for $54. The lady helping me was very knowledgable and friendly, I just don't think there was much she could do. In the end I'd rather keep this lid anyway as it has the original vent (code) on it.
On a side note, I got some work done to the old girl tonight, so lets look at some grill pron.... (sorry for the poor cell-phone pics)
First off was the burner. Why did it produce a small whispy orange (not blue) flame that wanted to blow out if you looked at it the wrong way? Well, thanks to the info on this forum, I knew how to pull it apart and what to look for. Here's what I found.
Here's the orifice after I removed the burner. It was "just a bit" dirty!
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/saxart/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/DirtyOrifice.jpg) (http://s15.photobucket.com/user/saxart/media/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/DirtyOrifice.jpg.html)
All cleaned up...
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/saxart/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/CleanOrifice.jpg) (http://s15.photobucket.com/user/saxart/media/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/CleanOrifice.jpg.html)
Then the ignitor. Again, horribly dirty...
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/saxart/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/DirtyIgnitor.jpg) (http://s15.photobucket.com/user/saxart/media/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/DirtyIgnitor.jpg.html)
And cleaned up:
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/saxart/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/CleanIgnitor.jpg) (http://s15.photobucket.com/user/saxart/media/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/CleanIgnitor.jpg.html)
And the results? SUCCESS!! Now THAT's a blue flame!
(http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/saxart/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/Flame.jpg) (http://s15.photobucket.com/user/saxart/media/Grills/Green%20SS%20Performer/Flame.jpg.html)
I spent the next hour scrubbing off the crud and grime inside the grill. After almost an entire can of Easy Off, it looks a lot better than it did. I also drilled out the vent rivet so that the vent can be straigtened out and reassembled as a working (tight) vent instead something that spins like a roulette wheel...round and round.
The next time I get a chance, I'm going to try to fix/reinforce the charcoal grate (welder) as it is badly warped from the heat. Also, I need to put some larger stainless bolts holding the handle on. The little screws the previous owner used aren't going to cut it.
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Congrats!
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Nice job on the burner assembly!
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Nice work, Sax! It's pretty satisfying to see that big blue flame blowing out that tube, eh?