Eric, congrats on the new performer! Assuming your vents are all closed and the lid is making a decent seal, make sure that your ash sweeper is assembled in the proper order and reasonably close to the bottom of the bowl. After a few cooks your kettle will build up a layer of and grease that will help it seal and close down. Also try not sweeping the ashes at the bottom until it cooled off. The ash can help to block airflow until your kettle is seasoned.