I wouldn’t drill into a Kettle ever. I had a black with tapped screws in the leg sockets and it was inviting more rust.
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Too late... Already drilled lids for thermometers. Gotta get some VHT Gloss Black engine paint for these things! You are not wrong though. However, how quickly will the rust beast appear considering 2 things.
#!. The EZ code is 20 years old already, has several spots where the finish is broken down to bare metal. Again, need VHT engine enamel to fix.
#2. Once cooled off fully, they get pulled into the garage. Part of the reason for going with a Weber, or any kettle, over a larger New Braunfels type smoker / grill is portability. I NEED to be able to get it in / out of the garage.
The drill holes for hte thermometers are pretty easy. Just clean the drill hole up a bit with a metal file. Clean up with surrounding area with degreaser and alcohol so you have a very, VERY clean surface to adhere to. scuff lightly with 400 grit, clean again and it it with some VHT Gloss engine enamel. Let it cure, reassemble... The temps won't get high enough, long enough to be a problem for the VHT.
Per the Weber documentaiton, and Website, by design, the Weber kettle will get at max the same temp range as VHT is designed for. And let's face it, I don't know about you, but I don't cook full out on my kettle.