We cleaned up and fired up an old Weber charcoal grill last evening,
but found that the bottom louver controls were rusted off, leaving the
bottom louvers open and uncontrollable. I looked on the Weber website
and here's a pic of what should be in the bottom of this Weber kettle:

http://www.weber.com/assets/en-us/fe...d18_diff_2.jpg

I searched the Weber site for repair parts but found nada.

Anyone have experience repairing such a problem? What approach did you
use (besides buying a whole new Weber kettle) and where did you get
parts?

Thanks,

John Kuthe...

On Sun, 23 May 2010 09:28:43 -0700 (PDT), John Kuthe
> wrote:

> We cleaned up and fired up an old Weber charcoal grill last evening,
> but found that the bottom louver controls were rusted off, leaving the
> bottom louvers open and uncontrollable. I looked on the Weber website
> and here's a pic of what should be in the bottom of this Weber kettle:
>
> http://www.weber.com/assets/en-us/fe...d18_diff_2.jpg
>
> I searched the Weber site for repair parts but found nada.
>
> Anyone have experience repairing such a problem? What approach did you
> use (besides buying a whole new Weber kettle) and where did you get
> parts?
>

I'm surprised that part rusted out before the kettle did. My
experience was just the opposite. Check your kettle carefully for
holes, you probably need a whole new unit.

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

On May 23, 11:37*am, sf > wrote:
> On Sun, 23 May 2010 09:28:43 -0700 (PDT), John Kuthe
>
> > wrote:
> > We cleaned up and fired up an old Weber charcoal grill last evening,
> > but found that the bottom louver controls were rusted off, leaving the
> > bottom louvers open and uncontrollable. I looked on the Weber website
> > and here's a pic of what should be in the bottom of this Weber kettle:
>
> >http://www.weber.com/assets/en-us/fe...d18_diff_2.jpg
>
> > I searched the Weber site for repair parts but found nada.
>
> > Anyone have experience repairing such a problem? What approach did you
> > use (besides buying a whole new Weber kettle) and where did you get
> > parts?
>
> I'm surprised that part rusted out before the kettle did. *My
> experience was just the opposite. *Check your kettle carefully for
> holes, you probably need a whole new unit.

Well, from the bottom visualizing from outside the kettle, the
external adjustment arm and shaft to inside the kettle looks all rusty
and is immobile, but I'm not sure about the actual metal of the
kettle. If the kettle metal (which is supposed to be ceramic glazed
and rustproof) is OK, then all I'll need is a replacement louver and
control assembly. Or so I'd think.

I'm just not in a position right now to dig into it to find out. Too
much drinking last evening, and recovering slowly! Getting old sucks,
but it beats the alternative! :-)

John Kuthe...

On Sun, 23 May 2010 09:44:21 -0700 (PDT), John Kuthe
> wrote:

> Well, from the bottom visualizing from outside the kettle, the
> external adjustment arm and shaft to inside the kettle looks all rusty
> and is immobile, but I'm not sure about the actual metal of the
> kettle. If the kettle metal (which is supposed to be ceramic glazed
> and rustproof) is OK, then all I'll need is a replacement louver and
> control assembly. Or so I'd think.

Maybe all it needs is a little WD40 or whatever it is that you'd spray
on something that's rusty.
>
> I'm just not in a position right now to dig into it to find out. Too
> much drinking last evening, and recovering slowly! Getting old sucks,
> but it beats the alternative! :-)

Yeah, creeping age does something to our ability to consume alcohol
with no side effects. We're all getting rusty.

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

On May 23, 9:44*am, John Kuthe > wrote:
> On May 23, 11:37*am, sf > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Sun, 23 May 2010 09:28:43 -0700 (PDT), John Kuthe
>
> > > wrote:
> > > We cleaned up and fired up an old Weber charcoal grill last evening,
> > > but found that the bottom louver controls were rusted off, leaving the
> > > bottom louvers open and uncontrollable. I looked on the Weber website
> > > and here's a pic of what should be in the bottom of this Weber kettle:
>
> > >http://www.weber.com/assets/en-us/fe...d18_diff_2.jpg
>
> > > I searched the Weber site for repair parts but found nada.
>
> > > Anyone have experience repairing such a problem? What approach did you
> > > use (besides buying a whole new Weber kettle) and where did you get
> > > parts?
>
> > I'm surprised that part rusted out before the kettle did. *My
> > experience was just the opposite. *Check your kettle carefully for
> > holes, you probably need a whole new unit.
>
> Well, from the bottom visualizing from outside the kettle, the
> external adjustment arm and shaft to inside the kettle looks all rusty
> and is immobile, but I'm not sure about the actual metal of the
> kettle. If the kettle metal (which is supposed to be ceramic glazed
> and rustproof) is OK, then all I'll need is a replacement louver and
> control assembly. Or so I'd think.
>

After 20 years, the bottom of our Smokey Joe just rusted into
unusability. That was the model with three separate vents as well as a
lid with a real wooden handle, which I would steel wool and touch up
with tung oil every so often. Its passing hurt.

The replacements have a single vent, and an ugly grey plastic lid
handle.

I thought the three-legged gizmo you show was just for sweeping ashes
out the bottom. If you just wanted the bottom airflow adjuster, could
you fabricate one out of sheet metal, with tin snips and a nibbler?
Maybe a hole saw and a file, too? Then you could attach it with a nut,
bolt, two flat washers, and a split ring to hold the tightness.

My Smokey Joe airflow adjusters survived the demise of the kettle
itself. But they were scaled down for the Smokey Joe's kettle size.

On May 23, 4:17*pm, spamtrap1888 > wrote:
> On May 23, 9:44*am, John Kuthe > wrote:
>
>
>
> > On May 23, 11:37*am, sf > wrote:
>
> > > On Sun, 23 May 2010 09:28:43 -0700 (PDT), John Kuthe
>
> > > > wrote:
> > > > We cleaned up and fired up an old Weber charcoal grill last evening,
> > > > but found that the bottom louver controls were rusted off, leaving the
> > > > bottom louvers open and uncontrollable. I looked on the Weber website
> > > > and here's a pic of what should be in the bottom of this Weber kettle:
>
> > > >http://www.weber.com/assets/en-us/fe...d18_diff_2.jpg
>
> > > > I searched the Weber site for repair parts but found nada.
>
> > > > Anyone have experience repairing such a problem? What approach did you
> > > > use (besides buying a whole new Weber kettle) and where did you get
> > > > parts?
>
> > > I'm surprised that part rusted out before the kettle did. *My
> > > experience was just the opposite. *Check your kettle carefully for
> > > holes, you probably need a whole new unit.
>
> > Well, from the bottom visualizing from outside the kettle, the
> > external adjustment arm and shaft to inside the kettle looks all rusty
> > and is immobile, but I'm not sure about the actual metal of the
> > kettle. If the kettle metal (which is supposed to be ceramic glazed
> > and rustproof) is OK, then all I'll need is a replacement louver and
> > control assembly. Or so I'd think.
>
> After 20 years, the bottom of our Smokey Joe just rusted into
> unusability. That was the model with three separate vents as well as a
> lid with a real wooden handle, which I would steel wool and touch up
> with tung oil every so often. Its passing hurt.
>
> The replacements have a single vent, and an ugly grey plastic lid
> handle.
>
> I thought the three-legged gizmo you show was just for sweeping ashes
> out the bottom. If you just wanted the bottom airflow adjuster, could
> you fabricate one out of sheet metal, with tin snips and a nibbler?
> Maybe a hole saw and a file, too? Then you could attach it with a nut,
> bolt, two flat washers, and a split ring to hold the tightness.
>
> My Smokey Joe airflow adjusters survived the demise of the kettle
> itself. But they were scaled down for the Smokey Joe's kettle *size.

I used to use a Smokey Joe for years. Yeah, mine had the real wood
handle too. And it had adjustable louvers top and bottom just like the
bigger Weber kettles, but unlike this full sized one the Smokey Joe
louver adjustment was outside the kettle wall metal. Made a whole lot
better send to me too than the "ash sweeper" adjuster on this full
sized kettle.

John Kuthe...

> I used to use a Smokey Joe for years. Yeah, mine had the real wood
> handle too. And it had adjustable louvers top and bottom just like the
> bigger Weber kettles, but unlike this full sized one the Smokey Joe
> louver adjustment was outside the kettle wall metal. Made a whole lot
> better send to me too than the "ash sweeper" adjuster on this full
> sized kettle.
>
> John Kuthe...

I have one the kids got me for my birthday last year that I only used once,
without much success. I couldn't keep the charcoal burning long enough to
grill a couple of strip steaks. I meant to do some research to figure out
what I was doing wrong but never got to it. It's just easier to fire up the
gas Weber.

Jon

"John Kuthe" > wrote in message
...
> We cleaned up and fired up an old Weber charcoal grill last evening,
> but found that the bottom louver controls were rusted off, leaving the
> bottom louvers open and uncontrollable. I looked on the Weber website
> and here's a pic of what should be in the bottom of this Weber kettle:
>
> http://www.weber.com/assets/en-us/fe...d18_diff_2.jpg
>
> I searched the Weber site for repair parts but found nada.
>
> Anyone have experience repairing such a problem? What approach did you
> use (besides buying a whole new Weber kettle) and where did you get
> parts?
>
> Thanks,
>
> John Kuthe...
>
>
Weber has excellent customer service. All parts from old Weber grills are
available at in addition to what's on theWeber site. That's been my
experience. Call the Customer Service Line: 1-800-446-1071. Their prices and
shipping are reasonable.

Kent

On May 23, 12:00*pm, "Kent" > wrote:
> "John Kuthe" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> > We cleaned up and fired up an old Weber charcoal grill last evening,
> > but found that the bottom louver controls were rusted off, leaving the
> > bottom louvers open and uncontrollable. I looked on the Weber website
> > and here's a pic of what should be in the bottom of this Weber kettle:
>
> >http://www.weber.com/assets/en-us/fe...d18_diff_2.jpg
>
> > I searched the Weber site for repair parts but found nada.
>
> > Anyone have experience repairing such a problem? What approach did you
> > use (besides buying a whole new Weber kettle) and where did you get
> > parts?
>
> > Thanks,
>
> > John Kuthe...
>
> Weber has excellent customer service. All parts from old Weber grills are
> available at in addition to what's on theWeber site. That's been my
> experience. Call the Customer Service Line: 1-800-446-1071. Their prices and
> shipping are reasonable.
>
> Kent

Thanks Kent. That's what I'll do, once I get the time and mind to dig
into the grill a little further.

John Kuthe...

John Kuthe > wrote:

>We cleaned up and fired up an old Weber charcoal grill last evening,
>but found that the bottom louver controls were rusted off, leaving the
>bottom louvers open and uncontrollable. I looked on the Weber website
>and here's a pic of what should be in the bottom of this Weber kettle:
>
>http://www.weber.com/assets/en-us/fe...d18_diff_2.jpg
>
>I searched the Weber site for repair parts but found nada.
>
>Anyone have experience repairing such a problem? What approach did you
>use (besides buying a whole new Weber kettle) and where did you get
>parts?

That's a tough one -- the bottom vent is the failure point you
may not be able to do anything about. But if it is stuck in the open
position, you can still use the grill, the main drawback being
it will waste charcoal by continuing to burn when you're finished
grilling.

A large hardware store that carries Weber products is your
best shot at trying to order a replacement. (Not Home Depot
or similar, a real hardware store.)

Steve

On May 23, 12:55*pm, (Steve Pope) wrote:
> John Kuthe > wrote:
>
> >We cleaned up and fired up an old Weber charcoal grill last evening,
> >but found that the bottom louver controls were rusted off, leaving the
> >bottom louvers open and uncontrollable. I looked on the Weber website
> >and here's a pic of what should be in the bottom of this Weber kettle:
>
> >http://www.weber.com/assets/en-us/fe...d18_diff_2.jpg
>
> >I searched the Weber site for repair parts but found nada.
>
> >Anyone have experience repairing such a problem? What approach did you
> >use (besides buying a whole new Weber kettle) and where did you get
> >parts?
>
> That's a tough one -- the bottom vent is the failure point you
> may not be able to do anything about. *But if it is stuck in the open
> position, you can still use the grill, the main drawback being
> it will waste charcoal by continuing to burn when you're finished
> grilling.

Yeah, it's the three bladed adjustable louver shown he

http://www.weber.com/assets/en-us/fe...d18_diff_2.jpg

All three blades (inside the grill) have rusted off, and the mechanism
of adjustment from the outside is rusted solid anyway. The grill has
been sitting outside for several years. And with all three blades
rusted off, the vent louvers are wide open which makes the charcoal
burn like a raging inferno! That's my mail problem, I had a slab of
ribs on there yesterday and I had to move each rib segment to the
outside/periphery of the grill to keep them from getting incinerated!

The louver adjustment is not only for shutting off and extinguishing
the charcoal, they are also for adjusting the burn rate and
consequently the temperature of grilling. I know how to use a Weber
kettle, as a buddy of mine has one.

> A large hardware store that carries Weber products is your
> best shot at trying to order a replacement. *(Not Home Depot
> or similar, a real hardware store.)

I hear ya! I know the difference between a real hardware store and a
Home Depot/Lowes chain store. ;-)

John Kuthe...

John Kuthe > wrote:

>The louver adjustment is not only for shutting off and extinguishing
>the charcoal, they are also for adjusting the burn rate and
>consequently the temperature of grilling. I know how to use a Weber
>kettle, as a buddy of mine has one.

This is true in practice, but the instructions that came with my Weber
state to always leave the bottom louvre completely open when
the kettle is in use. In practice, I almost always do, unless
it is exceptionally windy (which can cause the Weber to burn its
fuel too fast).

>> A large hardware store that carries Weber products is your
>> best shot at trying to order a replacement. *(Not Home Depot
>> or similar, a real hardware store.)

>I hear ya! I know the difference between a real hardware store and a
>Home Depot/Lowes chain store. ;-)

Yep. ;-)


S.

On May 23, 3:30*pm, John Kuthe > wrote:
> On May 23, 12:55*pm, (Steve Pope) wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > John Kuthe > wrote:
>
> > >We cleaned up and fired up an old Weber charcoal grill last evening,
> > >but found that the bottom louver controls were rusted off, leaving the
> > >bottom louvers open and uncontrollable. I looked on the Weber website
> > >and here's a pic of what should be in the bottom of this Weber kettle:
>
> > >http://www.weber.com/assets/en-us/fe...d18_diff_2.jpg
>
> > >I searched the Weber site for repair parts but found nada.
>
> > >Anyone have experience repairing such a problem? What approach did you
> > >use (besides buying a whole new Weber kettle) and where did you get
> > >parts?
>
> > That's a tough one -- the bottom vent is the failure point you
> > may not be able to do anything about. *But if it is stuck in the open
> > position, you can still use the grill, the main drawback being
> > it will waste charcoal by continuing to burn when you're finished
> > grilling.
>
> Yeah, it's the three bladed adjustable louver shown he
>
> http://www.weber.com/assets/en-us/fe...d18_diff_2.jpg
>
> All three blades (inside the grill) have rusted off, and the mechanism
> of adjustment from the outside is rusted solid anyway. The grill has
> been sitting outside for several years. And with all three blades
> rusted off, the vent louvers are wide open which makes the charcoal
> burn like a raging inferno! That's my mail problem, I had a slab of
> ribs on there yesterday and I had to move each rib segment to the
> outside/periphery of the grill to keep them from getting incinerated!
>
> The louver adjustment is not only for shutting off and extinguishing
> the charcoal, they are also for adjusting the burn rate and
> consequently the temperature of grilling. I know how to use a Weber
> kettle, as a buddy of mine has one.
>
You have had excellent chicken, BBQed on a Weber that was completely
rusted through on the bottom, and had the rusted through holes clogged
with lava rocks. Oh, and the legs were rusted off too, and it was
sitting on concrete blocks. One can use lid placement and application
of water to adjust burn rate, and you've seen it done. There was beer
involved. It was Schlafly Oatmeal Stout, and a few other types. It
was afternoon, and took place next door to here sometime about 7-9
years ago. That old Weber Kettle was taken camping and left at the
campsite we're going to this weekend, the bottom buried most of the
way in the sand. More than likely, some yokel dug it out and got a
few more years out of it, as it was gone next time we went out there.
>
> John Kuthe...

--Bryan

"l, not -l" > wrote in message
...
>
> On 23-May-2010, John Kuthe > wrote:
>
>> We cleaned up and fired up an old Weber charcoal grill last evening,
>> but found that the bottom louver controls were rusted off, leaving the
>> bottom louvers open and uncontrollable. I looked on the Weber website
>> and here's a pic of what should be in the bottom of this Weber kettle:
>>
>> http://www.weber.com/assets/en-us/fe...d18_diff_2.jpg
>>
>> I searched the Weber site for repair parts but found nada.
>
> If it were my problem, I'd call/contact Weber Customer Service; it is my
> experience that many companies with strong reputationas will send the
> parts,
> at low-cost or no-cost.
> --
> Change Cujo to Juno in email address.

That's true. Faber just sent me a new socket gratis for one of the halogen
lights in my 3 year old range hood. Arrived by 2 day UPS, too.

Jon