Stampede All weather smoke vents
- Thread starter Jmfitzjr
- Start date
I just used the bendable metal tabs and must say the fit is um...…………...….a bit cheezy. I haven't spent the time to figure it out but one has a decent tight fit, the others are floppy. Probably variance in tab attachment welds since the hole size seems pretty uniform. As for using some sort of sealant I can't imagine it hurts anything. The suggested reason from RT for these is as a preventive for "rain" intrusion. I guess there was a customer demand for such a thing. Personally, I'd be more worried about the electronics in a rainy situation if I were to use it in an exposed location. I got them to redirect the flow of the smoke out with a bit more sideways bias to alleviate smoke going directly to the overhead structure I have. It probably doesn't do much to be truthful. I haven't recommended them to the two neighbors who made spin off purchases of the Stampede. If I had to work up a practical rationalization for these it would be that it slows down the exit of the smoke by some nominal amount thus, perhaps, increasing flavor to the food. Pure speculation, and I don't have sufficient motivation to prove or disprove......…...…...…………..How's that for a lukewarm endorsement?
@Jmfitzjr you could certainly use high temp silicon if you wanted to but the metal tabs work just fine as well.
So what's your thoughts so far on just using the tabs?Thanks for the feedback. I will try the tabs and see how they fit and report back
This is what I used and it works like a champ!
LavaLock 12 GREY High Performance BBQ gasket smoker seal SELF STICK https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01F9FE60K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_-SX7CbATYZ7Y0
ken g
Well-known member
- Messages
- 270
- Grill(s) owned
- Bull
- Stampede
What width did you use? Looks like you get it wide enough, trace the opening and cut it out?
SeanConnery
New member
- Messages
- 4
- Grill(s) owned
- Stampede
Longer Testimony:
I've been smoking on the Stampede in a variety of weather conditions ranging from light rain to torrential rain to snow, and the vents do keep the elements at bay and off the meat. It doesn't keep all moisture and certain sideways torrential rains out, but it definitely mitigates them. I've realistically had only 5-6 total experiences of adverse weather conditions for smoking. About 7 months into my ownership of the Stampede, one of the tabs on one of the weather vents broke its weld. I inspected the other two, and they're incredibly brittle and are about to go at any time (ref. attached pictures of the one broken vent). I've had about 35 total smokes before I lost one.
During the time frame of not having just 1 vent, I was smoking a pork butt when we had a torrential rain hit during an unexpected pop-up thunderstorm. To give you an idea, I had almost half a bucket's worth of water in my drip pan bucket. Thankfully it was the final stages of my pork butt, and it was foiled. Even without one of the vents, it's noticeable. My grill dropped almost 40 degrees in a 15 minute window from the rain, and I never saw that in previous smokes with bad rain. It could have been from water hitting the internal probe, it could have been just the 1 storm where I had perfect northern rain that wouldn't have made a difference... but it did make me a believer in the vents. I never had a bucket that full in past rain storms, and my drip pan was a hot mess (pun intended lol).
TL;DR / Summary of Above:
Are the vents "a bit cheezy"? I completely agree with Uncle Bob. The vents do not reflect the same high quality material as the rest of the Stampede. I fully trust the Rec-Tec ceramic ignition, auger, electronics, grates, etc. long over the vents. They're easily the cheapest component to my setup.
Are the vents useful and worth it? After yesterday's near catastrophe I'd say they're totally worth it if you're willing to smoke in any weather.
Next Steps:
I'm going to be going the gasket seal route for this next round of vents, so thanks for the suggestions Navydroid and Mike. Also, you can even note the difference in quality of the 3 new fresh replacements. The areas where I circled on two of the vents reflect the same poor quality of the one failed vent. Hopefully with the gasket tape I can make this next batch last longer.
Cheers all and happy grilling!
I've been smoking on the Stampede in a variety of weather conditions ranging from light rain to torrential rain to snow, and the vents do keep the elements at bay and off the meat. It doesn't keep all moisture and certain sideways torrential rains out, but it definitely mitigates them. I've realistically had only 5-6 total experiences of adverse weather conditions for smoking. About 7 months into my ownership of the Stampede, one of the tabs on one of the weather vents broke its weld. I inspected the other two, and they're incredibly brittle and are about to go at any time (ref. attached pictures of the one broken vent). I've had about 35 total smokes before I lost one.
During the time frame of not having just 1 vent, I was smoking a pork butt when we had a torrential rain hit during an unexpected pop-up thunderstorm. To give you an idea, I had almost half a bucket's worth of water in my drip pan bucket. Thankfully it was the final stages of my pork butt, and it was foiled. Even without one of the vents, it's noticeable. My grill dropped almost 40 degrees in a 15 minute window from the rain, and I never saw that in previous smokes with bad rain. It could have been from water hitting the internal probe, it could have been just the 1 storm where I had perfect northern rain that wouldn't have made a difference... but it did make me a believer in the vents. I never had a bucket that full in past rain storms, and my drip pan was a hot mess (pun intended lol).
TL;DR / Summary of Above:
Are the vents "a bit cheezy"? I completely agree with Uncle Bob. The vents do not reflect the same high quality material as the rest of the Stampede. I fully trust the Rec-Tec ceramic ignition, auger, electronics, grates, etc. long over the vents. They're easily the cheapest component to my setup.
Are the vents useful and worth it? After yesterday's near catastrophe I'd say they're totally worth it if you're willing to smoke in any weather.
Next Steps:
I'm going to be going the gasket seal route for this next round of vents, so thanks for the suggestions Navydroid and Mike. Also, you can even note the difference in quality of the 3 new fresh replacements. The areas where I circled on two of the vents reflect the same poor quality of the one failed vent. Hopefully with the gasket tape I can make this next batch last longer.
Cheers all and happy grilling!
Attachments
Mastertech59
Well-known member
Rec Tec missed the design on these 340 and 590 grills, if they punched out louvers like Weber did on the Smokefire instead of just punching out open holes for the vents the rain and weather entry problem would have been solved.
To install the RecTec accessory vents I would recommend using a high temperature silicone gasket maker to seal and help hold them in place. The areas the sealant is applied to needs to be spotless clean and then degreased with rubbing alcohol for the sealant to adhere correctly. Any excess that squeezes out you can easily remove after it dries with a razor blade.
To install the RecTec accessory vents I would recommend using a high temperature silicone gasket maker to seal and help hold them in place. The areas the sealant is applied to needs to be spotless clean and then degreased with rubbing alcohol for the sealant to adhere correctly. Any excess that squeezes out you can easily remove after it dries with a razor blade.
Attachments
Rec Tec sells it too. https://www.rectecgrills.com/High-Temperature-Caulk?quantity=1&page=2
How are your vent gaskets holding up @navydroid
No issues. Still holding up well.
Thanks @navydroid. I am not sure yet if I am going to use gasket or hi temp RTV.
claytv
New member
- Messages
- 1
I found a grey gasket maker rated for 700º. Any thoughts on why this wouldn't work? https://amzn.to/36Qg9l7
Mastertech59
Well-known member
Absolutely should work and will look lots better than the high heat orange sealer.
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