Warping of drip pan

[Jeff Malaby]

is it natural for the drip pan to warp while heating up? Mine does on RECTEC 700, it warps back to it's original shape once it cools down.

 

[ccmjr77]

yes, it could happen, especially if you do high heat cooking. If it warps too much or does not go back to original shape, give RT a call, they will replace the pan.

 

[Buckeye smoker]

I've seen posts and videos on here before about it. As long as it doesn't affect your cooks by making grease run off etc...I wouldn't worry too much. Make sure your grill is draining properly that's about it.

 

[Mastertech59]

Welcome and for your first post. ?
I've never seen or heard about the drip pan warping but the heat deflector below the drip pan yes that I have heard of. The heat deflector might be pushing up on the drip pan making the drip pan look warped. I agree a call to RecTec would be best.

 

[Gotbbq]

is it natural for the drip pan to warp while heating up? Mine does on RECTEC 700, it warps back to it's original shape once it cools down.

It does happen. If it doesn't effect the grease running off, it's ok. Rec Tec will send you a new one if you think its a problem. Run some water on it and see if it still drains normally. ??

 

[Sdyork]

Welcome and for your first post. ?
I've never seen or heard about the drip pan warping but the heat deflector below the drip pan yes that I have heard of. The heat deflector might be pushing up on the drip pan making the drip pan look warped. I agree a call to RecTec would be best.

My RT-700 arrived a week ago and I’ve used it a few times. Yesterday the drip pan warped and pushed up the grate on the left side. I called Rec Tec Today and told them the issue and they had a new one sent out the same day.
Service is outstanding there and I have no doubt they will make this right.
When the drip tray warped i got uneven heat and this is not good… Before this happened it was was cooking even and everything cooked all across pretty close to the same.
Don’t settle and get it right. The RT 700 is amazing!

 

[Drumslick]

Mine wrapped yesterday, so came to the forum to see if others had experienced an issue. It was my fourth cook on the grill. Looking at the extent of the flex in the drip pan, grease could run in the opposite direction. I will try another cook to see if it happens again.

 

[Gotbbq]

Mine wrapped yesterday, so came to the forum to see if others had experienced an issue. It was my fourth cook on the grill. Looking at the extent of the flex in the drip pan, grease could run in the opposite direction. I will try another cook to see if it happens again.

If it effects the cooking you should call customer service. ??

 

[EmaadJ]

So, I’m on my third cook on my RT-340, turn it up to 500° to sear the steaks, 10 minutes in and the grill is on fire. No harm done, threw baking soda on there and it was contained. I wondered what caused it and realized my drip pan foil was crumpled so the grease was pooling and that’s what caught fire. Needless to say, I’m not a foil guy anymore.
Now, after cleaning everything out, turned it back on to finish the steaks, I noticed the drip pan’s end was a little high. High enough to cover half of the hole that goes to the grease bucket. When the steaks were done, I turned off the grill and the drip pan went back into place properly within 1 minute. This is concerning to me. If the drip pan rises then the grease will just pool there and catch fire at high temps. I understand that I can call recteq to get a replacement but this is already new. Am I supposed to get a new drip pan every 3 to 4 cooks?

 

[ricwoodard]

Customer service may be the ones to pose that question to.

 

[mooncusser2k]

Is your heat deflector warped? There have been some reports of it warping enough that it pushes up on the drip tray. There's a chance it's that and not the drip tray itself.

2 other bits of general advice for the drip tray:
Check to make sure the grill is level left to right. I discovered my location wasn't as level as I thought, which affected drainage.

When putting in the drip tray, put the left edge down first on the bracket. If you put the right side down first, it's easy to have the left side resting against the side of the bracket rather than on top of it. That reduces the pitch and lets grease pool.