LavaLock Gasket Kit for Weber Smokey Mountain WSM 18.5 22.5 for Nomex RTV Grill Gasket Seal

If your gasket comes off, you likely did something wrong, didn't prepare the surface properly, or didn't use enough adhesive. This is a good product, and if you take your time and follow the instructions, use a little common sense, you won't have any problems. Installation was not difficult, just takes time and patience, like anything. My 9-year-old helped me, and we didn't have any problems. It definitely cuts down on the smoke leakage, though it does not completely eliminate it. I installed the door gasket on the WSM body, versus the door. I had read you need a different latch if you put it on the door, and if I did need to replace the door for whatever reason, I wouldn't lose the gasket. Common sense implies adding a gasket will make the latch tighter. You may need to adjust, but do so carefully. I did not have an issue with adjusting mine, but I was careful and took my time. So far so good, smoked a few times with it already, and no issues, and seems to do a pretty good job of sealing up the doors and top. Overall though, in hindsight, I'm not really sure why this product would be so highly touted as I read. Since your top vent will always be at least a little bit open which is always letting smoke out, why then is sealing up the door and top so important? All in all, a good product, but instructions not so clear. Might not be for people who aren't handy or have a lack of patience.

Got a used Weber 18” smoker for a steal, but it was rather leaky around the top and flimsy door. Used this kit recommended by several friends. Must say it really helped my smoker out! It now holds temps much more stable. Hardly any smoke escapes from the lid and door. So far I’ve been impressed with the product. Wish I’d gotten it sooner. Installing was super easy. Just clean the surface well and allow to cure! Great product and would recommend to others with a leaky smoker

This was a hands-on install. I feel like the manufacturer, in my case Weber should include this kit. That said it is effective but not air tight on the lid. The coal door did seal well, almost perfect. Maybe after some use the felt will depress in some areas and fill in the slight gap. Overall this is the way to go. It made my Smoky Mountain smoker’s appeal to my want for a Green Egg fade for now.

Used on my WSM 18. This is so easy to use I don’t know how others have messed it up. If you haven’t used RTV silicone before, the stuff gets everywhere. You just wipe it off before it dries in about 15 minutes. Use a comb or something to make ridges in the silicone. Press the gasket material into the silicone (don’t stretch the gasket). Let cure for 24 hours. It’s that simple. You don’t need a new latch. It’s supposed to be a tight fit. That’s the point. As for how it works, it’s perfect. I now have a perfect seal on my smoker and I only did the door and the lid. The seal is so good, in fact, that when I went to snuff my coals by closing all the vents there was literally no smoke coming from my smoker. I would buy this again and do recommend it to anyone considering it.

Crazy easy to install, and absolutely works as advertised. I installed this on my weber 22" smokey mountain smoker and it has drastically improved smoke and heat retention. Buy it , you won't regret it.

The Weber Smokey Mountain is a fine smoker, but if you want to do long unattended smoking sessions, be prepared to take extra measures to seal certain parts of it. I found the access door in particular is quite drafty, no matter how well you get it formed to the midsection. Between air infiltration and escaping heat around the firebox, I was constantly having to deal with runaway temperature spikes or seemingly random heat dumps, even with a Thermoworks Signals+Billows setup in place. The heat spikes would keep going even if I closed EVERY SINGLE VENT, which drove me nuts. Using this gasket kit around the edges of the door seems to be addressing that problem quite nicely--and helps keep the door from chipping the enamel. After gasket installation, I started a test burn in my 22" WSM with about 10-15 lb Kingsford original in a "Minion" arrangement, 5-6 briquettes lit in place with a plumbing torch, 4 chunks hickory (yes, that's overkill), half-full water pan, Cajun Bandit expansion riser, Signals+Billows feeding the intake, and an intake manifold literally hacked out of an inverted dog bowl with a toggle bolt. Smoker took 1 hour to get up to temp, then held close to 225 F for 8 solid hours, COMPLETELY UNTOUCHED (see screenshot). Temps finally started to dip as it burned down to the last of the charcoal--for reference, I could easily have loaded it with at least twice as much fuel from the start. There's just enough 3/4" gasket stripping to completely go around the edge of a Cajun Bandit door, with a few inches left over. Inspection shows some small remaining air gaps around the corners of the access door, but they obviously don't seem to be a problem. If I wanted to, I could theoretically form the door a little better to the body, or just add some extra gasket material to the body, such that it "nests" within the door gasket. I've skipped adding gasket material to the other seams for now; that seems to be unnecessary. Given the addition of the riser, there might not even be enough gasket material to seal all three remaining seams.

The hardest part for me was getting them clean. I have been using both of my WSMs for two and four years (18 and 14 in respectively). I had never really sat down and 'degreased' that part. I had cleaned them and scraped off some of the cylinder and head but never a good solid cleaning in the nooks and crannies. After a couple of rounds with a food-safe degreaser, I wiped it down and set them in the sun to dry. I then watched a few youtube videos on how to install it and went to work. The 18 in went first since that is the reason I really bought the kit in the first place. I didn't have a comb (I am follicularly challenged) so I used a disposable wooden toothpick to spread and even out the adhesive. One tip- do not stretch the gasket material. Lay it down as you go. I made sure to check behind where I had laid it down and made sure to push it down and into the corner. You have enough material. That brings me to another point...I had enough of both to do BOTH my 18 in and 14 in Smokey Mountains. I still have adhesive and some of both gaskets for future repair, if needed. Go slow...but not too slow if you live in places the adhesive will dry up before you have the gasket applied. Do a little at a time...adhesive, then gasket...then adhesive...then gasket...etc... until you are at the end and then cut. You are doing this on a smoker...you should already have patience. You are used to waiting 4-6 for ribs, 6 to 10 plus for a shoulder, and an eternity for a brisket...take your time. Now, the doors. They were the PITA part for me. One tip...you need to leave a gap where the locking mechanism catches hold It needs to swivel freely. If I was able to seal up 95% plus of my leaks and only have this small gap...then I am more than fine with it. Happy Smoking!

Edit: I managed to get my door working but the key that holds the interior clip was still ruined. I had to bend the door a bit where the lock meats the body. I just pryed it open a bit and now it seals properly. I did a quick smoke and all of the smoke was coming out the top vent and the temperature was very steady. I still say might not be for everyone, specially if you're not too handy This thing sucks and you should get something simpler to install. I followed all the instructions, and let it air cure for overtwo2 days. The lid got stuck to the gasket and didn't want to come off, it ended up ripping the gasket a bit. And the door doesn't want to close no matter what I do, I feel like I'm going to ruin my Weber kettle. I would ask for a refund if I could. Just get one of the self adhesive one, the RTV is not worth the effort.

Absolutely brilliant. Yes you can source the individual components on your own, but good luck finding the same trusted rtv. If you have a smokey mountain this will change your life. I already knew from owning a kettle that these gaskets would be necessary so I ordered them when I bought a smokey mountain. I got in at least a dozen cooks before I installed the gaskets so I got well acquainted with the stock performance. If you use a temperature controller with your smokey mountain set up with these gaskets it will blow you away, the picture of the graph on the American reviews is no lie. You won't need to do the bottom seal on a smokey mountain so you'll have extra left over for a kettle if you have one, it's like a two for one deal.

Funciona conforme a lo esperado.

Permet un contrôle plus facile de la température et ça consomme moins de briquette !

I just received my kit and there's only the 1/2'' gasket and the RTV. The 3/4'' gasket for the door is missing. Can I use the 1/2'' for the door if there is enough left? Also, is it better to glue the gasket to the door or to the smoker itself? Thks