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.

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.

I purchased this product to install on my WSM 22.5” cooker. Before I installed this gasket kit I had trouble maintaining low temps, especially on breezy days. The fuel door on my cooker was extremely drafty. No matter how much I tried I could not get that perfect fit, or even a good fit for that matter. After installing this kit I have noticed much better temperature control as well as longer burn times. This is a must have for the WSM.I installed the kit as per manufacturer instructions. You should ensure all surfaces to be gasketed are clean and smooth. To prep all surfaces I used a degreaser, then a bit of dish soap with water and a sponge. Lastly, a rag dampened with denatured alcohol right before application of the RTV, (red gasket glue). With blue painters tape I marked off the edges before I applied the RTV. I used a plastic disposable fork to apply the RTV, which is very sticky, I’m glad I taped off the edges. Don’t over apply the RTV. Use the plastic fork to apply a uniform layer that will grab the gasket but not spill out the sides when the gasket is seated. I used Denatured Alochol on a rag to clean up any unwanted RTV.The gasket was easy to apply. Take your time to seat the gasket into the glue. Don’t stretch the gasket material, let it lay naturally with no wrinkles. I chose to apply the gasket to the inside of the fuel door and not on the cooker. After applying the gasket, I trimmed around the door latch with a razor knife. The gasket does not interfere with the latch whatsoever. After 24 hours the RTV still wasn’t set so I went ahead and fired up the cooker anyway. It didn’t hurt anything, actually I think the heat is what cures it.Anyway, good product. The WSM definitely needs some sort of gasket. This kit conveniently bundles everything you need in one box at an affordable price. Installation can be tricky, you must take your time. Seems durable enough to last a good while.