Rusted hole in bottom of my PBC.

[70monte]

I went to use my PBC for the first time in quite a while today.  Since there were some spider webs and such in the barrel I decided to clean it out.  There was just a little buildup of grease around the edges of the barrel and a few ashes.  I used a plastic scraper and then turned it over to let the stuff fall out.  I hit the middle of the bottom of the barrel with my hand and a piece of metal fell out of the bottom.

I was pretty shocked since the bottom didn't look that bad and I always have kept the barrel covered with the PBC cover and dumped out the ashes after each cook.  This cooker also sits under a covered carport with a concrete floor.  I have also used the ash catcher inside the barrel ever since they first came out.

This is an older model that is powder coated that I bought used about 3 or 4 years ago from the original owner who had owned it for about a year.  It still looked pretty much like new when I bought it.

I called and ordered a new barrel and lid.  Just wanted to give you guys that own this older model a heads up to check yours out periodically.  Here are a couple of pics.

[sparky]

That sucks that it burned thru.  Do you use the ash pan for them?. It might help. 

[Dave R.]

Don't throw it out. Get some JB weld and 1/8" piece of steel and patch the hole. I bet you could get a bunch more life out of it. Just follow the JB weld instructions. The stuff does work fairly well when applied correctly.

[smokeasaurus]

That is why I used to use hd foil on the bottom even while using the new ash pan.

[Salmonsmoker]

70monte,
Even though it's stored under a carport, sitting directly on the concrete floor can be a moisture trap. Sitting the barrel on a couple of 1 X 2's will allow air flow underneath. Not saying that was the problem, just preventative for next one. My $ .02 

[Salmonsmoker]

Unless it's on wheels- then scratch that thought. 

[TMB]

Go to Tractor Supply and get a plow disk (about 20 bucks) use it on the bottom.  I been using one in my fire pit for years and still holding up    

[70monte]

I bought the ash pan when it first became available for sale and have been using it the entire time since.  I may have to try the HD foil under the ash pan for the new barrel.

The PBC is also always stored on it's stand so it's never sat on just the concrete so it should have plenty of airflow.

I have already ordered a new barrel and lid so even though I could probably patch this one, there is no reason to now because I don't have all of the internals for two PBC's.

[teesquare]

70monte,
Even though it's stored under a carport, sitting directly on the concrete floor can be a moisture trap. Sitting the barrel on a couple of 1 X 2's will allow air flow underneath. Not saying that was the problem, just preventative for next one. My $ .02 

I think you are on to part of the problem....
Yes, the barrel likely suffered from electrolysis - concrete has a low but very real conductivity. Just as we have always ben told to never let auto batteries sit for more than a few hours on a concrete slab....because they can be drained by this same phenomenon. Set anything that can corrode or discharge on wood to gain a little distance from the concrete.

But - the other and most direct way we shorten the life of our PBC - is by allowing ash to sit in the bottom of the barrel. It is hydrophilic in nature - that is - it will adsorb moisture...out of the air as well as any rain that may get to it. Cleaning it out after it cools down is the best way to extend the life of the PBC. If you do not clean out the ash - you create an extremely caustic "slurry", and the corrosion is pretty aggressive. Couple this with the rapid heating and cooling stresses for the metal that occur from normal use...and you have a formula for a faster path to disappointment.....

[Hub]

Mine is starting to rust out around the bottom seam.  I clean it and keep it painted with new high temp enamel but I think there's a finite life for steel barrels that get hot then cool down, no matter what.  When it gives out, I'll get a new one.  I don't see this as a defect, just a part of use.

Hub

[Salmonsmoker]

70monte,
Even though it's stored under a carport, sitting directly on the concrete floor can be a moisture trap. Sitting the barrel on a couple of 1 X 2's will allow air flow underneath. Not saying that was the problem, just preventative for next one. My $ .02 

I think you are on to part of the problem....
Yes, the barrel likely suffered from electrolysis - concrete has a low but very real conductivity. Just as we have always ben told to never let auto batteries sit for more than a few hours on a concrete slab....because they can be drained by this same phenomenon. Set anything that can corrode or discharge on wood to gain a little distance from the concrete.



But - the other and most direct way we shorten the life of our PBC - is by allowing ash to sit in the bottom of the barrel. It is hydrophilic in nature - that is - it will adsorb moisture...out of the air as well as any rain that may get to it. Cleaning it out after it cools down is the best way to extend the life of the PBC. If you do not clean out the ash - you create an extremely caustic "slurry", and the corrosion is pretty aggressive. Couple this with the rapid heating and cooling stresses for the metal that occur from normal use...and you have a formula for a faster path to disappointment.....

Good call "T".  Water + wood ashes = sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide (lye). That's how the settlers made the active ingredient for their soap.

[70monte]

70monte,
Even though it's stored under a carport, sitting directly on the concrete floor can be a moisture trap. Sitting the barrel on a couple of 1 X 2's will allow air flow underneath. Not saying that was the problem, just preventative for next one. My $ .02 

I think you are on to part of the problem....
Yes, the barrel likely suffered from electrolysis - concrete has a low but very real conductivity. Just as we have always ben told to never let auto batteries sit for more than a few hours on a concrete slab....because they can be drained by this same phenomenon. Set anything that can corrode or discharge on wood to gain a little distance from the concrete.

But - the other and most direct way we shorten the life of our PBC - is by allowing ash to sit in the bottom of the barrel. It is hydrophilic in nature - that is - it will adsorb moisture...out of the air as well as any rain that may get to it. Cleaning it out after it cools down is the best way to extend the life of the PBC. If you do not clean out the ash - you create an extremely caustic "slurry", and the corrosion is pretty aggressive. Couple this with the rapid heating and cooling stresses for the metal that occur from normal use...and you have a formula for a faster path to disappointment.....

I do know not to leave ash inside and I clean out all of my cookers after using them.  In my PBC, I have never left piles of ash and definitely not where the rust hole appeared.  The very small amount of ash that was in it when I cleaned it out the other day was around the inside edges on the barrel where it doesn't look rusty.  It could be from moisture getting trapped between the ash catcher and the floor of the barrel.

[teesquare]

I want to be clear that I was not inferring that you left ash in yours...Just saw it as a good time to talk about the common reasons that a barrel could rust out. Yep - moisture can sure create a problem for us sometimes. ( I have sen so much rain in the last month that I am building a big boat and gathering animals.... )

The new PBC barrels are so nice. The enameling is on par with a Weber - if not thicker. And, the nameless barrels should be far more corrosion resistant....

[70monte]

I want to be clear that I was not inferring that you left ash in yours...Just saw it as a good time to talk about the common reasons that a barrel could rust out. Yep - moisture can sure create a problem for us sometimes. ( I have sen so much rain in the last month that I am building a big boat and gathering animals.... )

The new PBC barrels are so nice. The enameling is on par with a Weber - if not thicker. And, the nameless barrels should be far more corrosion resistant....

No problem.  I guess I'm just disappointed that mine has rusted through already given the fact that I tried to do everything I could to prevent that. 

[Pit Barrel Cooker Co.]

Hello 70Monte,

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Angie Barlow