Can a Weber BBQ Grill Get Wet If left Outside in Rain?

Can a Weber BBQ get wet if left outside in rain? You may be asking yourself this question as sometimes you don’t want to move your grill here and there, or the patio/deck area is too small to store the grill. To help you decide if you should keep your Weber out or bring it inside, here are some important things to know about keeping it safe during bad weather.

So, can a Weber BBQ get wet if I leave it outside in the rain? Yes, leaving Weber gas or charcoal grill outside in the rain can make it wet. However, you can still keep your grill outside in the rain or winter. It will not cause any harm if you’ve covered the grill. If you’re worried about residual water in the grill, run the grill so that maximum water can be dried off. Moreover, rain can cause some parts of the grill like grate holders, legs, and handles to rust out. These parts are easily replaceable as you can order them online. Also, high-end barbeque grills like Weber can withstand extreme weather conditions, but low-end barbeque grills should be properly covered to prolong their life.

Can I Leave My Weber BBQ Grill Outside?

Yes, you can leave your Weber BBQ outside in the rain. However, you must cover your barbecue with a waterproof grill cover when not in use. When exposed to moisture, any of the components can rust and become more susceptible to breakage at a later date. This includes the bottom vent flap if left open or exposed to water for long periods during storage or seasonal usage changes.

Furthermore, when you leave the charcoal grill outside, make sure that there is no ash left in the ash catcher or sticking with the walls of the grill or fuel grate. The ash can readily absorb the moisture and gets corrosive. This will result in ruining the whole grill. The ash can get corrosive when it gets wet and can ruin the whole grill.

Here’s a comment I found in a subreddit in which a person is saying that the weber kettle (charcoal) grill is made of a high-quality material, which does not get rusted if it is left uncovered outside. But, the condition is there should not be ash left inside the grill.

So, leaving the charcoal grill outside the rain will not damage its main body. However, the charcoal grate and the cooking grate will rust out faster if it is left uncovered.

What Happens If a Gas Grill Gets Wet?

Weber Gas or Propane Grill is pretty techy as compared to Weber Charcoal Grills. Gas or propane grills have a system of tubes and valves. The propane or natural gas flows from the tank, between the burners where there is a pilot light to ignite it. If any part gets rusted with the water, it would weaken its functioning and can cause gas to leak out when it is in use.

So, more complexity means rust may submerge into the orifice and burner holes if low-end gas grills are left in the rain or snow outside for a longer period.

Although the grill body is made of stainless steel and does not develop corrosion for the first few raindrops, the molds can grow on the different parts like the control knobs and other metal components. This is because when you leave the grill outside, the rain or snow can cause trapping of moisture, which attracts the molds.

When covering your gas grill, make sure that the grill cover is thin, quite loose, and not vapor-tight. If the grill cover is tight and sticks with the grill body, it will trap the moisture and will not provide enough for the vapors to escape. This is the main reason why people complain about rust and molds on the grill when they cover it with the grill cover.

Here’s what a person comments in the forum regarding the grill covers:

We bought one last year and my wife bought a cover that was on clearance. We park it under the deck, but the deck is not waterproof. So far the cover has done a nice job, every time we need to use the grill, I just take the cover off and things are clean and dry underneath. I have noticed quite some fading in one year (for the cover), so not sure how long it will hold up.

Furthermore, propane tanks are painted to resist the extreme temperatures in summers, winters/snow, or rain. If the propane tank is of good quality, it will not develop rust. Also, if you leave your gas grill outside in the rain, make sure the propane tank/bottle hose remains connected with the grill and the propane tank valve is shut off so that there is no chance of propane leaking out. Also, the propane bottle should be upright to prevent moisture and rust buildup in the safety valve of the propane or gas cylinder.

How to Use Gas Grill after It Gets Wet or Is Left Outside for a Long Time in Rain?

If you’ve left your propane gas grill outside for a long time, it would have suffered from rain and snow. In that case, first, squirt the hose and connections down with soap and water, and turn on the gas to thoroughly check for leaks. If there is no leak found, fire up the grill to dry everything out and burn off molds. It will also empty the water. If you don’t fire up the grill and kill the molds, they can cause an allergic reaction.

After that, dismantle the parts of the grill for proper cleaning and drying. You should have a respective user manual of a grill you own to follow the proper instructions to dismantle the parts. Wash the dismantled parts of the grill with warm soapy water. Use a grill brush or steel wool to scrape the rust. Beneath the grill grates, you’ll see the burner. Dab the wet area around the burner with a soft paper towel or a dry cloth.

Note: If your gas grill burner is not lightning, first, turn on the burner and then, open the valve of the gas tank. Count to six and start popping the lighter. It’ll take several tries as the gas will take some time in the hose to replace the air.

What To Do If Charcoal Grill Gets Wet?

If the charcoal grill gets wet due to leaving it outside in the rain, all you need to do is to scoop out the old charcoal from the grill. Otherwise, it will spread corrosion throughout your charcoal grill.

Also, the wet charcoal grill will not allow the coals to undergo efficient combustion due to the presence of moisture. This will cause unnecessary smoke produced by the coals which may ruin the food. The water vapor will also deprive the coals of oxygen, taking away much-needed heat that your food needs to grill properly. So, make sure to wipe the inside of your charcoal grill with a paper towel. Also, dispose of the aluminum foil.

What Happens If Pellet Grill Is Left Outside in Rain?

Wood pellets in pellet grills, which are made of compressed sawdust, rain would make the pellets swell up and turn them into the wet sawdust if you leave the hopper of pellet grill open in the rain. Since the machine auger is designed to push the solid pellets, the wet sawdust would be jammed up in the auger, causing the motor to stop working.

Moreover, Traeger pellet grills are not made of high-quality steel. They rust pretty damn fast, no matter how careful you are.

How to Use Grill Covers?

Before using a grill cover, make sure that your grill is not hot as it will melt the cover. In addition, the grill cover is intended to repel the water rather than to trap the water. If the grill cover traps or absorbs the moisture, your grill will also get wet. Resultantly, molds will start growing. So, good-quality grill covers are always made to repel the water.

Also, make sure that never cover the grill which is already wet. Moreover, if you remove the cover and the grill is wet, it means the grill cover has lost its waterproofing feature. This grill cover is my recommendation as it is highly durable and repels the water.

To maintain the waterproofing feature of the grill cover, you can use this silicon water-guard spray.

What About Grilling in Rain?

There is no harm in grilling in the rain as long as it is light, intermittent rain. You need to take care of the following points for grilling in the rain:

• First, you need to buy a grill canopy so that your grill remains protected from the rain while grilling. The canopy should be extended past the outside of the hopper of the pellet grill to avoid water entering into the hopper.
• If you’re using a pellet grill, make sure the cord is not standing in the water. Buy an extensions to limit the risk of water getting into the line. Check my guide on the connecting an extension with pellet grill.
• Take a large metal baking sheet and put it upside down over the hopper/electronics.
• In the case of a charcoal grill, keep the lid closed as the drops of water can affect the burning efficiency of coal.
• For charcoal grilling in rain, use lump charcoal instead of charcoal and kiln-dried wood instead of seasoned wood. You can check out my article on using wood in charcoal grills for more details. 
• In gas grills, the burner can blowout from the gusts of wind during the rain. In that case, be sure to turn off the gas and open the lid for a few minutes to let the gas escape before relightning.
• Also, check that the wind is not blowind directly into the vents of the grill. Keep them in the opposite direction.