What a complete disappointment
 

Ok so my son destroyed my last drum, so built another. Put it on wheels and then I built a side table to attach to the side of the grill. I got the braces painted and the oak slats stained and urethaned. I just went to install it, pulled the smoker out of the shed and pulled the top off to get inside it. There was mold growing on the bottom rack, all over the bottom and left over coals. Wtf! I never had this problem before with my last drum. Is it cause I had it stored in a shed? Do I need to wash it out after each use? Can I safely clean it out with bleach or something and burn it out again, and then reseason? Or should I just toss it out and get a new drum?
I don't understand, I never experienced this before, and the only things different were the shed and the temperature swings around here.

Wtf!!!!???

Ain’t Nuttin to it. Mine did that several times when I forgot to empty water pan. Spray it All with 50/50 Bleach Water , let it sit 30 minutes and hit it with water hose n spray nozzle. Repeat if necessary. Then Fire it up and run it 300*-400* for and hour or 2........or take it up to the car wash and put $5 in qtrs. thru it.

Could have been more grease drippings from last cook or higher humidity or combination of both.
When you put it in shed leave intake n exhaust partially open.........

I keep a pump garden sprayer with 50/50 bleach water on standby. Smokers, grills, coolers, Boat etc.........

Yeah but why? Last thing I did were some ribs. Am I going to have to wash it everytime I use it ?

Leave intake n exhaust Open when stored. Empty any water pans. If large cook with a lot of drippings , clean drippings n ash out before storing.......... OR......USE it MORE so mold ain’t got time to grow........:mrgreen:

Is Shed vented.? May need more airflow in shed...........

I would just burn a hot fire in it and scrape any leftovers out.

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Do you store the drum with the lid on? I keep my drum in my garage but I've never had this happen. I always store with the lid off and vents wide open to let air in. Also, the first few times I would save the unused charcoal but anymore I just dump it and use fresh. Seems the greasy charcoal can also induce mold.

If you didn't have this with your last drum as a "regular thing", this will probably be a one off. Don't store it outside in the elements with the exhausts and dampers closed all the way and a cover on it. The day after a cook, pull the grate and drip pan (if you use one) and give them a good scrubbing.

The fix for mold is hot water/bleach and some detergent. Give it a good swish /scrape and rinse with clean water. If this washes out your seasoning, you might have to do that again- a good fire would not hurt anything.

Thanks for your input. I'll double down on it, take it to the car wash and spray the $hit out of it and then bleach with scrub brush and water. Then I'll burn a hot arse fire in it for a couple three hours, and then reseason.
The shed isn't very well ventilated. I still had the top on it but the exhausts for now are just 8- 1" holes drilled around the lid. But I didn't have the intakes open. Guess I'll have pay more attention to the amount of grease drippings in the bottom and dump the leftover coals when they're extinguished

Dont be discouraged to save your unused charcoal. Some do and some dont but it is economical. If space permits remove the basket and sit it beside the drum where it has plenty of O2.

First, I would go with Smitty's second option: use it more often so mold doesn't have a chance to grow. :mrgreen:

Otherwise, just try to not leave much moisture in it. My Big Green Egg will get mold in it if I forget to clean the grates after using it and I close it up and leave it unused for a month or so. When that happens, I just put a load of coal in and let it burn full blast until it's all burned out, like a self-cleaning oven.

Thanks for the reminder! Just went out and opened the vents on my kettle.

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I have lit a small fire in mine and stood there spraying lighter fluid in it, up and down the sides, all around. It all burned out and/or flake off and then I scooped it out like ash. But, if you have a fancy paint job, I advise against this. Mine got pretty hot and scorched the outside paint. Mine lives outside, covered with all the vents open.

YUP. I dont use mine often enough, and after I started to leave the exhaust open, it hasnt happened.

I had this problem with my PBC this summer since it was so hot a muggy here. No more cover, lid cracked, vent open and no issues since. I also make sure to clean the grates when I am done as well. I had to scrub the grates and sprayed/wiped the inside down with a cleaner and then lit a huge basket of charcoal and just let it rip. Hopefully that did the trick as I haven't died yet. Now that it is getting colder I may use the covers again, but they are kept under an overhang of my house on a deck, so not too worried.