Thinking about leaving your Weber Grill outside and a little concerned about if it will ruin your grill? Let’s tackle that now.
Like you, I’m an outdoor cooking nut. That’s why I do what I do. But even I have to admit that finding a space for all the cooking equipment we outdoor cooking fans have is a little inconvenient.
Yes, I know, leaving it in a shed or garage is always preferable. It doesn’t expose your grill to the usual harsher weather conditions that happen when we’re storing our grills instead of using them (over winter, basically, because for the rest of the grilling season most of us are using them semi-regularly at least).
But if, like me, you’re struggling to find space indoors for your Weber grill, you might also ask yourself, can I leave my Weber grill outside?
Well, stick with me and you’ll find out!
Why Indoors Is Best
I wouldn’t be doing you guys a service to not drive this point home a little more: Storing your Weber Grill indoors in a shed or garage is always the best bet.
Not only does it keep your grill safe from the weather, it also prevents theft, and locks out moisture completely.
And where there’s no moisture, there’s no rust. So if you have the space, then obviously you should put your Weber grill indoors with a cover to prevent anything bad from happening to it over winter. Indoors is best.
But indoors isn’t always possible, and that’s why we’re here today. Just because indoors is good doesn’t mean outdoors is bad, right?
Can I Leave My Weber Grill Outside?
To cut to the point, yes, you can leave your Weber grill outside, but you need to understand a few things and prepare your grill properly to be able to do it. So, let’s get to it.
Weber grills are incredibly robust. The steel they use is reinforced for maximum strength, and no amount of wind or cold is going to be able to damage it at all.
Basically, from a damage perspective, it is 100% OK to leave your Weber grill outdoors.
What isn’t OK is leaving your propane tank’s valve open in really cold conditions.
Anything close to -44 degrees Fahrenheit and your propane tanks won’t produce the vapor that’s needed, so these should always be kept outside still (because you should never store propane indoors), but shut off when it’s really cold outside for best results.
The actual grill itself, though, well, that won’t have a problem being outside over winter, no matter how cold it gets and you won’t need to do anything special to prepare it.
However, leaving your grill outside uncovered is an absolute no-no. Its easy to find inexpensive, yet, effective covers on Amazon that will breathe many more years of grilling life into your Weber grill. Check some out here.
By the time you come back to grilling when the sun is out again, you won’t be able to get started right away because your once glorious grill will now be covered in rust.
But before we talk about covering your Weber grill and what to use, you also need to know how to prep the grill itself for staying outside over winter.
This question is also common for Blackstone Griddle owners too, read up on that here.
Preparing Your Weber Grill For Outside Storage
Before storing your Weber grill for the winter, you should do a deep clean.
And by that, I mean it might take you a couple of hours of your afternoon, but a thorough clean is really important to get your grill storage ready.
Here’s a list of everything you’re going to need to get your Weber grill up to scratch before storing it away over winter:
- Cleaning gloves
- Grill brush
- Warm soapy water
- Sponge
- Mild stainless steel cleaner
- Paper towels
- Lint-free cloth
- Scouring pad
- Paint scraper
- Cooking oil
Cleaning The Exterior
To clean the exterior of the grill, here’s what you’ll need to do:
- Wash the lid of your grill using warm soapy water and a sponge
- Wipe dry using paper towels
- Use your stainless steel cleaner to clean any stainless steel parts
- Wipe the stainless steel with the lint-free cloth with the grain and then buff
That should be all that’s required for the exterior. Really, it’s just about getting it looking good before putting it away.
It also means you can get rid of any debris or food that might attract rodents or creepy crawlies, which, of course, we want to avoid.
Cleaning The Interior
Next, it’s time to get the interior of your Weber grill ready for storage. Here’s how to do it:
Use a grill brush to brush the inside of the grill lid – there may be a collection of grease peeling from the top – this is normal, but needs to be cleaned away
- Then wash with warm soapy water and a sponge
- Brush the bars or grates with the grill brush to remove any debris
- Wipe the bars/grates clean with warm soapy water
- Take the grates/bars and flavorizer bars out of the grill
- Brush up the burner tubes (being careful not to push debris from one burner hole to another) using the grill brush
- Use warm soapy water to clean any flavorizer parts or heat reflectors you remove to access the bottom of the grill
- Then use a paint scraper to remove any excess grease buildup and debris from the inside of the grill – push everything to the bottom tray
- Remove the bottom tray, and scrape everything into a trash can
- Clean the bottom tray with warm soapy water and a scouring pad
- Remove the drip tray and empty the contents
- Then wash the tray with warm soapy water
- Make sure EVERYTHING is thoroughly dry before putting it all back in its original places
- Then use cooking oil and paper towels to lightly cover the grill bars or grates to protect it from rust
That might seem like a lot, and it is, but if you’re storing your grill outside for a while when grilling season is over, then it needs to be cleaned, dried, and protected thoroughly to prevent rust and keep it looking great for next season.
To Finish
At this stage, your Weber grill should be thoroughly cleaned and ready for storage.
But you should never leave your grill uncovered outside. Instead, purchase a waterproof grill cover to put over your grill to prevent any moisture from getting in and causing rust.
Covers will also help keep your griddle looking great for the next use when the sun finally returns and we can all return to our happy places, outdoor cooking, without any additional work!