Magma cover or not to cover

[reiner]

We use the Magma Kettle barbecue from time to time and normally it lives inside a locker. Now I'm thinking I should fix it on the railing more permanently. The next thought was do I make a canvas cover for it or better not? If the cover gets wet and dry a few times would it do more harm and encourage rust? I think it would but I see plenty with cover. Any feedback would be great ( I can worry about something else then ) lol
Cheers
Reiner

[chouliha]

Canvas cover. We are on year 17 on the same unit. Full time cruisers. We also hit it with some polish about 2 times a year. But the cover makes a big difference. That’s not to say we have replaced the burner every few years plus some other internal items as well.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by reiner

We use the Magma Kettle barbecue from time to time and normally it lives inside a locker. Now I'm thinking I should fix it on the railing more permanently. The next thought was do I make a canvas cover for it or better not? If the cover gets wet and dry a few times would it do more harm and encourage rust? I think it would but I see plenty with cover. Any feedback would be great ( I can worry about something else then ) lol
Cheers
Reiner

Hi Reiner!

Our Magma has sat out for some years now, and does get a bit discolored... but I think mostly from heat, not casual exposure. I did make a cover for it, but being the lazy sod that I am, haven't used it for years. A bit of oxalic acid mixed into some cutting compound cleans it up quickly. The failure mode is internals wasting away... pretty shabby stuff IMO.

Meanwhile, hope that you and Sam are well and happy... maybe see you around the bay sometime.

Jim

[wingless]

Here is my Magma grill cover. I also made storage bags for the grill parts.

My grill is maintained in new condition and it has been holding up fine.

[landsend]

Last magma grill I had I left uncovered for about 6 months. It completely discolored. Not rust but looked awful. N ew one has been covered since I bought it (1year) and looks good.

[toddster8]

Mine came to me already on the rail with the factory cover on it. With the cover on, it gets full of wasp nests. With the cover off, the wind blows the grill open. Enough wind strips the cover off. (A tether line is a good idea if you want to keep it.) The whole thing has been on the high shelf in the garage for the last few years. Not worth the hassle of having it on the rail - might reinstall it for a week in which I planned to do a lot of fishing. I did install a high-pressure branch line on the propane manifold for it, as an alternative to carrying the little bottles. Now capped off.

[reiner]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Hi Reiner!

Our Magma has sat out for some years now, and does get a bit discolored... but I think mostly from heat, not casual exposure. I did make a cover for it, but being the lazy sod that I am, haven't used it for years. A bit of oxalic acid mixed into some cutting compound cleans it up quickly. The failure mode is internals wasting away... pretty shabby stuff IMO.

Meanwhile, hope that you and Sam are well and happy... maybe see you around the bay sometime.

Jim

Thank you for your thoughts Jim, I think you are right it is covered by stainless steel and I would get tired of removing the cover every time we use it.
Just a tip which might help other Magma users. I found ours was running to hot and I changed the main gas jet to one less than half the size and now it works beautiful. You can buy jets in most good gas or barbecue places or have one custom drilled in a good gas shop.

All the best to you and Ann too and we might see you around Moreton Bay one day. Fair winds to you both
cheers
Reiner and Sam