Weber Grill Cover

by Jeff Jones

The most often overlooked piece of outdoor grilling equipment is the grill cover. Most people don't see the purpose of buying a $10 grill cover to protect a $90 piece of equipment. On the surface, there is logic in their thinking but let's look at this a little closer.

Without a cover, your $90 dollar investment will likely be discolored and have the bottom rusted out in less than two years. The excess heat combined with the rain, hot sun, and cooler nights will cause the paint to bubble and chip exposing the metal underneath to corrode and rust. Let's say it survives three years just to be generous.

Your cost per year would be $90 divided by 3 years for ~ $30 per year.

Now lets say you have your $90 charcoal grill and at the time of purchase, you buy a grill cover for $10. Your total investment is now $100 for your outdoor grilling equipment. It would be a safe bet that with a cover, your grill would at least last 5 years (likely much longer). My personal record for my Weber Kettle Grill is 7 years... and counting!

For comparison sake, lets say you only get 5 years of charcoal grill cooking out of your setup before it needs replaced.

Your cost per year is $100 divided by 5 years for $20 per year.

That's a savings of $10 per year, that doesn't sound like much, but remember, we were very  conservative with our estimates. Odds are you will get much more life out of your grill than 5 years. Especially if you buy quality like the Weber Performer or Weber One Touch grills.

It's true there is other maintenance you can perform if you don't want to buy a grill cover.

One trick would be to sand down the rusty spots as they form with sandpaper, clean, and paint with a good heat resistant enamel paint. This may buy you some time, but it will also cost you time and more money.

Personally, I don't like to fiddle around my house doing maintenance chores.

   I'd rather be grilling!

Don't have a Weber? Search for your grill cover here!