1 Star General Interior Paint Peeling?

scbeme

New member
I have a 1 Star General that's 4-5 years old and gets average use. The interior paint on the lid has been peeling for some time now and is always flaking off inside the grill.

I'd like to hear from other 1 Star General grill owners if you are having this same paint peeling issue to determine if my paint peeling problem is 'normal' for the Mak 1 Star General grill? Given the price of these grills, I'm really disappointed that I have to constantly inspect the food that that I'm grill to ensure no paint flakes. I've also noticed that the drip pan has warped and no longer sits flat.

I did contact the Mak Grill support via email and was told the peeling paint and warped drip pan were 'normal'. Very disappointed with these two issues. I'll be shopping for a stainless grill or another brand that doesn't consider 'peeling paint' a normal product feature.
 

TentHunter

Moderator
I'm a 1 Star owner and without seeing pictures of your issue, if I were a betting man I'd bet it's not paint you're seeing.

A common issue with ALL grills/smokers that use wood or charcoal is carbon (from burning wood) build-up on the underside of your lid, and if you don't scrub it off periodically (I do mine at least twice a year), it starts flaking off and looks just like flecks of paint. It's simply a byproduct of using wood as a fuel source.

Here's an article about this issue from Weber: It Ain’t Paint | Weber.co


On your MAK 1 Star, this requires removing the front section of your lid so you can get to the entire underside.


While we're on the subject, the vents on the back side of your 1 Star will also get choked up with the stuff and require periodic cleaning out. This will require removing the downdraft wind screen along the inside back of the grill so you can get to both sides of the vents (I do this once a year).

If you have an older model that has the wind screen riveted in, drill the rivets out so you can get the baffle off, clean the vents, and replace the rivets with small stainless steel nuts & bolts. We had to do this to my friend Jason's 1 Star earlier this year.






As far as the warped drip pan, is it the drip pan or the heat deflector (which sits above the firepot)? I have owned three 1 Star now (I have upgraded twice to newer models) and on all three the heat defector warps slightly, but it doesn't affect the performance.

Again, other pellet grills are known to also have this issue. The heat deflector/drip pan on my Stoven/Weber pellet grill also has a slight warp). Metal flexes as it heats up.


Hope this helps!
 
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KyNola

Member
I have owned two 2 Stars. Their lids are stainless steel and I too have the flaking that you describe. It's exactly what Cliff described.
 

Spey Rod

New member
I have had a 1 star since 2013. I am seeing some paint peeling in the bottom of my fire pit. The warranty is very specific about this being a cosmetic issue. I am not going to let it bother me. This grill cooks better than any other grill, except the 2 Star I cooked on yesterday.

IMHO, Enjoy the food and don't sweat the little stuff.
 

jimsbarbecue

Moderator
Two star owner as KyNola mention same for us. I buy plastic shims used for shiming door jams and use them to scrap the carbon of and clean the vents. Just like Cliff we remove the hood once in awhile and give it a good cleaning
 
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