Charcoal Nest Rusted Out

[richsilv]

Hey after my first year of smoking in the Kit...
And a long hiatus while we did Nutrisystem...

I opened up my BPS to clean it up and re-season it for an expected year of smoking...

Only to find that my Charcoal Nest is rusted out...

This leads me to all kinds of questions?

Is only a year out of this piece to be expected?
(I definitely was of the school "Shut down the charcoal by shutting off the air" and put everything away... I definitely did not clean out the Nest after things cooled down...) Was that a mistake?

Anyway, what's everyone else's experience here?
What can I do to prolong the lifetime of the next Nest (when they get back in Stock)...
I am guessing that the Nest probably finds Temps that are past what Powder Coating would resist... Is there some other High Temp Paint that will resist the temps?

Is there something better I can use for the Nest?

 

[Salmonsmoker]

The charcoal and ashes can be corrosive. Settlers used to make lye for their homemade soap by running water through them. Nix on any paint on the basket either. There's many poisonous compounds in it. Needs to be untreated. Moisture in your drum with the charcoal and ashes, especially if it's closed up tight for a long period of time is probably the culprit. Mine(I have 2 drums) are 3-4 yrs. old, but I use them fairly often. The baskets are probably on their last season. After use and then cool-down after fire is out, I open all of the vents so I have a little air flow through to keep moisture from accumulating inside the barrel.

 

[Big Poppa]

I learned the hard way with mine no air and you usually end up with mold too

 

[Salmonsmoker]

I learned the hard way with mine no air and you usually end up with mold too

That's the truth BP. Up here in the PNW with all of the rain we get, that mold doesn't take very long to start growing. I ordered a couple of your drum covers for my two drums a while back and they have helped a great deal with keeping them dry and mold free. Still need to open the vents for storage-very important!