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Crack forming in Small Firebox! Do I fix it or just leave it alone?

Chumly
Chumly Posts: 18
edited June 2012 in EggHead Forum

Well, there is not much to say… so here it goes.


I bought a small BGE
secondhand.

Therefore I have no warranty. I found a crack in firebox (pics
below).

 

So…

 

Do I remove the fire box and attempt to patch this minor
crack with jb weld or other? Or do I leave it alone until it cracks all the way
through and then repair it? Do I NEVER take it out of the egg again?

 

Or are there other options that I am leaving out? Any input would be great! Thanks again!

 

 

P.s. Also, last cook I had done an indirect setup for 1.5 hours
then switched to cook steaks. It wouldn’t get hot enough so I attempted to stir
the coals and pile them to one side, at the same time I caught the fire/charcoal grate
w/my ash tool and pulled it out of place causing the coal collapsed into the bottom of the fire box. I left the dome open and finished the short cook. Did my
foolish impatience crack my firebox? Or did it just happen to occur during this
cook?

Comments

  • I can't answer many of your questions, but I believe my BGE manual states that small cracks may form in the fire box and ring. Makes it seem to me like it's nothing to worry about. The manual also states that the box and ring don't need to be removed once put in place, which I believe is a way of trying to limit warranty claims on cracked boxes and rings. Over.

    A muslim, a socialist and an illegal immigrant walk into a bar 

    Blogging: Never before have so many with so little to say said so much to so few.

  • Chumly
    Chumly Posts: 18
    I figured its probably not as big a deal as I am making it, however I am freaking out because I'm a newbie and I am in already in love with this thing love with this thing. I just want to minimize the current damage, and make sure I'm not making rookie mistakes that will cause me more problems like this.
  • tazcrash
    tazcrash Posts: 1,852
    You mentioned it is second hand.
    Does that firebox have an expansion slit in it?
    If not, it may just be destiny.
    Bx - > NJ ->TX!!! 
    All to get cheaper brisket! 
  • Chumly
    Chumly Posts: 18
    Negative on the expansion slot. It is an older egg. The gentleman I bought it from said he had updated/upgraded to the "new" hinge and hardware etc. Not sure when they started with that though. So I cannot date it.

    I will feel better if someone can confirm that its not my fault. ( I will still probably beat myself up over it regardless)

    I feel guilty because in the short time I have owned it, I have done more nuclear steak cooks than I feel comfortable admitting to either my doctor or a BGE rep......
  • mwalsh11
    mwalsh11 Posts: 2
    edited June 2012
    The crack is nothing to worry about. I've had a giant crack in my fire box for over a year. The new ones have the crack built in. This does not affect how hot it gets or how it cooks.
  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
    Chumly, absolutely nothing to worry about.  Here's my FAQ entry on it:  Cracked Firebox FAQ

    Yours will break eventually and even that is no worry.  Once it breaks into pieces, as long as they fit together and do the job, there's no real need to fix it or replace it.  Good luck!
    The Naked Whiz
  • My firebox has much bigger cracks and had them for years. I got a new one under warranty but kept the old one as a backup. It's still fine. I think Stike has one that's like a jigsaw puzzle and it still works fine. You probably have years worth of use with this box. They all crack eventually so use it all you can and buy a new one down the road.

    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX