My daisy wheel has a bunch of gunk build-up and is very hard to turn or open

jls9595

Should I do a clean burn with the wheel in the egg to burn it off or just clean it manually?  I am kinda nervous about getting it that hot.  I left it unattended one time with the vents open too long and when I got back it was off the charts hot.  I'm just paranoid someone will come by and open it and singe all the hair off of their body.  Is a clean burn really necessary?  I have had the Egg almost 3 years and use it on average about 2-3 times a week so there is alot of creosote or whatever that black junk is.  I have heard it makes the Egg better, so what say you guys?  

lousubcap

Clean off the thick crud that inhibits the DFMT operation and spray it with cooking oil.  Every time you shutdown the BGE toss the DFMT in there as it shuts down and you will season it and not have any issues.

BTW-I am not in the "clean burn" camp so I agree with you but opinions are just like...everyone has one!  FWIW-

grege345

I always put my wheel in the egg after I put the cap on to shut down. Seems to work for me

Mickey

Or clean it and put in the garage. I don't use any if mine.

RRP

several options but the simplest since you don't seem to want to do a burn off is to soak it for a day or two if really bad in a container of household ammonia. The next day take a stiff brush and finish it off. Be careful not to breathe the fumes though.

bigguy136

I'm with grege, I put mine inside when I shut my egg down and no build-up. Can you hit it with a MAPP torch?

Mickey

Not this bad I bet.

henapple

Oven cleaner, pressure wash and painted mine with grill paint. Lasted a long time.

Charlesmaneri

I put mine in the vice and hit it with a wire brush on the drill then painted it with VHT header paint looks like new 

Gator_Man

I like mine a little sticky and hard to move that way it stays adjusted to the setting I have it at when opening and closing the egg.

caliking

Gator_Man said:

I like mine a little sticky and hard to move that way it stays adjusted to the setting I have it at when opening and closing the egg.

+1. I stopped using mine because the damn thing swung around and messed up my settings whenever I opened the lid. Yes, I know about aligning the screw perpendicular to  the hinge and all that. Bought the smokeware cap for the large and put both the dfmt and the ceramic cap in a place where I can't find them.

Loosemoose

I really like the idea of putting it inside the egg before shutting it down.
Thanks for the great advice.

henapple

Depending on how many low and slow cooks you do will determine the amount of gunk.

gmac

Thanks for asking.  Mine is terribly gunked up, can barely turn it and I was wondering what to do about it.  Gonna put it in egg tomorrow and clean it out.

Lit

Even if you put it in the egg after your cooks they will still gunk up. You can take them apart and scrub them or when you do a clean burn put it in your egg.

CANMAN1976

Mine is gunked up big time too.Its also frozen solid most of the time so I usually smack it with the handle of my ash too to free it up.Gotta clean it soon tho:)

CANMAN1976

caliking said:

Gator_Man said:

I like mine a little sticky and hard to move that way it stays adjusted to the setting I have it at when opening and closing the egg.

+1. I stopped using mine because the damn thing swung around and messed up my settings whenever I opened the lid. Yes, I know about aligning the screw perpendicular to  the hinge and all that. Bought the smokeware cap for the large and put both the dfmt and the ceramic cap in a place where I can't find them.

How do you find the new cap for shut downs? do you use more lump? I may have to get one also!!

caliking

@CANMAN1976 - I don't find myself using an appreciable  amount of extra lump. I love that its a one-piece deal used for both temp control and shutting down, and most of all that the settings dont change when I open the lid. One of the best eggcessories I have bought IMO. 

lousubcap

Okay-Christmas Eve and I'm trying something new in the posting world-here's a photo section of how to manage the DFMT-lifted from here- http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramicfaq.htm#about 

How Do I Keep The Daisy Wheel Top In Place When I Open The Egg? 
You will find that when you open the top of the Big Green Egg that the daisy wheel slider top will swing to one side or the other, thus messing up your carefully set temperature adjustment. The way to prevent this from happening is to position the top so that when you open the top of the Egg, the slider top will hang from the pivot point. Below are some photos from the front and the back showing how to position the top so that the slider will remain in position when you open the Egg.Note: The first person in recorded history to think of this little trick was probably Sir Isaac Newton, shortly after the apochryphal apple hit him on the head. However, the first person in the modern era to share this idea was Tim Moore. You can visit his site at www.tm52.com.

Front, lid closed	Back, lid open

The main site is well worth bookmarking and giving a read.

sstripes96

Another suggestion that has worked for me. When the wife is running a cleaning cycle on the oven, I toss in my Egg stuff that has gotten nasty. At the end of the cycle, it comes out looking new.

As far as the Daisy wheel. I was going to buy one of the Stainless toppers from Grill Ware ($37) but I was looking on here and found a guy in Denmark that made a lock out of aluminum. Ive modified the design for better locking and made it out of stainless so it wont rust. Total cost was $2 for the screw and wingnut. I had some stainless laying around.

Gator_Man

I have a smokewear for the large but they don't make for the small. I use my small when living in the Motor Home during the winter months in S FL.

laserdoc85

Just take a hammer or pillars and tap that wheel and it will open up. Been doing it like that for 20 years. It will stick more in the winter but will also stick in the summer. Tap and go. Ain't going to break anything

Skiddymarker

Being a home brewer, that pink chlorinating detergent, Sani-Brew, will soak the gunkiest of DFMTs clean overnight. After a quick rinse and dry, I would re-oil and it looked great for about another three or four weeks. Finally came to the conclusion that cleanliness is next to stupidity when it comes to DFMTs. As long as the petals open, it works and it doesn't seem to care how it looks. 

Lit

sstripes96 said:

Another suggestion that has worked for me. When the wife is running a cleaning cycle on the oven, I toss in my Egg stuff that has gotten nasty. At the end of the cycle, it comes out looking new.

As far as the Daisy wheel. I was going to buy one of the Stainless toppers from Grill Ware ($37) but I was looking on here and found a guy in Denmark that made a lock out of aluminum. Ive modified the design for better locking and made it out of stainless so it wont rust. Total cost was $2 for the screw and wingnut. I had some stainless laying around.

I would not recommend this at all. A buddy of mine did that with his platesetter and the grease caught fire and he couldn't get oven to open since it was on clean and flames were coming through the vents on the stove. He had to pull the hose in and put it through the vents and ended up shattering the glass in the front of the oven.

sstripes96

Thanks Lit, maybe I have to rethink that?