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Ceramic lid frozen to the top of my XL

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Grillmagic
Grillmagic Posts: 1,600
in EggHead Forum
It's -2 degrees here in Michigan an last night when I went to fire up the egg the ceramic top was frozen solid to the egg, I got a fire going with the looflighter with the lid open then closed on and off/ for several minutes trying to free the dang thing and when I finally broke it free by tugging on it the ceramic top fell to the ground/snow covered and did not break! Whew! However this morning I noticed the ceramic top is once again frozen solid and I don't want to have the same thing happen again, I ran the looflighter all around the inside and out side yesterday and believe in combination it freed it up but I don't want/need the same problem again today. This is my third winter with the egg and it's never happened before and now it's happened two days in a row. Any ideas?
Charlotte, Michigan XL BGE
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  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
    edited January 2015
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    Someone mentioned aluminum foil on the main seal to keep it from freezing shut.  Aluminum foil might work even better between the egg and the ceramic top.

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,754
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    if theres lump in the egg you can light it thru the lower vent with napkin and oil
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • Grillmagic
    Grillmagic Posts: 1,600
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    fishlessman said:

    if theres lump in the egg you can light it thru the lower vent with napkin and oil

    I was able to open the egg and start a fire with the looflighter, let it get going for 10 minutes then I closed the egg for 60 seconds then open for 60 several times then ran the looflighter around the inside as well as outside
    Charlotte, Michigan XL BGE
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  • BYS1981
    BYS1981 Posts: 2,533
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    Best bet is to move out of that hell. Lol
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  • GATABITES
    GATABITES Posts: 1,260
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    You may just have to be patient and start your fire as you mentioned and let the ceramics heat up a little to loosen the cap. The key is patience. 
    XL BGE 
    Joe JR 
    Baltimore, MD
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,754
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    i assumed you meant dome freezing
    :D never seen the rain cap freeze on
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
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    @grillmagic ... what if you started the fire and closed the lid down on a spacer ... one or two inch crack?  Watch that the fire doesn't get going enough to burn the gasket.

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

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  • Egghead_Daron
    Egghead_Daron Posts: 862
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    I bring out the foil in the winter between base and lid. Foil is cheap and keeps the gasket from freezing to itself. Hazard of living in this ****.
    LBGE 2013, SBGE 2014, Mini 2015
    Columbus IN
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  • MadcapMagician
    MadcapMagician Posts: 89
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    You could also use plastic wrap as well
    1 brand new XL BGE 1-22" WSM 1-Weber Performer 1-Four Seasons gasser West Islip, New York
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,893
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    sounds like you have a gasket applied directly on the dome - right? It apparently has gotten wet and froze. That's one of the problems with the gasket placed there. Instead a gasket far inside the cap itself gives a better fit and avoids the problem you are having. Just saying...
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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  • Grillmagic
    Grillmagic Posts: 1,600
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    Jeepster47 said:
    @grillmagic ... what if you started the fire and closed the lid down on a spacer ... one or two inch crack?  Watch that the fire doesn't get going enough to burn the gasket.

    I did that, I got a good fire going then closed the lid on my grill brush handle which gave me about a 1/2 inch gap and kept checking every five minutes for 20/30 minutes and it was still frozen on and my dome thermo said it was 180 degrees inside the dome. It wasn't until I put the looflighter direct on the cap from both the inside and out side that it freed up enough to get it to pop/come off which freed up while I was tugging on it and to which I dropped it by jerking on it and that when it went flying through the air and landed on the driveway

    Charlotte, Michigan XL BGE
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  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
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    @Grillmagic ... oh oh ... now don't roll your eyes, but you've given me one more reason to like my Smokeware cap.  Stainless will transfer heat very quickly, so if it freezes it should be easier to thaw out.

    Will go check to see if mine is frozen.

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

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  • VooDuuChild
    VooDuuChild Posts: 54
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    ........torch.......
    1) XLBGE                  1) PK's Pro 100 pound capacity commercial grade electric smoker
    2) Chief smokers        1) Brinkmann...first smoker...gave to a buddy after years of great service.
    1) Char Broil Gas grill  1) Square Char Broil coal grill   1) Round XL Weber round coal grill
    1) Rotisserie for the Weber grill (AWESOME).....I don't have a problem, I can stop anytime I want...I can.
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  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
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    Here is a pic from earlier this week:

    image

    There was ice frozen to the top of the cap, but neither the top portion nor the snuff lid were frozen in place.

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

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  • Grillmagic
    Grillmagic Posts: 1,600
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    Jeepster47 said:
    @Grillmagic ... oh oh ... now don't roll your eyes, but you've given me one more reason to like my Smokeware cap.  Stainless will transfer heat very quickly, so if it freezes it should be easier to thaw out.

    Will go check to see if mine is frozen.
    I hope you do not have the problems I did, the ceramic closes off the fire way quicker than my daisy wheel and I might just have to go with it until it warms up...
    Charlotte, Michigan XL BGE
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  • Grillmagic
    Grillmagic Posts: 1,600
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    Jeepster47 said:
    Someone mentioned aluminum foil on the main seal to keep it from freezing shut.  Aluminum foil might work even better between the egg and the ceramic top.
    I am going to try this next, I'm lost so far... It's still frozen tight and its in my garage.
    Charlotte, Michigan XL BGE
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  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 19,085
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    My smokeware cap was frozen shut. However, I was able to remove and put it in the egg to warm up enough so I could adjust it. Guess I need to clean the gunk off it more often.
    A bison’s level of aggressiveness, both physical and passive, is legendary. - NPS
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  • Grillmagic
    Grillmagic Posts: 1,600
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    Jeepster47 said:
    Here is a pic from earlier this week:

    image

    There was ice frozen to the top of the cap, but neither the top portion nor the snuff lid were frozen in place.
    Cone Head!!! LOL Great picture @jeepster47
    Charlotte, Michigan XL BGE
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  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
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    @Grillmagic ... aluminum foil under the daisy wheel will solve the leakage problem.  Leave the petals open and, if it freezes in place, you'll be able to poke holes in the foil to fire off the egg ... albeit a little slowly.

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

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  • Grillmagic
    Grillmagic Posts: 1,600
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    RRP said:
    sounds like you have a gasket applied directly on the dome - right? It apparently has gotten wet and froze. That's one of the problems with the gasket placed there. Instead a gasket far inside the cap itself gives a better fit and avoids the problem you are having. Just saying...

    I do! it's the way it came from my dealer, once it was lose I put it in the oven and dried the cap out  before I put it back on but like I stated it's once again frozen solid. @RRP is this the fix?

    Charlotte, Michigan XL BGE
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  • Jerald
    Jerald Posts: 46
    edited January 2015
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    Move to Florida?

    Good question.  Why doesn't keeping a separator on it work?
    Bub - Flower Mound, Texas.  
     
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  • nealmgb
    nealmgb Posts: 70
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    I have a LGBGE that is still in the box due to this cold weather.  My table is complete and the cold weather has halted the assembly of the egg.  As you can imagine, I'm anxious to fire up the egg.  Is the extremely cold temperature a problem with the adhesive that attaches the factory gasket?  

    LBGE St. Louis MO
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,893
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    now Im confused - is the gasket adhered to the exterior of your egg at the throat of the chimney or is the gasket adhered inside the ceramic rain cap? Sounds like it must be inside the cap since you say you put it in the oven to dry out. Is there much black creosote built up on the chimney area of the egg itself? When that gets hot it gets gooey and when you place your cap on then it cools and grabs the gasket the same way frozen water would do.
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,458
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    nealmgb said:

    I have a LGBGE that is still in the box due to this cold weather.  My table is complete and the cold weather has halted the assembly of the egg.  As you can imagine, I'm anxious to fire up the egg.  Is the extremely cold temperature a problem with the adhesive that attaches the factory gasket?  


    dude, put that thing together and cook!
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  • GATABITES
    GATABITES Posts: 1,260
    edited January 2015
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    nealmgb said:

    I have a LGBGE that is still in the box due to this cold weather.  My table is complete and the cold weather has halted the assembly of the egg.  As you can imagine, I'm anxious to fire up the egg.  Is the extremely cold temperature a problem with the adhesive that attaches the factory gasket?  

    When I got my Egg I assembled it in My family room tehn rolled it to my deck. I was running around the house all excited like a teenage school girl. Put some heat in that egg already. LOL

    I wasnt thinking, you are going to put yours in the table........ I would figure something out. 
    XL BGE 
    Joe JR 
    Baltimore, MD
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  • Blizz2307
    Blizz2307 Posts: 7
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    I would use my $12 heat gun from Harbor Freight. Would be a fairly quick and easy fix.
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  • Black_Badger
    Black_Badger Posts: 1,182
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    I haven't tried it yet myself, but when I mentioned my draft door freezing closed someone mentioned borrowing the wife's hair dryer, which seemed like a pretty clever trick. I know you're talking about the top of the egg instead of the bottom, but it still might be worth a shot.

    Good luck finding a clever solution and if you do please share it with all of us.

    Cheers -
    B_B
    Finally back in the Badger State!

    Middleton, WI
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  • Grillmagic
    Grillmagic Posts: 1,600
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    RRP said:
    now Im confused - is the gasket adhered to the exterior of your egg at the throat of the chimney or is the gasket adhered inside the ceramic rain cap? Sounds like it must be inside the cap since you say you put it in the oven to dry out. Is there much black creosote built up on the chimney area of the egg itself? When that gets hot it gets gooey and when you place your cap on then it cools and grabs the gasket the same way frozen water would do.
    @RRP the gasket is adhered to the exterior of the Egg/dome not the rain cap, when I put the rain cap on it goes on snug due to the gasket. I left the cap in the oven at 350 for 20/30 minutes and when I took it out of the oven there was some condensation on the inside and I dried it out with paper towels, I put it on the egg and checked it about two hours later and the cap came off easy at that time and the egg had cooled down quite a bit but not completely yet this morning it was froze on solid.
    Charlotte, Michigan XL BGE
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  • THEBuckeye
    THEBuckeye Posts: 4,231
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    Funny, don't see any Buckeye's posting about frozen domes in Ohio. 
    New Albany, Ohio 

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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,893
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    Ok - another series of thoughts. When your cap is on is some of the gasket visible? Even just a little could be wicking water up by capillary action and then in turn the moisture has been absorbed in the inside of the rain cap which was not glazed like the exterior. Some people complain about their eggs weeping after getting wet for a period of time and what you described sounds like your porous underside of your cap is doing the same but now freezing whereas in the summer you wouldn't even notice the wetness. HTH
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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