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Just had new egg delivered. Have a question. Lid doesn't seem centered.

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Tier1Terrier
Tier1Terrier Posts: 129
in EggHead Forum
I just got back early from a trip to find my wife 'surprised' me with a BGE that was delivered to our house.  There was something that I noticed right away that struck me as odd and I wanted to be sure before I do anything with it.  The lid doesn't seem centered (front to back).  The front of the top (lid) seems to be slightly recessed back from the bottom by about 1/4".  So in the front the top is slightly back from the bottom and in the rear, the top hangs slightly over the bottom.  The gaskets however seem to line up fairly well, but I'm not sure if that's because the gaskets were simply placed where the two pieces connect.  I realize that the important thing is whether or not it leaks air (which can be tested by doing the dollar bill test) but I don't even want to use this thing if there's any defect with the assembly.  I will try to post a picture if needed, but in the meantime, what should I do (if anything)?
XL BGE Owner Since September 2015 - So expect a lot of newbie questions and please go easy on me :-)
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  • tcracing
    tcracing Posts: 378
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    Call dealer to fix the under bite. They should line up.
    George Foreman? Who? 
    Tim C. Panama City, Fl. 
    Large, Minimax-soon
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  • swordsmn
    swordsmn Posts: 683
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    I think mine has a SLIGHT underbite. Has never hurt me. You can likely tweak it to better align but I wouldn't let that stop me from an inaugral cook.  Post a pic if you can. Lots of eggsperts will advise.
    LBGE, AR.  Lives in N.E. ATL
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  • swordsmn
    swordsmn Posts: 683
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    But be advised, a lot of the local heroes will be tanked in a few hrs. Lol
    LBGE, AR.  Lives in N.E. ATL
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  • Durangler
    Durangler Posts: 1,122
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    I agree with @tcracing.
    Take note of how they realign the dome to the base. Chances are, you will need to realign again later down the road.  ;)
    XL BGE, 22" Weber Red Head, Fiesta Gasser .... Peoria,AZ
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  • swordsmn
    swordsmn Posts: 683
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    Let's hope the dealer knows how to.  I mean they set it up this way.. Just sayin.
    LBGE, AR.  Lives in N.E. ATL
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,897
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    Welcome aboard! It is only natural to think that your new $800 BGE should be perfect, but in all honesty 1/4" is no great shakes and IMHO is nothing to worry about. These bases and domes are cast in mass separately. They are not cast as a single piece and then cut apart, nor are they fine China from a jewelry store. If you feel better then by all means contact your dealer on Monday and see what they say and how they respond to your concern. It may reveal how your dealer will treat you in the future when you have warranty claims.
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 19,107
    edited August 2015
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    Also be warned continued heating and cooling cycles will affect this.

    I recommend cooking on it for a few weeks.  If at that point it still bothers you, then call the dealer to have them realign.

    If you are worried call the dealer to let them know your issue and if in a few weeks it still bothers you then you will call them back to fix it.

    Also, give your wife a big hug and tell her thank you!!  Awesome surprise, don't obsess over the alignment.
    They don’t want a population of citizens capable of critical thinking. They don’t want well informed, well educated people capable of critical thinking. They’re not interested in that. That doesn’t help them. That's against their interests. - George Carlin
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  • SoCalTim
    SoCalTim Posts: 2,158
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    Agree with everyone here, but you know what ... you guys spent alot of coin, have them come out and make the adjustments.

    Then watch how they do it, for future reference.
    I've slow smoked and eaten so much pork, I'm legally recognized as being part swine - Chatsworth Ca.
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  • Tier1Terrier
    Tier1Terrier Posts: 129
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    I forgot to mention it's an XL. Are there not any screws or something I might be able to simply tighten or loosen to align it properly?
    XL BGE Owner Since September 2015 - So expect a lot of newbie questions and please go easy on me :-)
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  • Tier1Terrier
    Tier1Terrier Posts: 129
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    It's kind of hard to see how bad the misalignment is from these pictures but here they are anyway.,,
    XL BGE Owner Since September 2015 - So expect a lot of newbie questions and please go easy on me :-)
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  • Miked125
    Miked125 Posts: 481
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    Should line up but does it pass the dollar bill test?
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  • Durangler
    Durangler Posts: 1,122
    edited August 2015
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    Yea, have the dealer fix that. My XL has an underbite about 1/16" yours looks closer to 3/8'".
    I'll try & fix my issue when the felt gasket goes bad. I have a @RRP special ready when needed.
    XL BGE, 22" Weber Red Head, Fiesta Gasser .... Peoria,AZ
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  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,457
    edited August 2015
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    Really hard to tell by the pic but it doesn't look too terrible.  My large has had 1/4" offset for several years. Unless your gasket is hanging inside the opening you are good to go.  
      I've got the same gasket as you and I'm on year #5 on my large. So in short words unless the gasket is hanging inside the base or dome  don't sweat it. You have several yrs of use ahead of you.  

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
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  • Monty77
    Monty77 Posts: 667
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    I have had an under bite for a couple of years now, no biggie.  Passes the dollar test, and leaks no smoke, so no concerns here either..  obviously your call since it new, but like others started above, might want to use it for a while and see how it goes while informing the dealer to make them aware
    Large BGE 2011, XL BGE 2015, Mini Max 2015, and member of the "North of the Border Smokin Squad" Canadian Outdoor Chef from London, Ontario, Canada

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/monty77/
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  • THEBuckeye
    THEBuckeye Posts: 4,231
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    Normal

    Welcome to the bane of the over/under Egger's eggsistance! 
    New Albany, Ohio 

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  • SmokingPiney
    SmokingPiney Posts: 2,282
    edited August 2015
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    My XL has a similar looking underbite. The seal is good with no leaks and the gasket isn't frying, so I'm leaving it be.
    South Jersey Pine Barrens. XL BGE , Assassin 24, Weber Kettle, CharBroil gasser, AMNPS 
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  • bob.bud
    bob.bud Posts: 297
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    My large has a slight underbite - all my fault as I put the egg together myself and in my excitement to finish her up I did notice the 'problem' I was creating.

    As others have said, if you are not leaking, no problem. However, if it troubles you to much, take a look at how level the band on the lower half of your egg is front to back.

    I would guess that the band sits higher in the front and you have a slight pitch towards the back. This forces the hinge mechanism to be lower than intended thus creating the issue where the dome sits further back... underbite.
    Bloomfield Hills, MI | LGBE : AR R & B Oval Combo w/Extender and Sliding D Grid : Kick Ash Basket : Smokeware Cap : Smobot Beta
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  • Mosca
    Mosca Posts: 456
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    Mine's offset to the left. Over 5 years, I didn't notice until I saw this topic and checked. Unless it isn't a ggod seal don't worry about it.
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  • AUCE
    AUCE Posts: 890
    edited August 2015
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    Not a perfect science...I actually have dome band depth from rim less than bottom and get perfect alignment. Wouldnt worry much now and after  a few cooks play with it. Bands higher lower.etc. consistently AROUND entire rim more important than depth from rim.

    I would much rather be able to say I was glad I did than wished I had........

    XL owner and purveyor of pallette perfection...

    Homosassa....Mecca of Florida

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  • Terrebandit
    Terrebandit Posts: 1,750
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    Yeah, mine is off to the right and I have never messed with it.  I assembled it myself and heat caused the shift in position over time, I think. Been that way for 3 years.  

    In in your case, I'd call the dealer and have them reposition it.  Keep in mind, that it might shift back out of alignment with use.  
    Dave - Austin, TX
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  • THEBuckeye
    THEBuckeye Posts: 4,231
    edited August 2015
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    Just be sure to tighten you band bolts in 30 days. Seriously. 
    New Albany, Ohio 

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  • Tier1Terrier
    Tier1Terrier Posts: 129
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    Ok, So I just decided to do the dollar bill test.  It holds the bill moderately snug in the front, a little loose along the sides and completely loose in the back.  I'm definitely not happy about this and while I'm sure I can follow the instructions I've seen in the various 'underbite' threads on how to adjust the bands and what not, I think the dealer ought to take care of this.  The last thing I want to do is break something or screw something up and have them tell me it's not covered because of what I did.  I'm a little bummed about this and I don't want my wife to even know because I don't want her to be disappointed either.
    XL BGE Owner Since September 2015 - So expect a lot of newbie questions and please go easy on me :-)
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,897
    edited August 2015
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    Tier1Terrier said:
    Ok, So I just decided to do the dollar bill test.  It holds the bill moderately snug in the front, a little loose along the sides and completely loose in the back.  I'm definitely not happy about this and while I'm sure I can follow the instructions I've seen in the various 'underbite' threads on how to adjust the bands and what not, I think the dealer ought to take care of this.  The last thing I want to do is break something or screw something up and have them tell me it's not covered because of what I did.  I'm a little bummed about this and I don't want my wife to even know because I don't want her to be disappointed either.
    Good idea. Actually what you describe is proof positive that the planes of your dome and base are out of whack. To fix it you or your dealer will need to loosen the band bolts and press downward forcing the planes of the two ceramic parts to shift and that way match up. Then the bolts will need to be re-tightened. Yes let your dealer solve the issue. If you didn't resolve the loose backside then your gasket would soon be history due to escaping gases and heat.
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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  • Tier1Terrier
    Tier1Terrier Posts: 129
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    Crisis averted!!!  I called this morning and spoke to Dewayne at BGE HQ Customer Service.  He was extremely helpful and guided me through the steps to level out the top.  It was extremely simple to do, even for someone who didn't understand the way these things are put together.

    So basically here's what was the problem and what I did.  The first problem was that the lower band was not wrapped around evenly - it was lower in the rear than in the front.  He explained to me that the lower band should come right up to the edge of the lower gasket all the way around the lower half.  So I loosened the carriage bolt on the lower rear band and GENTLY tapped along the band using a block of wood and a rubber mallet until the band was placed evenly around the whole bottom.  Then I tightened the band.  From that point, the underbite had improved significantly, but there was still a bit of unevenness along the planes where the gaskets met and it still did not pass the dollar bill test.  In fact, the gap on the rear side between the gaskets was slightly worse, but I wasn't worried because I knew there were a couple more steps to

    Next step was to adjust the front to back placement to fine tune the sitting of the top to the bottom.  There are two slotted acorn nuts on the top part of the hinge (above the spring) on both sides of the top that needed to be loosened so that I can 'wiggle' the top into a centered position.  So I loosened all 4 nuts, wiggled it into position, then tightened.  Now the top was centered properly (no under or overbite), but there was still unevenness on the plane of contact - in other words, it still failed the dollar bill test.

    The last step was to somewhat repeat the first step (loosening the carriage bolt) except for the upper band.  Wherever there was the largest gap between the two gaskets, I GENTLY tapped the band upward which essentially pushed the lid downward by it's own weight.  Once I saw that the upper band was positioned in such a way that the entire top part of the egg sat nicely and evenly on the bottom, I tightened the carriage bolt of the top band and vuala!  It was fixed.  Dollar bill test passed all the way around the egg.  No more underbite (or overbite).

    I'm happy as a clam!

    XL BGE Owner Since September 2015 - So expect a lot of newbie questions and please go easy on me :-)
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  • johnkitchens
    johnkitchens Posts: 5,227
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    I am glad you got it fixed. My first egg was aligned perfectly, but my second one was not. I couldn't stand it. I worked and worked on it until I get it lined up. 

    Louisville, GA - 2 Large BGE's
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  • jimithing
    jimithing Posts: 254
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    Glad you got it worked out.  After you cook on it a few times check all those bolts and make sure they're still snug.
    XL BGE
    Plano, TX
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  • Jaime
    Jaime Posts: 87
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    Bravo!  
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  • Begger
    Begger Posts: 569
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    My XL was delievered and assembled perfect.   within a couple weeks, it had developed an underbite.    The guys from the dealer came out and fixed it by adjusting the lower band UP which pushed the lid Forward.    
    It slipped back down again and I'm back to underbite.

    I would LOVE to design a proper hinge for this, to take the weight and allow for adjustment.
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