First Gasket Smoked Pizza

blackgrass · December 2008

I cooked a couple of pizza's on the egg last night. I got the egg up to 500 and had it maintaining the temp. nicely. When I opened the egg the gasket was off and basically hanging over the fire box getting nice and crispy. I tried to pull it back into place to finish the cook but it fell off completely. I guess I won't have to worry too much with removing adhesive!

I went ahead and slid the pizza on the stone and closed it up. When I checked the pizza later the top gasket had come loose as well and added some nice smoked wool flavor to the pizza.

I have already emailed Bruce yesterday about getting a Nomex gasket but wondering if I am out of the egg game until I can get a replacement? I can get a wool replacement locally but curious if I should wait for the Nomex and just not cook on the egg till then?

This is all really dissapointing for such an expensive piece of cooking gear. I have read up on the forums and kind of expected that the gasket would not hold since it seems to be the weak link in the set-up...especially eggs of late. But if I hadn't read much about them and had the gasket come off on my brand new $900 bbq set I'd be calling the dealer to have them come pick it up! :evil:
I really hope the egg folks get the gasket issued solved in the near future!
So....do I keep cooking on it without the gasket? I did notice it took a long time to totally cool down and I'm sure I basically burned through the charcoal I loaded up for the pizza's.

Eggtucky · December 2008

Definitely would not stop cooking because of the gasket. Sounds like you did not do enough lower temp cooks to season it before going to 500+. Depending upon how much is left and how much leakage you have, you may have to make some adjustments to how you control the air flow and be careful closing the lid not to bang the top and bottom together too hard. Other than that, my gasket LBGE has been fried for over a year and I cook 4-6 times a week on it. Egg on!

"Sparky" · December 2008

You can keep on cookin without the gasket,I've been doin just that for a while now(on my medium).It may take a little longer to shut down,and may be harder to control temp,but I haven't noticed either :)Just start with less lump if your worried about wasting it

blackgrass · December 2008

Eggtucky wrote:

Definitely would not stop cooking because of the gasket. Sounds like you did not do enough lower temp cooks to season it before going to 500+. Depending upon how much is left and how much leakage you have, you may have to make some adjustments to how you control the air flow and be careful closing the lid not to bang the top and bottom together too hard. Other than that, my gasket LBGE has been fried for over a year and I cook 4-6 times a week on it. Egg on!

Actually I've been cooking on it for about 10 days or so and this was the first time I really got it up to 500 degrees or so. I read about taking it slow and breaking in the gasket with several low and slow cooks and I feel like I have done that. There is no gasket left what so ever...both peeled completely off.

BuffaloChip · December 2008

Same just happened to me. 5 or 6 cooks below 350 and then 550 for pizza and fried the gasket. I just look at it as being a consumable.

I blame it more on my setup than a poor gasket. Plate setter with green legs and then CI pizza grill. The CI only leaves about 1/2" clearance when in place. I think I was directing the heat right at the gasket. I do have the BGE pizza stone but love CI. It does seem to make a difference in controlling temps. Next cook was at 350 and had the bottom vent open about 1/4 inch and daisy petals open. Before that was more like 225.

So to solve my problem I ordered an adjustable rig w/ spider, SS grid and a wok just for fun. I wonder how many gaskets that is equal to.

Anyone know the price of the Nomex gaskets?

--Dave

Smokus Maximus · December 2008

Great cooker but I agree with the original post - for what it costs they should have this gasket issue solved...

As for 'seasoning' the gasket, I've done that and mine still started to come loose after my first pizza last night - and the manufacturer states nothing about having to 'break in' the gasket in their materials.

I'll probably call customer support next week and ask about this issue.

Biscuit · December 2008

We currently sell nomex gaskets for the Large at $19.95 at our store in Cumming and Dawsonville. BTW Geoff we change out every gasket on ever egg before it goes to our customers and have heard of very little gasket issues from them. Buy from a good dealer. Problem solved.

blackgrass · December 2008

Well....I called Bruce earlier and I'm getting a Nomex gasket. I already ran out at lunch and got some 3M 77 spray and some replacement carriage bolts just in case...I figure it can't hurt to replace them when installing the gasket.
So I guess this weekend I'll be cooking commando until the new gasket arrives.

I'm pretty happy with the service from the HQ....although I would have loved to have had a dealer like Biscuit and avoided this whole process all together.

On a good note....I have a 60 lbs. of raw oysters that should be delivered to my house around 6pm!

Thanks for all the replies and help.

Smokus Maximus · December 2008

Biscuit wrote:

We currently sell nomex gaskets for the Large at $19.95 at our store in Cumming and Dawsonville. BTW Geoff we change out every gasket on ever egg before it goes to our customers and have heard of very little gasket issues from them. Buy from a good dealer. Problem solved.

I'll have to look into this nomex gasket. Not to beat a dead horse, but as a new customer I don't know what a 'good dealer' is and I've not heard of a nomex gasket until this thread. I bought from Georgia Backyard, it's a high end grill/patio store and they all claim to own eggs, nice enough guys and helpful but never mentioned anything about the gaskets going.

Good for you that you change them out at your store (what store is this please? I'm not far from Cumming and might need to buy one) but it's still not something that should be necessary on a $650 cooker, in my opinion.

BGE must know there is an issue with the gaskets, because my egg included a replacement in the box. I guess I just expect if they know there is an issue that they should correct it or provide 'official' details how to avoid it.

I'm glad we have the help and information here on the forums.

Biscuit · January 2009

Geoff,
We are Blue Mountain Shoes off exit 13 next to Norman's Landing.In defense of BGE,can you imagine the logistics of changing out gaskets on EGGS after they have been boxed up for shipment?They are trying to work through this issue the best way they can by offering good customer service like we do.If it were not a cheap fix like a gasket then they would halt production.

Smokus Maximus · January 2009

Oh - so is this a bad batch or something? I was under the assumption this is just the way it's always been.

Thanks for the information, I'll contact them and let them know mine's coming loose and rely on their reputation for good service.

Thanks!

Biscuit · January 2009

Go back to Georgia Backyard they should give you replacement gasket or come to us.You don't have to go to the mothership to get customer service.I just hope that some dealers are not taking the opportunity to sell you another felt gasket.But don't you have another felt gasket? Just put that on with 3M super 77 adhesive and rock on,Bro

Buckwoody Egger · January 2009

Just a customer's opinion, but.....

I agree that BGE needs to put the gasket issue to rest. Not only to protect share vs other ceramics and high end grills-- Mostly to guarantee customer satisfaction at the crucial time (when folks are talking about it to friends the most). Another reason would be to avoid any market backlash from producing outside the USA. The other production issue last year with lids not fitting chimneys was fixed very quickly. Production problems should be fixed pre-dealer unless all dealers are able to address them pre-sale.

By the way, my Eggtoberfest Large from last year has been great, no problems whatsoever. The Egg is one of my favorite purchases all time. The HQ has been great. My friend bought from Blue Mountain and they have been great to him. No problems all positives.

Smokus Maximus · January 2009

Biscuit - thanks again for the helpful information.

They did include a backup gasket in the box. So the nomex gasket you've mentioned isn't critical? I can use the felt replacement and just make sure to use that 3m adhesive and I'll be fine? If I'm going to take care of the issue, I'd like to get it right this time

Also - I assume I'll have to take the lid off to properly apply the new gasket? Does that mean then I'll also need to replace the bolts I used the tighten the bands to the base and lid?

Sorry to keep peppering you with questions...

Biscuit · January 2009

Geoff,
The replacement gasket included should work fine,Just clean the gasket surface with acetone and remove any leftover glue,use the 3M super 77 spray adhesive and apply the new gasket. I would remove the dome from the base while doing this to get access to the gasket surfaces,there is no need for a nomex gasket or to replace any hardware. Just tighten the bolts till they bend. If you feel like you may need some more thorough instructions try to stop by and we will provide you with detailed instructions as well as some "visual".

Balus Creek,
The way I see it is that BGE is giving dealers the tools necessary to address this issue. The question is if they are using them or pushing the burden onto the customers. Personally, I think it would help if there was some sort of official note post on the BGE website that would explain the issue to potential customers. That does not have to mean that the customers will get discouraged from buying the product but aware of the situation they may have a better idea of what questions to ask when purchasing it. I still believe though, that honest and customer service oriented retailers should address the issue regardless of anything. Researching dealers helps, also. On the top of everything it seems like customers these days tend to value "savings" of $10.00, $15.00 or $20.00 more than ongoing and reliable customer service which later on can produce more frustration than it's worth.

Smokus Maximus · January 2009

Thanks again Biscuit!

I agree with your point, and I try to support businesses that provide excellent service and I don't mind paying more for that service. Thought that's what I was getting at GBY but I have to say they didn't mention any issues about the gasket that I recall.

I will probably drive up to see you folks next weekend and greatly appreciate your offer for a visual demo!

Buckwoody Egger · January 2009

Thanks for more insight, Biscuit. Also, after my post, hearing that Backyard gave Geoff an extra gasket (while forgetting to mention a potential gasket problem) was good news. I bet the gasket problem will be a distant memory before too long.

First Gasket Smoked Pizza

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