Top and bottom don't line up

ipassgas · April 2009

I don't think my large egg was ever assembled perfectly, but now it won't close properly at all... THere is a 1/4 inch gap near the back, because the metal bands from the top and bottom touch each other at the front, preventing the top and bottom from closing together properly.

Can someone please point me to instructions on how to re-align the egg or how to reinstall the bands?

Thanks.

gdenby · April 2009

If you have an Egg from the last 2 years, I believe there are instructions on the included DVD. Also, I think there is a FAQ about alignment at the main Egg site.

However, here are a few things I have done along the way to line the dome and bottom up right.

The bolts that hold the top and bottom bands should be checked and tightened every six months. If you have not kept them tight, the bands may have slipped.

As you write, the band are bumping into each other. So, first try loosening the bolts, and try shifting the bands so they dont bump.

The slipping may also be due to the rear hinge getting loose. After a bunch of quick open and closes, my older Egg's dome shifted sideways, and had a big gap at the back. Loosening the bolts around the hinge, pressing down, and re-tightening solved the sideways slip.

Nicolas_Kershanko · April 2009

I received my Egg from the local distributor warehouse in boxes (not assembled) a few weeks ago. They were told I didn't buy the package deal that included the nest and that I was making a table. They assumed I didn't want it assembled. Because I did want to wait to get it assembled because of the distance to to the warehouse I took it home to do myself.

It proved to be a very frustrating experience. In trying to get a perfect alignment, I dinked around with the bolts so much that I actually broke one that attached the band to the hinge. It is impossible to find a replacement bolt for it here where I am. I ended up having to grind out my own.
I also bent the band carriage bolts so much that I had to replace them too.

But to get to my point, I learned a lot on getting the lid to align correctly for setup. For me this was only allowing a small 1-2 millimeters misalignment at any one spot all around the lid.

Here are my final observations and steps that got me a proper alignment.

1) WHICH EVER BOLTS YOU TIGHTEN DOWN, THE LID WILL WANT TO MOVE OR GET SUCKED IN THAT DIRECTION.
1a) To help balance the tightening effect, I took the top band and flipped it over so that the carriage bolts for the top and bottom were on opposite sides of each other. In essence, if you are looking at the BGE from the front the bottom band's bolt was on the left and the top band's on the right.
1b) To compensate for the lid sucking backwards toward the hinge I added a single washer between the band and the hinge assembly. This kept the lid pushed forward after tightening.

2) THE LID WILL NOT SIT FLAT/FLUSH IF THE BANDS ARE NOT LEVEL ALL AROUND ON BOTH TOP AND BOTTOM.
2a) The hinge tends to be the heaviest and causes the bands to lift in the front. I used tools to push both bands to the farthest they could go (up for the lid band and down for the bottom half). Because I had flipped the top band to have the carriage bolt on the other side it proved useful for a fulcrum point for each side. I simutaneausly used two nail pullers to wedge between the band and the hinge to press them up or down as the case may be.
I then tightened the bands bolts together.

3) BECAUSE THE LENGTH OF THE BAND CARRIAGE BOLTS, A NORMAL DEPTH SOCKET WON'T REACH ONCE YOU START TO GET DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF TIGHTENING. OVER BENDING THE BOLTS MAKES IT HARD TO ADJUST.
3a) I added 3 or 4 washers to the band carriage bolts to keep the nut farther out toward the end to be able to use the socket wrench, give added resistance, and minimize the bolt bending (it still bent just not as severe).

ipassgas · April 2009

Thanks for the advice.
I'll play around this weekend.

Top and bottom don't line up

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