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Cleaning Rutland Gasket?

Buxwheat
Buxwheat Posts: 727
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Doing a gasket replacement today on the dome. I have it off and cleaning the surface. My Rutland on the base is pretty grungy, what with grease, creosote, etc. Any way I can clean it while I have easy access with the dome off? Thought about using some "Natural/Green" household cleaning product. Not too worried about any chemicals remaining on the gasket (I'm sure with the first firing they will evaporate), I just don't want to harm the Rutland gasket. Any suggestions?

Comments

  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    No idea how to clean a Rutland, but if you have one on the bottom, you don't need a gasket on the dome.

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • Still have leaks w/ Rutland on bottom. Have adjusted dome and can't get a good seal. But dome is off now and prepped, so a new one is going on today.
  • Not entirely true. I have a medium and there was no way I could get a seal with a rutland on just one side. Put it on both sides and it has been air tight for 2 years.
  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    Yeah, mine's not airtight either, but I don't really see why that's a big deal. As long as I can hold 250° all day long, I'm good with that. Keeps most of the smoke inside, doesn't melt or burn and it's a great cushion between the dome and the base.

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    since I'm preaching to the choir and not selling product the secret to needing only one Rutland is to compress it back into itself which makes it both wider and thicker.
    IMG_0317.jpg
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • Followed your instructions. Bunched it up good. Worked in sections. It still leaks. Replaced the dome w/ a fresh felt gasket afterwards w/ no improvement. The very back of the dome (just above the hinges) the felt has now thinned out to nothing. So today I'm re-gasketing w/ a different material. Pics and details to follow.

    Ended up cleaning the Rutland w/ some Arm and Hammer Essentials household cleaner. Supposed to be made w/ plant oils. Sprayed it lightly and scrubbed w/ a paper towel, then dried it off. Worked well. Doesn't look brand new again, but got all the black crud off.
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    well in that case your edges probably are not in the same plane. My large base was wavy and I took a sander to knock down the high spots. In retrospect I probably should have called foul and insist that BGE replace it - but I didn't. Just the same all's well that ends well. Good luck!
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • FlaMike
    FlaMike Posts: 648
    I would not feel comfortable cleaning my now well-blackened rutland. Why roughen up those fiberglass fibers, when it took at few years to seal them up?
  • i for one wouldn't clean it.

    more airtight, less damage to the gasket
  • I would agree... and recommend not to attempt cleaning the Rutland gasket. The major argument about using a Rutland in the first place is the fibers getting into the food during a cook. The grease and gunk in the gasket will only hold onto these fibers and aid in sealing the dome to the base. If you scrub or rub on the gasket you'll thin it down and make the fibers loose and more likely to get into the food.

    Remember... Rutland strongly discourages the use of this gasket material around food... so the less you disturb it the better off you are!