How do I know when I need a new gasket?

Kruegs

Is there something specific I should be watching for to know if my gasket is adequate?

Charlie tuna

I kind of got an idea when the felt pieces were falling off in two inch pieces!  I didn't want it in my food, so i used a paint scrapper to remove those pieces that were loose.  I also noticed how the smoke was escaping around the gasket area during my low and slow cooks, and i could no longer maintain low cooking temperatures below 270 degrees.  

Black_Badger

I'm ramping up pizza production and thinking a new gasket might be in order as well. 

I know this is a commonly discussed and potentially divisive topic but:

What gasket should I use to replace the burned one? (Rutland, Nomex, Cotronics...)

Do I need top, bottom, or both? 

What adhesive should be used? 

Like I said, I know this is deep retread territory, just trying to gauge the community consensus. 

Cheers -

B_B

egret

Kruegs said:

Is there something specific I should be watching for to know if my gasket is adequate?

The something specific you should be looking for is whether or not you can maintain lower temps., i.e., 250ish. If you can, don't worry about it! Mine has so many gaps it looks like an upside-down waterfall of smoke when I'm cooking. )

Charlie tuna

Two things i noticed as soon as i changed my gasket:

1) I can now maintain as low as 225 degrees

2) i was wasting a lot of lump during my shutdowns because the air was entering the open gasket areas providing oxygen to the lump, allowing it to continue to burn, rather than snuffing it out! 

ChokeOnSmoke

Charlie tuna said:

 i was wasting a lot of lump during my shutdowns because the air was entering the open gasket areas providing oxygen to the lump, allowing it to continue to burn, rather than snuffing it out! 

Exactly why I switched mine out.  Tried without a gasket and my base and lid didn't match well so I went with a Rutland (bottom or top only, not both).  I wouldn't waste my time installing any other gasket.  This one will last a life time, why screw around with anything else?

Doc_Eggerton

The proper question is, why do I need a gasket?  I haven't had one on 2 out of 3 for well over a year now.

Charlie tuna

"why do I need a gasket?" ---- For me, i could no longer maintain a constant temperature below 270 degrees.  Many of my cooks require a lower cooking temperature.  Prior to  my factory gasket burning up i had no problem maintaining 215.

A side benifit that i did not realize, was the saving of lump during my shutdowns.

Duganboy

This forum should include a Gasket Forum, like the Table forum.  I've asked several gasket questions myself and there is hardly a day goes by that someone doesn't post a gasket question. 

A separate forum would make it a lot easier to look for and find answers.  Just a thought.