Bummer dudes

YukonRon

Cleaning up the XL for a long L and S rib cook for tonight, and found a crack running all the way across the bottom.The hits just keep on coming. Glad I have my warranty. Only thing not replaced on this unit is the food grate, and daisy wheel. Replaced the fire grate (exploded) Dome (cracked from fire grate explosion) plate setter (cracked) and the lower vent, (Mfg issue). 
Keep smoking everyone.

Hans61

Hope it gets replaced quickly 

YukonRon

Me too, got some ribs to do for tonight.

epcotisbest

With all these cracks in the xl, I am thinking my next one will be a large to go along with the medium. I mean the extra cooking area would be nice, and yes, warranty, but seems like a hassle to have to replace cracked components. I am sure there are way more who have never had a crack, but seems like a lot of cracked xl. Maybe I am just noticing more because that is what I am thinking about getting.

northGAcock

Having seen the trip you guys just took.....you should be able to take this one in stride. Just another minor inconvenience. Hope you and Suzy are doing well. How's the kitchen coming along?

Botch

YukonRon said:

Replaced the fire grate (exploded) 

Wat??  

GoooDawgs

@YukonRon I'm in the same boat as you with my XL.  Noticed my base was cracked this week, as well as my platesetter.  Filed my warranty yesterday and picking up a new base this week..

Sea2Ski

@YukonRon. Your dome cracked when your fire grate exploded?  That must have been a hell of an explosion....   

YukonRon

@Sea2Ski, @Botch re: Fire Grate Explosion
About 2 months after I bought it, about one month of use (due to unusual snowfall) I was setting the temp for a 350F cook. Prior to that every cook was a low and slow. At about 300F, with the lid closed my fire grate exploded sending shards into the dome, on an XL, partially lifting it, and cracking it, leaving several pieces imbedded in the dome. It lifted the food grate as well.
I was deep into the adult beverage pile at the time, and having a little PTSD, I got low for cover. Yes, it was, one helluva explosion. My next door neighbor came out of her house to see what caused the the noise.
As these are cast and cooled by water, the assumption was gass trapped inside the fire grate hit CM.
I was lucky the dome was closed when it occured, or it really could have been nasty.

YukonRon

epcotisbest said:

With all these cracks in the xl, I am thinking my next one will be a large to go along with the medium. I mean the extra cooking area would be nice, and yes, warranty, but seems like a hassle to have to replace cracked components. I am sure there are way more who have never had a crack, but seems like a lot of cracked xl. Maybe I am just noticing more because that is what I am thinking about getting.

No way I would trade my XL for a L. It is much too convenient, and I do a lot of entertaining.
I think the crack in my base is residual from an earlier incident with a fire grate exploding.
I love the XL's versatility to ever consider any other size as a replacement.just my 2 cents.

Gulfcoastguy

I think that I agree that the next egg to add to my medium will be a large. Unless I win the minimax raffle of course. To many cracked XLs being reported and there are more accessories available for the large. If I were doing massive amounts of cooking, I would want dual larges for the different temperatures available and the ability to share accessories.

YukonRon

northGAcock said:

Having seen the trip you guys just took.....you should be able to take this one in stride. Just another minor inconvenience. Hope you and Suzy are doing well. How's the kitchen coming along?

This is totally in stride Robin. I have bigger stuff to worry about, I have a MM, I will survive.
Suzy is doing much better, thank you for asking. This is the first week, in two months, we have not had a house full of guests "to help us out" i.e. inlaws. 
Kitchen needs some work, still have a wall, I am not thrilled about. I am going to re do, so it looks like about another three weeks or so. I think I will have enough money to last that long.
Peace to you and Patti. Our best as always.

YukonRon

GoooDawgs said:

@YukonRon I'm in the same boat as you with my XL.  Noticed my base was cracked this week, as well as my platesetter.  Filed my warranty yesterday and picking up a new base this week..

Fortunately, I have a MM, I will get it done. Glad yours is going quickly. If my XL exploded into a million pieces, and I had no warranty, I would buy another today. I like it that much. Crazy, I know. But, I have never enjoyed a cooker as much as the XL.
Keep smoking.

YukonRon

Gulfcoastguy said:

I think that I agree that the next egg to add to my medium will be a large. Unless I win the minimax raffle of course. To many cracked XLs being reported and there are more accessories available for the large. If I were doing massive amounts of cooking, I would want dual larges for the different temperatures available and the ability to share accessories.

Just my opinion, but fwiw, I will never advocate any other size. I TOTALLY love this cooker and its versatility. I also believe this crack is the result of the grate explosion I had mentioned. Not from use. Anyway, your decision, and do what is best for you and your needs, just do not dismiss the XL, for cracking.

SmokingPiney

YukonRon said:

I was lucky the dome was closed when it occured, or it really could have been nasty.

Very lucky! 

Wow! 

jimmyhat1978

YukonRon said:

@Sea2Ski, @Botch re: Fire Grate Explosion
About 2 months after I bought it, about one month of use (due to unusual snowfall) I was setting the temp for a 350F cook. Prior to that every cook was a low and slow. At about 300F, with the lid closed my fire grate exploded sending shards into the dome, on an XL, partially lifting it, and cracking it, leaving several pieces imbedded in the dome. It lifted the food grate as well.

HOLY SMOKES, hard to imagine that gas inclusion could make a bang like that.  Good thing the blast cover/ lid was down

YukonRon

jimmyhat1978 said:

YukonRon said:

@Sea2Ski, @Botch re: Fire Grate Explosion
About 2 months after I bought it, about one month of use (due to unusual snowfall) I was setting the temp for a 350F cook. Prior to that every cook was a low and slow. At about 300F, with the lid closed my fire grate exploded sending shards into the dome, on an XL, partially lifting it, and cracking it, leaving several pieces imbedded in the dome. It lifted the food grate as well.

HOLY SMOKES, hard to imagine that gas inclusion could make a bang like that.  Good thing the blast cover/ lid was down

Yeah, I bought my MM a couple months later, never fired it up with the grate, ordered a KAB, waited until it arrived for my first cook.

Toxarch

Sorry to hear the bad news.
I will say you clean out your base a lot better than I clean mine.

YukonRon

Toxarch said:

Sorry to hear the bad news.
I will say you clean out your base a lot better than I clean mine.

Try to after every 3rd cook, about twice per week.

YukonRon

SmokingPiney said:

YukonRon said:

I was lucky the dome was closed when it occured, or it really could have been nasty.

Very lucky! 

Wow! 

Yeah, should have seen me ducking for cover.

gmac

I really don't know if I would buy an XL. I am surely this is purely anecdotal but it sure seems like they have more failures than any other size. But I would love the extra space too. 

YukonRon

gmac said:

I really don't know if I would buy an XL. I am surely this is purely anecdotal but it sure seems like they have more failures than any other size. But I would love the extra space too. 

I have enjoyed the heck out of mine. As long as BGE makes a XL, I will own one.

Ladeback69

I am on my second fire grate, third fire box, and was told third and last plate setter.  The plate setter is only under warranty for 3 years, but I guess two breaking in two years is too many.  I been really careful with the my current one.  I too would not trade my XL for a large.

YEMTrey

YukonRon

Ladeback69 said:

I am on my second fire grate, third fire box, and was told third and last plate setter.  The plate setter is only under warranty for 3 years, but I guess two breaking in two years is too many.  I been really careful with the my current one.  I too would not trade my XL for a large.

Endeavor to persevere. I get it.