Does Your Firebox "Wobble"?

garthb4903

Just got a new L, the firebox seems to wobble a bit, is this normal?  My M fits pretty tightly, but the L is looser and the wobble issue...

DoubleEgger

Look and see if there are any high spots on the bottom of the fire box. If so you can sand it out if it's not too bad. 

garthb4903

@DoubleEgger I checked earlier, and it didn't appear to have any, although there was a chip out of the side on the base.  

DoubleEgger

Is the bottom of the base smooth? 

garthb4903

it seems like it

nolaegghead

throw a little sand around where it sits

garthb4903

good idea @nolaegghead, thanks

SkySaw

KJ ships with three felt strips at the bottom of the firebox to prevent wobble. All fireboxes probably wobble to some degree, which I discovered when I got a replacement firebox for my Large after 9 years. If you don't want to glue felt strips to the bottom of your firebox, the ash will soon accumulate to the point where the wobble is no longer noticeable.

garthb4903

@SkySaw do you have a link where you can buy those felt strips?  I have BGE felt gasket replacement, would that work?

jeponline

I was concerned about the wobble when I first got my egg and went to talk to my dealer. We looked at 2 demo eggs they had out and they had the same wobble. Seems to be normal and hasn't been a problem cooking anything. 

SkySaw

garthb4903 said:

@SkySaw do you have a link where you can buy those felt strips?  I have BGE felt gasket replacement, would that work?

Probably - just cut it to match the width. The strips on the KJ are roughly 2 inches long each.

I agree that wobble is an annoyance more than an actual problem, but it makes for a wobbly cooking grate, which is unpleasant.

nolaegghead

Trust me on the sand trick.  Sand has been used to seat rocks and bricks for thousands of years.  It works. It's cheap, you just need a handfull.  Eventually enough ash and funk will build up to do the same job.

RRP

The fire ring in my medium had a wobble initially and what I discovered was it was slightly out of round. IOW it had a slight oval shape so it hit the base inside in two spots. I solved that problem by marking the two spots and took a side grinder to it.

Focker

All of mine do.
No worries.

WeberWho

My small has a slight wobble. The only time I notice the wobble is when I place the firebox back in the egg after having removed it. Once the fire ring and grid are placed on top the wobble isn't noticeable. Do you notice the wobble when cooking on it? That would get annoying 

hoosier_egger

Mine wobbled. Once I  started getting ash build up it stopped. Seems common 

sumoconnell

Ever since I got a BGE, I have a slight wobble.

Mine wobbles, but ash solved it.

chuckytheegghead

All of mine have some wobble but my mini is by far the worst. I'm not losing any sleep over it but it can be annoying, especially when cleaning the cooking grid. 

garthb4903

@nolaegghead sand it is! I'll report back shortly, thanks

Skiddymarker

Let some ash fill it in. No need to grind or sand. IMO. There should always be a little, 1/4" or so of ash in the bottom. After a few cooks, lift the firebox to let som ash get under it and settle it in. You do not have to take the firebox out and vacuum for air flow, just rake the ash out between the fire box and base. 
Enjoy the egg!

FATC1TY

My mini max did. 

I used some ash to level it out. Then one day I just spun it on the patio a bit to grind it down. It's all good. 

Rascal

No, but my g/f has a hitch in her gitalong after she slipped on some ice the other day~~