old BGE

Luvmyegg

Hi,
Today I went to visit a friend who recently bought a large egg. Mine is about 7 years old, and I was quite jealous when I saw his spring hinge, stainless steel lower vent, and bolted-on handle. (My handle is always coming off, sometimes at inopportune times and sometimes I can't get my lid to stay open, or it closes when I am still putting food in. (I have very good reflexes so haven't gotten slammed by it yet)/ Is it possible to retrofit an old egg with some of the newer stuff? I am not very handy, but could probably do some of it myself and/or get a handy friend to help. I was thinking it was time for a second egg, but maybe I need to spruce this one up.[p]Thanks,
Barbara

Fire in the Hole

luvmyegg,[p]Mine was an old dog, as well. It now sports a stainless steel draft door, spring hinge, wings, iron fire grate, daisywheel top and a new nest. A new fire box and ring are on the wish list.[p]The change-over is a great time to install a new gasket, if you have a few miles on the old one.

Luvmyegg

Fire in the Hole,[p]I already have the new grate (old one broke into pieces) and dual function top. Will definitely see about getting the spring hinge on. Is the draft door difficult to change? Mine is sort of rusty, anyway. My firebox and ring seem to be welded in by past cooks. I can't budge them.[p]Thanks,[p]Barbara

Fire in the Hole

luvmyegg,[p]My old draft door was fairly easy to change. It is held on with four stainless steel screws and nuts. Mine had no rust on the screws, probably because they are stainless steel, and very little crud as they reside on the clean side of the firebox. Next, you will have to use a razor knife to cut through the old silicone sealer between the draft door and the egg. DO NOT PRY, CUT![p]You are going to have to get that firebox out of the egg if you have any hope of changing the draft door. Since the firebox and fire ring are made of the same ceramic material as the egg itself, they can't be "welded" to anything. However, they do seem to become somewhat fragile and care is always needed when removing them from the egg.[p]Be advised that both of those can and do BREAK. But that does not mean the end of the egg. Both of mine have been broken for quite some time now. I simply piece them together like a jigsaw puzzle and keep cooking. Replacement parts are available from your dealer and can often be replaced under the lifetime warranty, if you were the original owner of the egg. I was not, so I am going to use my broken parts all the way to the bitter end before I purchase replacements. So far, it has not been a problem.[p]One thing that you will need to have on hand is some plain, clear silicone sealer. This is what was used on my original draft door and I used the same thing on my new one. A thin bead of silicone sealer on the backside of the draft door before you mount it on the egg is all you need to complete the seal.[p]If you choose to install the spring hinge, which I whole-heartedly recommend, make sure you follow the instructions to the letter, especially concerning the "white plastic retaining block." You will see what I mean when you get the spring hinge kit. Make sure you hang on to the retaining block so you can remove the spring hinge and bands in the future, perhaps when you replace the felt gasket or add a set of wings somehere down the road.[p]Good luck with your upgrade. If you have any problems or questions, please ask. There are tons of great folks here that are more than willing to help.[p]:)