Stuck Daisy Wheel....I know, I know....:(

XD45ACP

Try as I might I haven't yet found a solution to this yet.  I'm sure there's a thread out there, but after half an hour of searching I've hit the wall.

I've had my Large Egg for roughly 12 years.  Somewhere along the line I read that putting some gasket material around the top vent would help seal and improve the bottom-to-top venting of air through the Egg.  Whether it really worked or not I can't say.  What I can say is that at some point several years ago I stopped removing the daisy wheel from the top of the Egg at the end of my cook.  And as you've likely expected, it's now stuck to the ceramic vent.  I've run up the heat and tried to twist it off with silicon gloves but I think the wheel is chemically sealed to the gasket and the Egg. 

I've since read somewhere that removing the dome and inverting it, and squirting vegetable oil underneath the daisy wheel will help soften the gasket and loosen the baked on grease that I'll be able to break it free.  I have no intention of banging on the dome with anything. 

What's the collective opinion?  Do you think this will work?  I'm happy to take *weeks* if necessary to see if this approach works.

I'd be happy to just leave it as-is for the remainder of its life, but seeing the new vent attachments is driving me to try some of the newer equipment.  But I need to get the original daisy wheel off first.

Cheers!
--XD 

lousubcap

Welcome aboard and continue to enjoy the journey.  Above all, have fun. 

And now to your dilemma-I don't know why a squeeze bottle with vegetable oil shot into the daisy wheel on the underside wouldn't get it where it needs to go.  Then fire up the BGE and hope for some movement once it gets hot.  Just a thought.  Good luck. 

Canugghead

Welcome! I would avoid using oil, not sure how oil soaked ceramic would behave when heated? Just hit the outside rim with a propane torch, then tap carefully from below with a pipe and hammer, hopefully the metal will expand faster than the ceramic and break free. Good luck!

XD45ACP

lousubcap said:

Welcome aboard and continue to enjoy the journey.  Above all, have fun. 

And now to your dilemma-I don't know why a squeeze bottle with vegetable oil shot into the daisy wheel on the underside wouldn't get it where it needs to go.  Then fire up the BGE and hope for some movement once it gets hot.  Just a thought.  Good luck. 

That's what I'd read elsewhere...that it'd soak the gasket and loosen its grip.  Still considering that approach.  Thanks!

XD45ACP

Canugghead said:

Welcome! I would avoid using oil, not sure how oil soaked ceramic would behave when heated? Just hit the outside rim with a propane torch, then tap carefully from below with a pipe and hammer, hopefully the metal will expand faster than the ceramic and break free. Good luck!

Hmmmm....hadn't considered what would happen if the oil didn't work.  I imagine a bunch of warm to hot oil leaking down the dome from underneath the daisy wheel.  I think the glaze coating would be fine but this seems to be uncharted territory so who knows.  *sigh*

I really really don't want to be hitting the wheel, and I suspect it'll take more than light tapping.  I can imagine the curved ceramic of the vent won't take kindly to being hit at the wrong angle if I happen to get careless.  And I absolutely don't want to crack the dome.  

Noodling some more on this....

Thanks!

loco_engr

Sorry, I don't have an answer for your dilemma, but please keep us informed to the out come.

CtTOPGUN

 Find a way to rig puller jaws to a slap hammer. Apply lube. Pull. Apply heat and pull if cool egg does not cooperate.

WeberWho

Do you have a small propane torch. I'd maybe go around the bottom of the daisy wheel and dome and see what some heat will do between the two. You might have do some super, super light taps around the daisy wheel with a hammer just to see if the slight vibration might loosen it any. 

Canugghead

Blue skying here... make two handles with hanger wire for leverage and try twisting after heating with torch?

MaskedMarvel

Damien’s backyard fire pit solution to the rescue, once more!

if you remove the dome, put it upside down in a roaring fire pit. Burn that sucker off. 

Alternatively: a ring of steel placed around the stuck daisy wheel and then loaded with white hot lump can do the trick. Maybe a wok stand… If you have one of those old school barrel charcoal starters big enough to go around it would make a sufficient furnace… remove the handle, first. 

Edit - as I’m thinking this over, a ceramic ring would work, as well. Perhaps the egg’s own fire ring..

GoldenQ

I need to remember to remove mine a few time each year

Langner91

Have you tried just getting the egg very very very hot?  Like, run it wide open for an hour?

dbCooper

This thread has some options you could consider...

https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1228090/how-to-remove-the-cast-iron-reggulator-vent-cap