Frozen Dome

Jim R.

Went Turbo last night to clean grill and can't open this A.M.Many posts in the past but didn't pay attention,wasn't going to happen to me.Sound familar?Any help would be appreciated.

Pug

Jim R,
Try placing some lump and starting a fire through the top or bottom vent. When you get a fire started and it starts to heat up your dome should release. With luck there may not be any replacement needed.[p]Steve

Unknown

Jim R,[p]Hopefully Pug's solutiion will work for you. However, I recently made the same mistake (let mine run wide open, 750+ for an hour or so). I was able to open my Egg with a firm tug on the lid, be cautious about prying the lid open as it would be easy to damage the Egg. Running a utility knife through the old gasket might do the trick if other attempts fail.[p]Go ahead and buy a new gasket, because yours is certainly ruined (or the lifespan is greatly shortened). Whichever gasket you decide to use (see the thread just below this), just make sure that you really clean the Egg surface first! I ended up using a putty knife, Goof Off, sandpaper, and rubbing alcohol.[p]You should also inspect your band/hinge for damage. Mine got so hot that the RTV silicon between the Stainless Steel band and the Egg melted, causing my band to become warped. No damage was caused to the band, but I had to: scrap off the old silicon, apply some new silicon, and retighten the band. This took some extra time, but it is better than having your lid to fall off and break.[p]Eggtopia[p]

Unknown

Jim R,
Up here in northern Illinois, I've had the same problem. I've learned to remove the cooking grid after a cook. When the dome freezes, I just lite an Ace Hardware firestarter and drop it thru the chimney. The leftover lump usually fires up, the dome thaws and your ready for the next cook![p]lns

Tim M

Jim R,[p]Hmmm, I assume it is not frozen shut from the weather as your subject line makes it sound like. I am thinking the turbo clean melted the gasket material together. If it waws a somewhat new gasket, the glue could be the problem or food, grease, etc was on the gasket and is now glueing the sides together. [p]A thin - very thin - smooth edged knife is my tool of choice. A fish filet knife or bread slicer would work. Insert and try to find where she is stuf and cut in the middle to separate it. Good luck.[p]Reheating the egg to 350-500 might also make it let go.[p]Tim

WessB

lo 'n slo,
Thats a great tip..I had mine freeze shut once and used the starter cube under the grate, but was afraid there wasn`t enough lump to catch inside...wish I had of thought of your idea instead...I will remember next winter if needed tho...THANKS..[p]Wess

Jim R.

Jim R,
Thanks for the help!Got lucky and started fire under grid and it went to 600,still stuck(live in S.C.so frozen wrong description)did "stick" with fish filet knife and was able to pry open with no damage.It's like posting on"Google" when in trouble and needing assistance,thanks again.

Unknown

Jim R,
My dome kept sticking and had to pry it open. When I couldn't make that work I banged on the handle from the bottom but decided that was not a good idea. My solution was to lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the top of the bottom after a cook. This did the trick and kept the dome from sticking. After a few cooks I forgot the foil but it didn't stick and hasn't since. Still using the original gasket after 4 years.