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Break in period for a new gasket ?

BenCour
BenCour Posts: 62
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Hello,

I'm verry sorry to post again on another gasket issue. I got my egg 1 1/2 week ago and my gasket already need to be replaced. Even though I read a lot about gasket issues before receiving my Large, obviously something went wrong.

I did my 1st cook at 350 which lasted for about an hour.

My 2nd cook was between 350 and 375 for about 3 hours and this is when my original gasket got burned. I was using the plate setter legs up with a foil pan and you can see on the next picture that the left that the gasket got damage right at the beginning.


IMG_6793.jpg

Could it be the foil pan that deflected the heat?

I did a few more cooks(3) ranging in the 350F area and decided to go for pizza over the weekend at 500F and doing that increased the damage on the left. The next day I tried low and slow ribbs and I noticed that the gasket was leaking from the damaged region

Anyway I contacted the Canadian Mothership and they told me to contact back my reseller and ask them to fill a Warranty claim and they will see what they can do for me. I explicitly ask for Nomex gasket, the lady told me that they will consider it.

I'm now waiting for my dealer to get back to me but already, I would like to know how long do you think I should wait (in hours) for the new gasket to break in. I just want to make sure I do everything perfectly right this time even though, I don't think I did anything wrong in the first place.

Ben

Comments

  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    Ben,

    If you have been reading the posts you are aware there has been a run of gaskets with bad adhesive.

    It would appear your egg has one of the problematic gaskets.

    The so called break in period doesn't really matter. If the run has the bad adhesive it is going to foil at some point in time.

    Nomex is the best solution IMO. PBM & Bubba Tim and some others are touting Cotronic and others are touting Rutland. I think it is on PBM's site where he details the Cotoronic material.

    I am not sure if the replacement gasket kits have any of the bad adhesive gasket material. If not then a replacement felt kit would also work.

    At worst case a very old stock replacement gasket kit.

    GG
  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    Unless your gasket got significantly worse than what is in that photo, I wouldn't worry about it.
  • Cory430
    Cory430 Posts: 1,073
    Ben,
    You'll get many different answers on this but here's my take.

    Obviously the gasket issue is a big one to a lot of folks. It should be; it's a new EXPENSIVE toy and the gaskets seem to fail for a lot of folks right out of the gate. I assume that it is something that they will get fixed... eventually...

    Anyhoo, my belief is that it is nothing more than something that helps to keep the dome from banging too hard on the base when lowered. I burnt up the gasket on my medium about 8 months ago and have cooked everything under sun on it since with NO perceptible difference. This includes probably 25-30 overnight lo and slos. Again, no perceptible difference. You should get a new nomex gasket since that is the official fix under warranty, but you by no means need it for any reason in my opinion (that has been backed up by a ton of personal experience).

    Sorry so long, but I gotta butt going on the egg this very evening with no worries about not having no stinking gasket :laugh:
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    BenCour,


    The gasket is a cushion for the ceramic not a seal. They don't stay as nice as they are at first. I don't have anything left on most of my eggs and will treat them to a spa day sometime in the future. With that said, there seems to be a problem with the newer gaskets and they don't seem to be as good as the old felt that were used years ago. A little smoke leaking won't hurt your cooking nor will it affect your ability to do low and slow. :)

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • BobS
    BobS Posts: 2,485
    I agree that there is no break-in period. I suggest reading the posted info on The Naked Whiz' site.

    If you get the Nomex(R) gasket, you need to process it in your dryer for about 30 minutes on high heat, because the fabric can shrink a little.
  • LOL...Day at the Spa :laugh:

    I replaced mine last year for the first time in about 11 years...It lasted 5 cooks then like an idiot I walked in the house with the pizza and left the dome up...Needless to say theres barley anything left after that and a years cooking. I just bought a nomex and will give it a whirl next time I feel the urge to take her apart..Until then not having much of one at all really doesnt affect my cooking on it.

    Im more concerned about spraying the 3M on there...Whats that going to do when it heats up?? What will it release into the food, etc... We eat enough chemicals and pesticides daily so I guess it wont hurt me..

    Matt
    www.finandflame.com

    www.oldfishinglure.com
  • BenCour
    BenCour Posts: 62
    Unfortunatly yes it did get worst than the picture.

    Thanks for your reply

    Ben
  • BenCour
    BenCour Posts: 62
    I'm amazed at how fast we are getting answers on this forum. Thank you all for your good advices. As you can immagine, I felt real dumb of breaking my new expensive toy (Close to 2K here in Canada for a fully loaded Large) on my first few days of cooking.

    Again thanks a lot I really appreciate it.

    Ben
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    oldfishinglure,

    I don't know as I haven't done it. I like chemicals personally but I am lazy.

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • Cory430
    Cory430 Posts: 1,073
    Steve, I got the same issues... ;)
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    Ben,

    Don't be discouraged. Where I am located the eggs were being sold above suggested retail. I paid us$1,150 for a large, next, mates and a bag of lump.

    I had the same problem on my first cook, the gasket failure was my fault not the gasket adhesive. My dealer helped me out with a replacement gasket and I was cooking the next day.

    I would be totally shocked if your problem is not taken care of for you by someone in the BGE network.
    GG
  • RGBHV
    RGBHV Posts: 1,318
    Hi Ben:

    You responded to Fidel saying that the gasket was worse than the picutre. Did the gasket actually fall off in places or just get black in more areas?

    If it fell off or started peeling off in sections, then it's probably the adhesive. As others have posted, they've worked with and without gaskets - your call whether you get a new one.

    If there's more black but the gasket remains in place, keep cooking and enjoy your new toy. Mine (and others) are black all around the top and bottom and the egg contiues to work fine.

    Michael
  • :laugh: Lazy is just another word for taking your time and planning real hard...LOL..
    www.finandflame.com

    www.oldfishinglure.com
  • BenCour
    BenCour Posts: 62
    I will try to post an updated picture of the gasket tomorrow. I'm pretty sure It started peeling.

    Ben
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    I noticed part of your questions were not answered.

    It is usually agreed to let the adhesive or 3M77 (if used) to set for 24 hours. Then do some low temperature cooks for the cure. I am not sure if I am in agreement with the cure theory. It is better to be safe than sorry.

    I don't think the foil pan would hold enough heat itself to damage the gasket. If that foil pan were a cast iron dutch oven or heavy cast iron skillet being that close to the gasket it wouldn't surprise me at all if the gasket gave way.

    The black on the gasket looks like there is vertical alignment problem in that spot. When you get the gasket changed out perform a dollar bill test, especially on that side of the egg.

    GG
  • Beanie-Bean
    Beanie-Bean Posts: 3,092
    I've had the same problem with my last two cookers--the felt was held on with what looks to be a double-sided tape. Held up fine for some low-and-slow and some 350° cooks without a hitch. As soon as I did some high-temp cooks, the adhesive failed on both an LBGE and now my XL. I'm going to post the results of re-gluing the XL (because there's no damage, just loose) and also from applying the new Nomex gasket on the LBGE. The recommended adhesive in 3M Super 77, and I'm hoping that it'll do better than some silly tape that was used to stick the gasket on in the first place.
  • BenCour
    BenCour Posts: 62
    Here are the pictures


    On the top cover, the very first crack in the back is starting to peel off. (I realize its hard to see on those pictures)

    IMG_7029.jpg

    IMG_7025.jpg
  • Your gasket looks way better than mine!

    I think you should keep cooking and not worry about the gasket until it's completely gone and even then, some members would just keep going after that.

    It seems to be on one side, is your egg level?

    Michael
  • egret
    egret Posts: 4,168
    In the first place, there is no break-in period. Gaskets should be good to go from day 1. That damage in your photo has absolutely nothing to do with adhesive failure. It could have been caused by your pan deflecting the heat as you stated. Since it happened again at the same spot, it would appear you have a leaking issue which is caused by improper dome and base sealing. Whoever set your egg up apparently didn't do a paper test to check the seal. Be sure you do this after replacing the gasket.......