Burnt my gaskets

NotabuttDave

I'm a newbie and am trying to learn settings etc on the Egg I purchased a week ago.

I finally got my large up to 650* yesterday. I was ok with the temp considering it was snowing and 30* outside.

I had to leave the house for a while, before I left, I closed down the damper and top to see if I could return to a 250* Egg. I can hit 250* on my WSM blindfolded.

I noticed smoke coming from the rear, near the hinge. I thought it was just production oil burning off.

The gaskets are toast.

Why did I pay so much $$$ for a grill with gaskets that don't work?

Will I have to go to a fireplace shop to get proper gaskets?

Why would I ever want to put felt back on?

Thanks in advance.

outrageous

may have been too hot too quick for new egg......lot of folks do not bother to replace gaskets but i am sure they will chime in. my large is old, gasket is halfway good and egg cooks like a charm. my gas grill/island is great place to store egg ecessories. enjoy your new toy.

gdenby

Condolences from someone who also lost a gasket to a mis-aligned dome. In my case, I hauled the Egg from my car to its nest, and in the course of wrestling it into place, I stressed the rear hinge. Likewise, saw the smoke gushing out on the first cook. If the dealer delivered and/or assembled, I'd ask them to replace the gasket, and be sure the dome is properly seated.

Once you get used to your Egg, you will find the exact spot for the vent to be to sit at 250. After ramping it up to 650, unless you held that for just a few minutes, it would take an hour to drop to 250, maybe longer.

Lots of people do without gaskets. After awhile, the smoke and gunk forms a pretty good seal. Lots of other people have gaskets from material made by Rutland or Cotronics. Neither Rutland or Cotronics recommends their material for use in conjuction with food production, but so far there have been no reports of ill effect.

Carolina Q

NotabuttDave wrote:

Why did I pay so much $$$ for a grill with gaskets that don't work?

Yeah, I haven't figured out why they continue to use felt either. Mine lasted about two weeks. It's not a big deal to replace them though. There are several alternatives. Just wish BGE would USE one of them!

Gaskets supposedly, aren't covered by the warranty. However, my dealer gave me the BGE branded Nomex when I told him mine were toast already. I didn't use them though. I decided to go with the Rutland gasket (see the Naked Whiz site for specifics).

There's another, more expensive option, but I can't remember the name. Perhaps someone else will chime in here. [Ah, Cotronics. Thanks gdenby.]

As to WHY you bought the egg? Well, because with or without a gasket, you will cook better than on any grill you have ever owned.

2Fategghead

I have a nomax gasket on my large now and I no longer have problems. Some people continue to use their egg without a new gasket and some replace their gasket.

Smokin Squires

Greetings;

When I bought my eggs the dealer gave me a new replacement gasket for each. Then when I bought the 3rd and got no gasket I said hey where is my extra gasket. He told me the latest new egg had a good gasket but there was a run of bad gaskets for a time and he issued free replacements. If your purchase was from old stock (last year was when I got mine) perhaps that is the reason it went bad. One of mine went bad soon after using and the replacement gasket from the egg store went in quickly.

Merry Christmass from South of Lynchburg Tennessee!
Tony

Sundown

Welcome!

Had my large since 1998 (I think it was then when I bought it)and I've replaced 3 gaskets in all of that time. I'm waiting for the current one to burn up so I can put on the Cotronic (sp) that FieroGuy sent me a while back. Mike will probably shoot me for not having replaced the gasket by now but, I want to get my moneys worth out of it.

When I brought my Egg home my wife was ready to divorce me but now she asks, "what's for dinner dear?"

Bear with it you'll be fine and will be able to hit 250º in no time at all.

Danman

saw this being installed on naked whiz.New egghead here and not having done this yet,I noticed he removed the lid.Do you have to? And if so do you replace with the same bolts or get new ones?

tarheelforever

Danman wrote:

saw this being installed on naked whiz.New egghead here and not having done this yet,I noticed he removed the lid.Do you have to? And if so do you replace with the same bolts or get new ones?

Yes remove the lid. It's not that difficult. I was paranoid when my gasket melted during the second week but it's easy replacing with a Nomex. After replacing no issues. Use the same bolts after installing. Do you homework before so you know what to do and jump in.

Neil Gunn

Probably a dumb question, but exactly why IS it necessary to remove the lid in order to replace the gaskets? Although my original gasket is still in good shape, I realize that sooner or later I'll have to replace it and already have a nomex for when that time comes. I don't know why, but removing the bands and lid and then getting them realigned, for some reason, scares me a little. I'm sure I'm wrong, but it seems like it would be so much simpler to just replace the gaskets without removing the lid.

LFGEnergy

Same deal. burned original gasket off in about 6 weeks, but BGE was great about sending out a Nomex replacement. Has worked great - no problems. biggest chore is getting egg clean and ready for new gasket.

As a fellow newbie, this is a minor issue that will pass, and you will love your egg!!! :laugh:

Dan in StL

I replaced mine with the Nomex gasket and the 3M adhesive. I followed these instructions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EoTwyLFCro

The whole process is not difficult, but it does take some time. Until you're ready to do it, as other have attested to, the Egg is perfectly usable.

My new Nomex gasket went on without any difficulty and it's worked like a charm ever since. Perhaps the biggest difference I've noticed is when I shut the grill down, the fire goes out and the whole rig cools down sooner. I also like having the extra peace of mind knowing that I don't have to worry about the possible temp. fluctuations or complications due to a marginal seal.

Good luck and enjoy your inheritance!

2Fategghead

Neil Gunn, Depending on what new gasket you decide to go with and what method you use to fix this new gasket you may or may not feel the need to remove the dome but rest assured many have removed their done and replaced it without a whole lot of difficulty. With this forum and a little bit of research you will become a pro!

Neil Gunn

Thanks. When I do replace, I intend to go with the nomex. I have read post after post regarding the replacement process and I'm sure I'll follow the instructions and advice I've read. I was just curious as to why it is necessary to remove the dome since it seems like it would be easier to replace the gasket with the dome in the open position and not have to remove the bands. However, I guess if the new gasket is a different thickness than the one it's replacing, I can see why band adjustment would be necessary. Did I just answer my own question? Again, just curious.

2Fategghead

Neil Gunn, If you plan to go with the nomax gasket it is strongly suggested to shrink the gasket in the dryer on a low heat setting before fixing it to the dome and base. When removing the old gasket you will want the dome off the base and inverted in order to rub off the old gasket. Also, when applying the new gasket things may go a lot smoother if the dome is removed as well. So, this is the reason you may need the dome off.

Now all that being said there is a different gasket you can use that is only needed on the base. So, it is possible if you go with this gasket you may not need to remove the dome but simply adjust the dome for the dollar bill test...

Neil Gunn

Okay, I'm convinced. While I hope it's something I won't have to do for a while, I know that eventually I'll have to replace the gasket, and I guess I was looking for an easier way or a shortcut. I don't know why I should be intimidated by removing the dome, but from reading posts about gasket replacement it seems like a lot of people run into problems there.

thechief96

I will wait to replace my gasket until after I build my table.

tnels

I'm a new egger and have noticed that 250 degrees takes some vent tweaking for the first two and 1/2 hours. After that, it's pretty much on cruise control. My best so far is 8 hours without touching the vents.