Is my gasket shot?

tmEGGer

I have had my Large BGE for about 5 months. I have done a number of high temp T-Rex steaks, chops, demos for friends to show off, etc. My bottom gasket is black, and a little firmer than when new. Also, when I T-Rex something and close both vents to prep for dwell, I get a fair amount of smoke leaking out the handle side of the egg.[p]Is the leakage the real test to show when to replace a gasket?[p]Is 5 months and roughly 20 T-Rex events enough to blow a gasket?[p]Is there anything I can do to prolong gasket life?[p]Thanks,
NutmEGGer

tn slagamater

NutmEGGer,you want to have a complete, airtight seal.Leakage of heated gases will eventually damage your gasket if it is not already shot.Can you see damage to the gasket? Gaskets get hard with grease, gunk and use. That is normal and should not cause leakage.I would first check to see if maybe the hinge has become misaligned.If it is, just loosen the band bolts and push the top dome down, get a good seal, then retighten alternately the bottom band, one turn, then the top band, etc.

tmEGGer

tn slagamater,[p]Thanks for the advice. I will try that today.[p]NutmEGGer