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Replacing BGE gasket - chipped rim?

TJShultz
TJShultz Posts: 5
edited November -0001 in EggHead Forum
Hey y'all,

Relatively new BGE owner, and am in the process of trying to replace the gasket on my egg for the first time. I watched a few videos beforehand, and read up to make sure I had a sense of how to do it.

Anyway, the old gasket was pretty much melted down to nothing, and got to a point where it was difficult to distinguish between old adhesive/grease/gunk and blackened ceramic. I'd been told a bit of elbow grease would be needed to get the rim clean enough for the new gasket, and I'm afraid I may have gone a tad overboard - using a putty knife/scraper, I managed to put a few small chips in the rim of my egg, trying to get it as clean as it apparently needed to be. They aren't major, but there are a few places where there is very slight unevenness around the rim.

At that point, I stopped working on things and came here in the hopes that someone could confirm that I haven't totally borked myself, and assuming that I haven't, could suggest what, if anything, I can do to make sure that when I put the new gasket on, it will set properly. My first inclination would be to lightly take some sandpaper to the rim and smooth things out a bit, but I don't want to do anything (else) stupid.

Thanks, everyone!
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Comments

  • thebtls
    thebtls Posts: 2,300
    I pit a chip or two in mine initially and finished cleaning with a wire brush and things were fine. The value of replacing a gasket is way overrated anyway unless you are totally leaking aroindnthe rim...I won't do it again.
    Visit my blog, dedicated to my Big Green Egg Recipies at http://www.bigtsbge.blogspot.com You can also follow my posts on FaceBook under the name Keep On Eggin' or the link http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Keep-On-Eggin/198049930216241
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  • MusicMan78
    MusicMan78 Posts: 182
    thats good to know, I often read about how much of a pain they are to change and always think in the back of my head if it is worth all of the effort involved....
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  • TJShultz
    TJShultz Posts: 5
    Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it!

    I had gotten to the point where there was no gasket left to speak of, so it had kind of become a necessity. Next time around I'm going to go for the hi-temp gasket so that hopefully, I won't have to go through this again for a while.

    E: Also, Big T, your blog was what inspired me to get a BGE in the first place, and has been a go-to for me for new recipes ever since, so thanks for that, too!
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  • Deckhand
    Deckhand Posts: 318
    A layer of Permatex Ultra Copper will fill the chips AND provide a good seal. Search "Permatex" on the forum.
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  • Bulldog Mom
    Bulldog Mom Posts: 242
    My gasket on my large is gone and has been for a while and I will burn what is left off at a high temp and will replace with a nomex gasket
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  • TJShultz
    TJShultz Posts: 5
    OK, so I went in for a second round of trying to get this guy cleaned up and ready for a new gasket, and I'm getting sort of concerned about just how much trouble it has been to get the residue from the last gasket off.

    Basically, a few sessions of pizza and steak completely melted the last gasket, and now it's almost like it has fused with the rim of the egg. I've taken a putty knife to it, and today I went with a razor blade (both after several healthy [unhealthy?] doses of acetone), and I can tell that there's still dirt and grime on it, but it's getting to a point where each pass of the blade is taking just as much ceramic off as it is dirt. There are no big chunks out of the rim, but it is definitely not even all over anymore - picture's at the bottom (apologies for crap phone picture).

    Will using the Permatex take care of that? Or would it be worth it to try and find something to actually repair/smooth over the rim of the egg before I attach the new gasket? I may be overreacting a bit here, but since this is my first go at this, I'm a bit paranoid (especially given how much ceramic is dusting off with the dirt).

    photo.jpg
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