Band tighten torque

gonetroppo · January 2011

I 've been messing around aligning my dome, and I read 125lb/in is the recommended torque for tightening bands.

That seems an awful lot, the band flanges start to bend a bit at about 60lb/in on my torque wrench. I'm concerned if I crank it up to 125 I'll bend the whole lot or crack the egg.

So do I go 125lb/in or not?

Appreciate this may be a dumb question, but I couldn't really find an answer searching the forum, so apologies if it's been asked before

bobbyb · January 2011

Never used a torque wrench to tighten the bolts, normal practice is to tighten until the bolts bend, as far as I know.

Carolina Q · January 2011

No idea what the torque value should be, but not only are the ends of the bands supposed to bend, the BOLTS are too.

BBQMaven · January 2011

this may help

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramicfaq.htm#tightenbands

2Fategghead · January 2011

I never knew about a torque spec but, I have tighten my two large eggs bands and I have bent the tabs some and bent the bolts. You don't want to lose the dome when the egg is hot. Tim

Carolina Q · January 2011

Here. Watch this. They make no mention of torque, but it will show the bolts bending. Just about 3/4 thru this vid.

http://www.biggreenegg.com/videos/unpackassemb.html

gonetroppo · January 2011

I've been tightening away at 80lb/in I stopped seems like enough bending see below

While I was massing around with the hinge one of the posts had said to use a locking clamp to pull the spring out. I couldn't find any of mine so I just used a bit of fencing wire instead worked a treat and no danger of it slipping off

Thanks everyone for your advice

Little Steven · January 2011

gonetroppo,

You mob are so technical :laugh:

Steve

RRP · January 2011

For those reading this thread who don't own a torque wrench let alone know what that tool even is may I simply suggest that you tighten the nuts down until the bolts bend about 1/4". THEN go to a hardware store and buy a set of stainless steel nuts (even locking one if you wish to spend a few pennies more) and run them up tight against the other nuts. That's an old mechanics trick called "double nutting" and that way you won't have to worry about the bands coming loose because single nuts can loosen, but doubles don't.

tsbrady · January 2011

FWIW... when I put my medium together I was in a hurry, of course!, to get it done and mis-read the instructions and torqued the bolts to 80 FOOT LBS, bent the bolts and the ears pretty good to say the least but did not break the top. Replaced the bolts and re-torqed to 10 ft lbs, all is well.

Eoin · May 2017

RRP said:

For those reading this thread who don't own a torque wrench let alone know what that tool even is may I simply suggest that you tighten the nuts down until the bolts bend about 1/4". THEN go to a hardware store and buy a set of stainless steel nuts (even locking one if you wish to spend a few pennies more) and run them up tight against the other nuts. That's an old mechanics trick called "double nutting" and that way you won't have to worry about the bands coming loose because single nuts can loosen, but doubles don't.

Double nutting stops the nut from moving on the thread, but doesn't stop a loss of tension from the band yielding. To me, the tricky bit is that they expect you to bend the tabs on the band enough to give tension, but not too much so they yield.

Skiddymarker · May 2017

BGE provides a spec because that's the way it is designed, the dome will not crack and torquing the bands is something that should be checked every now and then, in my case every couple of years. Primo does not provide a spec and simply advises as many above have, tighten till the bands hold the dome and the bolts are bent, granted Primo's come fully assembled so the end customer is just keeping the bands tight, they were factory tightened.
During the first year as the egg aged, being a gearhead, I checked every couple of months, after about six months, there was no need as it had settled in. I liked the description in early assembly instructions advising suspending a 10# weight (bag of spuds) from a 12" wrench/socket handle to get the equivalent of 120in-lbs.

RRP · May 2017

Fine - I understand your point, but I also know my double nutted bands have not had to be re-tightened in 17 years so I'm a believer in what I say.

Skiddymarker · May 2017

RRP said:

Fine - I understand your point, but I also know my double nutted bands have not had to be re-tightened in 17 years so I'm a believer in what I say.

I like the idea of double nutting as it stops a single nut from running, but I'm betting your bands would be just as secure with a single nut as you have the correct tension on the band.

fishlessman · May 2017

if you routinely cook between 800 and 1200 degrees the bands elongate and over time do not return to their original size and fit. i needed to tighten mine when the egg was cruising along at 350 for several hours before they stopped slipping

DoubleEgger · May 2017

I believe @tarheelmatt can provide some insight here.

RRP · May 2017

Skiddymarker said:

RRP said:

Fine - I understand your point, but I also know my double nutted bands have not had to be re-tightened in 17 years so I'm a believer in what I say.

I like the idea of double nutting as it stops a single nut from running, but I'm betting your bands would be just as secure with a single nut as you have the correct tension on the band.

I hear you, but I don't think you have heard me! I tightened the band bolts on all four of my eggs until they bent and then added the second nuts. While I don't regularly cook above 600 I do an occasional burn out above 1,000. Unlike @fishlessman I do not and have not had to retighten my bands/bolts in all these years. Perhaps fish's bands made in China were from melted down Edsels!

tarheelmatt · May 2017

DoubleEgger said:

I believe @tarheelmatt can provide some insight here.

When your dome falls off, it's time to get the wrenches!

DoubleEgger · May 2017

tarheelmatt said:

DoubleEgger said:

I believe @tarheelmatt can provide some insight here.

When your dome falls off, it's time to get the wrenches!

That's some sage advice folks!

fishlessman · May 2017

RRP said:

Skiddymarker said:

RRP said:

Fine - I understand your point, but I also know my double nutted bands have not had to be re-tightened in 17 years so I'm a believer in what I say.

I like the idea of double nutting as it stops a single nut from running, but I'm betting your bands would be just as secure with a single nut as you have the correct tension on the band.

I hear you, but I don't think you have heard me! I tightened the band bolts on all four of my eggs until they bent and then added the second nuts. While I don't regularly cook above 600 I do an occasional burn out above 1,000. Unlike @fishlessman I do not and have not had to retighten my bands/bolts in all these years. Perhaps fish's bands made in China were from melted down Edsels!

my bands are the highly sought after collectible mexican ones with the welded on handles that were in production less than 1 year

1200 degree pizzas with that odd setup of mine forces heat to the sides. not sure how hot the bands got but at 300 degrees the bands grow about .112 inches, that makes them sloppy during one of those cooks. would be equivalent to backing the nut off about an eighth inch during the cook

Band tighten torque

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