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Large Egg Leaking Smoke

I replaced my Big Green Egg gasket with a Rutland gasket a few months ago.  I glued it on using the Permatex Ultra Copper Max. Temperature adhesive.   It looked like a good seal.

I had some trouble getting the top to line up with the bottom of the BGE.  It’s pretty close, yet I get a lot of smoke coming out of the side (see attached photo from yesterday’s cook).

What do you think the problem is (a) the gasket, (b) the top/bottom line-up  or (c) both? image

Comments

  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
    @Eggscalibur‌
    Contact @RRP. He can solve all Rutland gasket problems. He is the go to guy here. I'm more than sure that he can help.

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    It's possible the top isn't or wasn't formed completely flat. Hard to think it'd be the rutland. My egg always had an under bite. I tried adjusting it 20 times. Put my new base on and lined up perfectly.
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,678
    not to be overly critical, but ive yet to see a bbq smoker that doesnt leak smoke
    :D that looks fine to me
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    sorry I don't recognize your name, but did you compress the Rutland back into itself which made it both thicker and wider so that it covered your entire edge or did you just lay the gasket into a bed of Permatex? If for instance you have a large egg then you would have used at least 80 inches of the standard 84" Rutland even though your circumference is only 67". Compressed or "bunched" as I call it then leakage is pretty unlikely. 
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • Raymont
    Raymont Posts: 710
    Mine leaks in similar fashion. I don't see it as being material- 98% still going out the top. I've had my Rutland in for 2 years with heavy use and it is looking tired & compressed, but it doesn't bother me enough yet to replace. I did not "bunch" up the gasket when applied, I just laid it "losely".

    Small & Large BGE

    Nashville, TN

  • Eggbertsdad
    Eggbertsdad Posts: 804
    I have the same issue. I re-alligned the top today and there was still a gap on the right side. I tested it earlier by cooking some chicken thighs and there was less smoke coming out the side. Here are the pics of the right and left side.


    Sarasota, FL via Boynton Beach, FL, via Sarasota, FL, via Charleston, SC, via The Outer Banks, via God's Country (East TN on Ft. Loudon Lake)
  • RRP said:
    sorry I don't recognize your name, but did you compress the Rutland back into itself which made it both thicker and wider so that it covered your entire edge or did you just lay the gasket into a bed of Permatex? If for instance you have a large egg then you would have used at least 80 inches of the standard 84" Rutland even though your circumference is only 67". Compressed or "bunched" as I call it then leakage is pretty unlikely. 
    Hi RRP,

    You were very helpful when I bought and installed the Rutland. The name had been "swbouton".  I did compress the Rutland back into itself.  I used the entire length just trimming the ends.  The Rutland was placed into a bed of Permatex.

    I think now there might be four options: 
    - Is the problem the Rutland installation?
    - Is the problem the dome alignment?
    - Did I foul up both?
    - Is there problem at all.  (I think there is a problem because it never smoked like this before I replaced the gasket and re-made the alignment.)

  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    Probably the rutland. ..
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • I've had zero success in about 8 months toward rectifying my LBGE top to bottom alignment problem, so I hope to revive this old thread and find a way to resolve this issue.

    I doubt the top or bottom ceramic bowls are out of round since they fit perfectly with the original, factory-installed gasket, or, more accurately, until I started messing with it.  The problem began with my installation of the Rutland gasket last winter.  Since then I have not had a good seal or a good top to bottom fit.

    I followed the Rutland installation instructions as carefully as I could and I think it came out very well.  The entire length of the Rutland was used.  I applied the Rutland 25% at a time using Permatex Ultra Copper sealant.  I measured off 25% marks with a Sharpie at the start and I compressed the gasket material into itself as I went.  At the end all the material was used leaving no overlap or gap.  I was very pleased with the Rutland installation.  It looked perfect and it was given several days before use.

    I’m convinced the problem was in the way I reinstalled the top cover and the bands.  There was a serious “mishap” where the cover and the bands were catapulted off the BGE on the deck and onto the grass about 8’ below.  The cover seemed to be fine but the bands were bent.  I was able to reshape the bands and to get the cover on, but the top to bottom fit was never even close right again.  I’ve had the metal components and cover off and on at least 4 times since then without being able to change the fit.  I did replace some of the hardware with S/S versions though.

    It’s clear to me the band fit is not consistent.  Is the answer to replace the bands?  How about the bracket assembly?  Might that have been damaged too?

    I’ve uploaded several photos of the BGE as it sits today.  I sincerely appreciate your help.  Thank you.

     

    Gasket Fit Overall

    Gasket Fit Front

    Gasket Fit Rear

    Front Under Bite

    Bracket Rear Bite

    Bracket from Side

    Off Center from Left Side

    Off Center from Right Side

     

    Off Center Right

    Right Side

     

     

  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    edited September 2014
    This might seem like a rambling reply, but you just might find something that may help you. It's a collection of hints I have put together over the years.

    I have a gut feeling that either your dome or your base or even both of them may be out of round! How old is your egg? These things are fired clay and when the clay is still damp they can get out of round due to rough handling or whatever. OTOH once fired then they are rigid. Using a good tape measure or at least a rigid yardstick carefully measure both the dome and base from the outside to outside from 12:00 to 6:00 and write that down. You need not be precise to say the eighth of an inch but at least say the quarter of an inch. Then measure them 9:00 to 3:00 and record those as well. Compare these measurements and that will show whether your two pieces are out of round.

    Now something that will be more difficult to do since you have the gasket on you need to take a straight edge board or whatever you trust to be flat and true and check the plane of your two pieces. IOW either or both pieces may have waves in their edges so the plane is not flat. BTW the dome of my 14 year old large had a horrible wave that would have made an old sailor sea sick LOL! If that is the case and depending on how bad it is then sometimes even a thick Rutland won't save the day!

    Now if your dome and base seem to be fairly round and flat (plane wise) then my next guess is your band needs to be adjusted. That isn't that hard to do, but takes some patience and if you have someone to help you that will make it easier and faster!

    Carefully loosen the nuts on your bands - but be careful not to loosen the bands too much as the top one can fly up and hit you in the mouth! I am dead serious!!! Once loosened then you should be able to exert pressure on the dome to make it sit down flatly on the base. I have used clamps and a 2 x 4 to do this by myself once. Maybe you can open this link to see what I mean:
    http://smg.photobucket.com/user/Ronald44/media/IMG_0415.jpg.html

    and another time I convinced my wife to climb up a foot stool and then sit on a board that I placed on the dome throat so as to exert even pressure while I carefully re-tightened the nuts on the band. BTW no picture taking allowed of this method! LOL!!!

    BTW another trick that works for some people since your rear is tight but the front has the gap - right? is to place a 25 cent piece at the back. Maybe 2 stacked quarters will be needed. That causes the dome to shift forward somewhat when pushing or clamping down before retightening the bands.

    If and only if none of these solutions cure your problem then you might have to install a gasket on your dome...but in the thousand plus I have sold I can recall only one person that resorted to that final solution...but in all honesty once you have used the Rutland for a while even a little bit of leakage will go away as the fibers fill in with creosote!

    Please let me know how it all turns out  - OK?

    RRP 
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
    edited September 2014
    This may seem irrelevant but here goes nonetheless. When I installed my Rutland, I used the whole tube of Permatex. That's right, the whole tube. What at first seemed to be a error on my part at the time, has ultimately turned out to be the best thing that I have ever done gasket wise. My egg does not leak so much as a wisp of smoke. Not none. No matter how hard I run the egg, no leaks. By using the whole tube, I inadvertently created 2 gaskets if you will. What I thought was a mistake turned out to be a solution. Just thought that I would share.

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

  • RRP:  
    I'm confident the dome and base are not out of round.  The egg is now about 2.5 years old.  The dome / Base aligned perfectly until I replaced the gasket.  Further, when I removed all the hardware and and lay the temporarily "free" dome on the base it matched the shape of the base and the two surfaces matched as well.

    "your rear is tight but the front has the gap - right?".  No.  They are equally off.  The dome is shifted back about 3/8" in both the back and in the front.

    Something in the hardware is shifting the dome back about 3/8".  If I could fix this problem, the dome would pair perfectly with the base in both roundness and level.

    You're right about the danger in loosening the bands.  I did so and the dome barely missed my face as it flew into the air, off the deck and to the ground.

    This is my  updated plan.  (Plan A) Get some help and reinstall the bands once again.  I like your clamp setup, so I may try that.  My adventure with the flying dome is now out of my system <s>.  (Plan B).  I will replace all the metal parts that flew off with the dome.  I tend to think that's where my problems lie.

    Thank you very much for your help.

    SGH

    I had some of the Permatex left over, maybe 25%.  I thought I had used too much since I basically buttered the perimeter rather thickly.  Good idea though.  Thanks for your help.



  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,457
    Just out of curiosity did you happen to bunch the gasket to much in one spot? I don't have a Rutland but from the description it sounds like you may have a high spot on one or both sides keeping the dome from sitting flat. Again just making a guess.

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
  • No problems with the Rutland as far as I can see.  I am 95% sure something, probably the band assembly that is forcing the dome toward the back.  Since the bands were damaged when the dome and bands took flight I am looking in that direction.

    Thanks for your help.

  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    your rear is tight but the front has the gap - right?". 

    I'm too sober to really nail that one. YouTube bge gasket change. It might help on holding the rear bracket while tightening everything up.
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • Farbuck
    Farbuck Posts: 276
    Does it really matter if only a small amount of smoke leaks out?
    If 95% of the smoke comes out through the top, will the 5% leakage affect the cook?  Whe it comes right down to it, this is art not science.
    I've had leaks for a while and I don't think it makes a difference.




    Two Large Eggs; Too Little Time

    Newtown Square, PA
  • I finally resolved the problem by replacing the two rings and hinge hardware with a BGE kit.  I had to set the upper ring even with the bottom of the dome to get proper alignment.  No problem with the Rutland!  No smoke!  The fire is snuffed out quickly.  All is well.  I thought you all might like to know.  I appreciate all the help you folks have provided.  Thank you.
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    edited October 2014
    You can see that your bands aren't running true with the ridges on the egg. Get a heavy friend to lean on the dome, loosen the bands, make sure they are equidistant from the ridges (that does not mean up against them) and re-tighten making sure they don't ride up or down while you are tightening them.
    Edit: Oh and tell your friend to get off your egg.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON