Smokeware cap leaks

My SW cap seals fine, there is a bit of "stuff" that has built up on over the past year that may be sealing the small leaks...don't really remember if it was an issue when I got it last X-Mas.

Thanks Carolina Q  and Jeepster47...I'll find this gasket and use on mine, then I won't have to keep switching caps either.

One man's opinion:

In this whole debate you need to think CONVECTION. It takes two to tango.  IF the Smokeware OR the Daisy Wheel cap is letting air escape and making cool down longer, THE AIR HAS TO BE GETTING IN SOMEWHERE!!

While driving (long boring drive through central California) I devised ANOTHER experiment!!

I cleaned the Egg out and used a high intensity light source.

I positioned it first in the bottom (after dark of course) and closed up the Egg to see where light/air was getting in at the bottom (because if there were still glowing coals after 3 hours, there had to be convection).  Then I put in the platesetter and raised the grate till it was level with the clam shell and positioned the light around the inside of the opening to see if there were any light leaks in the main clam shell seal. Finally I added a few cans, stacked on the grate and positioned the light high in the dome, shining upwards into the cap.....

Here is what I found out...

It appears that air is getting in through the sliding door at the base of the Egg, just not where I expected.  It isn't that the slide isn't closed all the way, or that the silicone seal was being breached.  The problem is the BACK of the sliding piece.

There is about a 1/16" gap there.  I went to my local Egg dealer and looked at the ones he had on display and this seems to be (from my small sample size) a regular occurrence.

The other end of the "convection cycle" it seems is, unfortunately, the cap (Daisy Wheel or Smokeware).  The high intensity light could be seen on each side of all three vent slots on the Smokeware and from the vents in the daisy wheel no matter how finely I adjusted them back and forth for maximum closure. There was no light around the base where they sat flush against the Egg.

My thought is that this situation doesn't manifest with the BGE ceramic top because it sits flush on top of the Egg (and has a gasket too)... so although air is still getting in at the base there is no place for it to escape, thus no convection cycle.  When using the SW cap or daisy wheel instead, the cycle is created automatically because the hot air in the Egg rises and is forced out through the small gaps between the vent slots, causing a partial vacuum and thus  drawing air through the back of the Egg base slider. Once established it perpetuates till it weakens.

Because of this experiment I have attached a bit of gasket material to my bottom slider base that seals that gap when it is fully closed. This has made a noticeable reduction in cool down times.

Whew!!  A long winded explanation BUT I think this is whats going on... I'll stick with my SmokeWare cap... as said by others, the added benefits over the daisy wheel cap far outweigh any drawbacks.

@UncleFred...another simple solution is to tighten up the track that the door and screen slide in. If it is too sloppy then merely take a slotted screwdriver and with a small hammer CAREFULLY indent the both th upper and lower tracks in permeant part of the vent that is bolted and sealed against the egg. I would suggest doing at least 4 up and 4 down. That will tighten up the slide.

Jeepster47 said:

Carolina Q said:

I don't have a smoke ware so I'm not sure if this would help or even fit, but Rutland makes a window gasket that might work. It even has peel and stick adhesive and it rated to 1000°. 11/16" wide. Not sure how thick though. I saw it in a hardware store a couple of months ago and seem to recall it's about 1/16" thick. I'm sure a phone call would answer that question... 800-544-1307. 

https://www.rutland.com/p/116/stove-window-gasket

A thank you and a bump for Carolina Q's post. 

I obtained a cap today that came without the gasket.  A quick stop at my local Ace Hardware and I had the gasket mentioned above.  54" long and I used 18" to do the inside of the SS cap ... if you're careful one package will do three caps.  The gasket is rated to 1000 degrees F, so no problems there.  I have some concern with the adhesive living to 1000 degrees though ... no problem if I never take the cap off.  The adhesive will peel off the gasket material, so if it doesn't work I can peel the adhesive tape off a new piece and seal on the cap with the high temp RTV.

If the cap doesn't seal enough to snuff the lump, the plan is to make a plug that will fit under the removable cap and on top of the egg ... along the lines of what dldaws1 mentioned a few posts above.  Lift the outer top, insert the plug, and replace the outer cap. I hated rotating the ceramic cap and the daisy cap ... and my BGE pusher dealer made me an offer I couldn't resist ... he's too good at that.

@Jeepster44 and @Carolina Q

Carolina Q said:

Good to know, Ron. I did not.

Break out the UltraCopper!  

Obviously me either ... although I did suspect it was too good to be true.  Just checked and there's a tube of UltraCopper in the basement ... and it's still soft. 

I'll just leave the seal in place until spring cleaning and glue it in place when it's warmer.

@RRP ... thanks for the alert.

I love my SW cap!  The daisy wheel was a nightmare to dial in to temp and keep open.  I tried all of the tricks to make the daisy wheel work but none would keep the wheel at the same position when I opened the XL.  It was a great purchase for me, but YMMV.