Second Cracked XL Base—Is It Me?

cookingdude555 · February 2021

Orsi said:

New to BGE. What is a KAB?

Its a Kick Ash Basket.

JethroBodeen · February 2021

Two larges. One base cracked after 13 years. One cracked after one year. Ive also gotten a new base that was not shaped properly to hold the bottom part of the band on. I think that maybe the QC in Mexico is probably less than perfect.....

shtgunal3 · February 2021

Kick Ash Basket https://www.kickashbasket.com/

tbru · October 2023

My XL base cracked, got the new one, it was out of round, so am on my third base and now found out it has cracked all the way through...all within a year of the first replacement. Do you have to go back through your original dealer to get a warranty replacement? Can I go with a dealer that is different and closer to us?

QDude · October 2023

I'm on my third base for my XL. I kind of wish that I had gone with the large instead of the XL.

Photo Egg · October 2023

tbru said:

My XL base cracked, got the new one, it was out of round, so am on my third base and now found out it has cracked all the way through...all within a year of the first replacement. Do you have to go back through your original dealer to get a warranty replacement? Can I go with a dealer that is different and closer to us?

BGE warranty is covered at any dealer. Some dealers are *ss holes and drag their feet on any extra work they have to do, if purchased through them or not. And some are just incompetent. I know there are a couple good BGE dealers north of you, Sunnyland or something like that. I know they do Eggfest type events. Heard good things about them. Might want to start a new post asking about a good dealer in the Minneapolis area. Von Hanson's Is fantastic. Saw them listed in your profile.
Go Astro’s…Ha Ha

Photo Egg · October 2023

QDude said:

I'm on my third base for my XL. I kind of wish that I had gone with the large instead of the XL.

The extra grill space on on the XL is still worth the time it takes to make warranty claims. KBQ is on my list.

Bellavista52 · October 2023

My XL base is cracked and has been for years, but no smoke leaks through it so I haven't replaced it yet.

fishlessman · October 2023

tbru said:

My XL base cracked, got the new one, it was out of round, so am on my third base and now found out it has cracked all the way through...all within a year of the first replacement. Do you have to go back through your original dealer to get a warranty replacement? Can I go with a dealer that is different and closer to us?

i try to find a dealer that also sells wood stoves in the fall winter, spring summer find a pool patio place. here, ace hardware is a last resort, they dont seem to cater like the seasonal specialty places. call first, tell them the bge office recommended them, ask what they need, usually you can just email a pic but one wanted the serial number that was hidden under the lower gasket. the serial number is dumb, theres no records kept on replacement bases and i really doubt on registered ones being kept as well......it was so easy when i could just call the distributor, make the claim, pick it up at the nearest place

xfire_ATX · October 2023

Ive cracked two. Just replaced my first broken firebox recently.

Legume · October 2023

Mine cracked years ago. Replacement is in the garage but since I bought a pizza oven, I haven't had any issues with the cracked base. Someday I'll replace it when I have a need to, but it only leaks air when temps get high for prolonged cook time and since I'm partial to reverse sear, bringing temps down mid cook isn't an issue. It's not a problem for how I use the bge.

OhioEgger · October 2023

I've read so many posts about XL bases cracking that I wonder what BGEHQ is doing differently about making them. Seems like it's a far greater risk than the other sizes.

cssmd27 · October 2023

fishlessman said:

tbru said:

My XL base cracked, got the new one, it was out of round, so am on my third base and now found out it has cracked all the way through...all within a year of the first replacement. Do you have to go back through your original dealer to get a warranty replacement? Can I go with a dealer that is different and closer to us?

i try to find a dealer that also sells wood stoves in the fall winter, spring summer find a pool patio place. here, ace hardware is a last resort, they dont seem to cater like the seasonal specialty places. call first, tell them the bge office recommended them, ask what they need, usually you can just email a pic but one wanted the serial number that was hidden under the lower gasket. the serial number is dumb, theres no records kept on replacement bases and i really doubt on registered ones being kept as well......it was so easy when i could just call the distributor, make the claim, pick it up at the nearest place

Based on my dealer's response, which was ultimately satisfactory but with a lot of effort on my part for a cracked ring, I now tell people to not value the BGE warranty much in their purchase decision.

I wish BGE centralized this process and just used the dealers for delivery or similar.

I have a crack in the base of my large, but it isn't causing any issues, so I plan to just power on. When it breaks down, I'll probably just replace the Egg with a KJ if the dealer balks this time. My Egg is 13 years old anyway.

I don't expect these things to last forever, but I do resent them touting a great warranty that is entirely dependent on where you get it fulfilled when you need it. I would prefer them to have a time limited warranty that was iron clad and easy. That actually makes the most business sense on both ends to me.

RRP · October 2023

cssmd27 said:

fishlessman said:

tbru said:

My XL base cracked, got the new one, it was out of round, so am on my third base and now found out it has cracked all the way through...all within a year of the first replacement. Do you have to go back through your original dealer to get a warranty replacement? Can I go with a dealer that is different and closer to us?

i try to find a dealer that also sells wood stoves in the fall winter, spring summer find a pool patio place. here, ace hardware is a last resort, they dont seem to cater like the seasonal specialty places. call first, tell them the bge office recommended them, ask what they need, usually you can just email a pic but one wanted the serial number that was hidden under the lower gasket. the serial number is dumb, theres no records kept on replacement bases and i really doubt on registered ones being kept as well......it was so easy when i could just call the distributor, make the claim, pick it up at the nearest place

Based on my dealer's response, which was ultimately satisfactory but with a lot of effort on my part for a cracked ring, I now tell people to not value the BGE warranty much in their purchase decision.

I wish BGE centralized this process and just used the dealers for delivery or similar.

I have a crack in the base of my large, but it isn't causing any issues, so I plan to just power on. When it breaks down, I'll probably just replace the Egg with a KJ if the dealer balks this time. My Egg is 13 years old anyway.

I don't expect these things to last forever, but I do resent them touting a great warranty that is entirely dependent on where you get it fulfilled when you need it. I would prefer them to have a time limited warranty that was iron clad and easy. That actually makes the most business sense on both ends to me.

So far I have been lucky since my BGE dealership went out of biz 9 years ago. I purchased 4 eggs from them and just had a few failed BGE part issues...but they were GREAT seeing that they maintained an inventory of pieces and parts. You could walk in with a problem part in hand and walk out with the replacement piece!!! To me THAT was what put BGE on the market and ahead of the "johnnie come laters..."

xfire_ATX · October 2023

My dealer swapped hands a while back and warranty claims do seem slower.

fishlessman · October 2023

cssmd27 said:

fishlessman said:

tbru said:

My XL base cracked, got the new one, it was out of round, so am on my third base and now found out it has cracked all the way through...all within a year of the first replacement. Do you have to go back through your original dealer to get a warranty replacement? Can I go with a dealer that is different and closer to us?

i try to find a dealer that also sells wood stoves in the fall winter, spring summer find a pool patio place. here, ace hardware is a last resort, they dont seem to cater like the seasonal specialty places. call first, tell them the bge office recommended them, ask what they need, usually you can just email a pic but one wanted the serial number that was hidden under the lower gasket. the serial number is dumb, theres no records kept on replacement bases and i really doubt on registered ones being kept as well......it was so easy when i could just call the distributor, make the claim, pick it up at the nearest place

Based on my dealer's response, which was ultimately satisfactory but with a lot of effort on my part for a cracked ring, I now tell people to not value the BGE warranty much in their purchase decision.

I wish BGE centralized this process and just used the dealers for delivery or similar.

I have a crack in the base of my large, but it isn't causing any issues, so I plan to just power on. When it breaks down, I'll probably just replace the Egg with a KJ if the dealer balks this time. My Egg is 13 years old anyway.

I don't expect these things to last forever, but I do resent them touting a great warranty that is entirely dependent on where you get it fulfilled when you need it. I would prefer them to have a time limited warranty that was iron clad and easy. That actually makes the most business sense on both ends to me.

im good with the warranty and expect it to be slow, its just so seasonal up here. i cant fault a dealer needing to wait to add my warranty part to a delivery list if theres no incoming orders coming in out of season. a bbq here is hamburgers and hotdogs, it really is seasonal for 99.999 percent of the people with grills here. in a pinch, bge has shipped me parts in the past when there werent any dealers in the area

abpgwolf · October 2023

The XL bases are prone to cracking, I am on my 5th base in 12 years.

QDude · October 2023

Photo Egg said:

QDude said:

I'm on my third base for my XL. I kind of wish that I had gone with the large instead of the XL.

The extra grill space on on the XL is still worth the time it takes to make warranty claims. KBQ is on my list.

I have a KBQ also. I like it but you spend a lot more time tending the fire.

Money_Hillbilly · October 2023

@Photo Egg I love my KBQ also but a word of warning if you are in a cold climate it will not maintain temperature. I tried a cook in the 30’s once and I couldn’t get it up to temperature. Since there is no insulation it struggles in the cold.

BigGreenKev · October 2023

Money_Hillbilly said:

@Photo Egg I love my KBQ also but a word of warning if you are in a cold climate it will not maintain temperature. I tried a cook in the 30’s once and I couldn’t get it up to temperature. Since there is no insulation it struggles in the cold.

Really? I'm in MN and have no issues cooking at -20f. KBQ included. Eggs are awesome at all temps

Botch · October 2023

OhioEgger said:

I've read so many posts about XL bases cracking that I wonder what BGEHQ is doing differently about making them. Seems like it's a far greater risk than the other sizes.

Does anyone know if the ceramic wall thickness is the same in the XL as it is in the L? Walls in my Large are ~1" thick and ~9/16" in my Small.

fishlessman · October 2023

Botch said:

OhioEgger said:

I've read so many posts about XL bases cracking that I wonder what BGEHQ is doing differently about making them. Seems like it's a far greater risk than the other sizes.

Does anyone know if the ceramic wall thickness is the same in the XL as it is in the L? Walls in my Large are ~1" thick and ~9/16" in my Small.

dont know about the wall thickness, but i think the bigger lower vent has something to do with it. that rectangular opening is a stress problem that probably gets worse as eggs get bigger. when the xl came out, bge recommended no feet, something about the bigger bottom needing more support, so this issue has probably been around since the beginning. all the other eggs needed feet

Botch, i also sent you a message about something im working on

Legume · October 2023

That's where the crack started in my base, bottom corner of vent, down and across bottom of egg.

dbCooper · October 2023

That area is also where the crack in the base of my large originated.

Could be that BGE is not aware of their design flaw. Aircraft windows being changed from square to round in the jet age is the big giveaway.

Langner91 · October 2023

Looks like the Big Joe has the same design. I wonder if they have the same number of cracks? Maybe red ceramic is stronger.

Legume · October 2023

dbCooper said:

That area is also where the crack in the base of my large originated.
Could be that BGE is not aware of their design flaw. Aircraft windows being changed from square to round in the jet age is the big giveaway.

I can't imagine they're not aware, it's been a topic for years. Maybe they think the finances favor ignoring it or maybe they just needed a new president that can dig into this kind of issue.

dbCooper · October 2023

Legume said:

dbCooper said:

That area is also where the crack in the base of my large originated.
Could be that BGE is not aware of their design flaw. Aircraft windows being changed from square to round in the jet age is the big giveaway.

I can't imagine they're not aware, it's been a topic for years. Maybe they think the finances favor ignoring it or maybe they just needed a new president that can dig into this kind of issue.

I said that because in my experiences, and those I've read about on here, dealers do not compile any data on the failures. With no data from the dealers how would corporate know they have an issue, given they don't actively engage with their customers?

fishlessman · October 2023

dbCooper said:

Legume said:

dbCooper said:

That area is also where the crack in the base of my large originated.
Could be that BGE is not aware of their design flaw. Aircraft windows being changed from square to round in the jet age is the big giveaway.

I can't imagine they're not aware, it's been a topic for years. Maybe they think the finances favor ignoring it or maybe they just needed a new president that can dig into this kind of issue.

I said that because in my experiences, and those I've read about on here, dealers do not compile any data on the failures. With no data from the dealers how would corporate know they have an issue, given they don't actively engage with their customers?

i would believe they know, one of the tests was to bring the egg up to 1400 degrees f, open it, and toss a bucket of cold water in it

primo ovals were the worst for cracking at the vent from what i used to read on their old forum. didnt stand a chance with that odd shape and vent

Canugghead · October 2023

dbCooper said:

That area is also where the crack in the base of my large originated.
Could be that BGE is not aware of their design flaw. Aircraft windows being changed from square to round in the jet age is the big giveaway.

Learned something new. I wonder if that's the reason (in reverse) Vitamix jugs have square bottom

QDude · October 2023

BigGreenKev said:

Money_Hillbilly said:

@Photo Egg I love my KBQ also but a word of warning if you are in a cold climate it will not maintain temperature. I tried a cook in the 30’s once and I couldn’t get it up to temperature. Since there is no insulation it struggles in the cold.

Really? I'm in MN and have no issues cooking at -20f. KBQ included. Eggs are awesome at all temps

Same here. No problems getting up to temp in the winter.

Second Cracked XL Base—Is It Me?

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