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First pizza toasted my gasket

willrev
willrev Posts: 80
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Well, I used the plate setter with legs down and firebrick sitting directly on top of it. worked great. 600 degrees. But it completely toasted my gasket. This is my fourth cook on the new egg.

Somebody let me know what I did wrong so I can replace the gasket and not repeat again. Thanks.

Comments

  • Cory430
    Cory430 Posts: 1,073
    Leave the gasket off; you won't ever have this issue again.
  • Welcome to the I TOASTED MY GASKET EARLY IN MY EGGING CAREER CLUB.
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    There were some posts the other day with pizza set ups having the plate setter legs up, grid and then raised grid.

    That way you will keep large furniture masses away from the gasket area which seems to be important when you have the egg at higher temperatures.

    As far as your gaseket. Contact your dealer or BGE and get a replacement - it could be faulty adhesive.

    GG
  • Bacchus
    Bacchus Posts: 6,019
    Season the new gasket by keeping first 6-8 cooks at or below 400-450. It does work.
  • I think I went 5 cooks before toasting my gasket on a pizza. I think the problem is that the plate setter is about the exact height of the gasket, and if you open the dome too quickly and get a flameout, guess what's right in the path.

    I am with the previous post that recommended to leave the gasket off. I bet if a poll was taken of the forum, a majority do not have a gasket on their Egg.
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


  • Cory430
    Cory430 Posts: 1,073
    My gasket on my large was over a year and a half old when it melted last night. My pizza stone was on the top of the AR, so NOT inline with gasket.

    Seriously, my medium hasn't had a gasket in forever and can't tell a difference. As a matter of fact, I got the large going now at 250° (no issues) sans gasket.
  • My 5 yr old large as the original grey felt gasket. 2-5 cooks per week many at 500 and above and still going fine.
  • Hoss
    Hoss Posts: 14,600
    What Cory said! ;)
  • Bacchus
    Bacchus Posts: 6,019
    The Problem was an uncured felt gasket, not the Plate setter.
  • BBQMaven
    BBQMaven Posts: 1,041
    if the lid and the base make good tight contact - "you don't need no stinking gasket!"
    Kent Madison MS
  • Gotcha. Thanks. :)
    __________________________________________

    Dripping Springs, Texas.
    Just west of Austintatious


  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    :) Lot of different ideas. On my large, I replaced a gasket (good adhesive) and had 40 under 400° to test the cure theory. For me it didn't work.

    I had a large DO in the egg at 500°. The DO was about 2" away from the gasket. The gasket was completely melted. Gasket failure not adhesive failure.

    On my medium this was a test I was doing with high temperatures and fast starting the egg. Gasket was installed (pre-bad adhesive run on the gaskets) and had 4 lower temperature burns about an hour each.

    I used 2 paper towel/oil starters, left & right of center, lump to the top of the fire box. Aluminum foil rope around the outside of the fire ring to force all available air up through the fire grate.

    8 minutes to steady 500° temperature, gasket was fine. I left it at 500° for another 5 minutes a slight open to see if the gasket was OK and it was. Took it up to 700° and held. 3 minutes at 700° I began to smell the burn.

    I immediately shut the vents top and bottom. Waited for the medium to get to 350° and then open. Opened the dome and no resistance whatsoever.

    This is how it looked.
    medgasket1.jpg

    The left side was the adhesive melting and seeping up through the felt and sticking to the top gasket. The right was a burn out.

    I seem to say I don't believe in curing the gasket but in the same breath I would never install a gasket and go immediately high heat cook.

    I also keep all furniture away from the gaskets when I am above 500°.

    I am not sure if there is any one answer.

    GG
  • Consider yourself "initiated". :P
  • SkySaw
    SkySaw Posts: 656
    I have seen zero evidence to support the myth that gaskets require 'seasoning' or 'curing'. There are, however, lots of posts from people whose well-seasoned gaskets have been immolated in a pizza cook or high-temp burn.

    If we are throwing in our personal theories as to why gaskets go, it's my belief that the problem is not the gasket at all, but the combination of gasket and glue. I think the glue becomes soft and tacky when exposed to high temps, and when the dome is raised, the gasket comes free.

    There is no way to re-fit a gasket that has twisted or is no longer situated properly on the edge when the Egg is at temperature, so the only option is to close the lid. Now that the gasket is no longer properly seated, it gets burned, and that is the beginning of the end.

    Like many others in this thread, I have been gasket-free for over a year, and I'm cooking from 225º to 700º without problem.

    Mark
  • willrev
    willrev Posts: 80
    Love it. Glad to know I don't even have to replace. Did some grilled asperagus tonight with some greek seasoning at $350. My old gas grill used to dry it to a crisp. It was the most beautiful color and perfectly done in the egg on the grid over an inverted plate setter.

    I could not feel any heat coming out of where my gasket should be.
  • I burned up my gasket on my 4th cook! I was really stupid. I put on ribs, set temp at 325 and went to store with wife, daughter-in-law and grandkids. Thought I would be back in 20 min. 2 hours later I come back, EGG has flames shooting out top and sides, ribs are ash, no sign of gasket. I shut it all down. Went inside and pouted. Came out an hour later and dome was welded to base! Got on the forum, posted my humble problem, and somebody told me to use a butter knife to separate it and get it opened. Worked like a charm! New nomex resolved the problem. I even had nice folks from around here offer to come help me since they felt sorry for such a poor fool that would leave their BGE unattended for two hours. It works just fine! Welcome to the club!