How long does a BGE last?

Unknown · June 2004

I have my large BGE for about two years now. I need to replace the gasket between the dome and base for the second time. The fire box is cracked in at least two pieces and not sure how much longer it will stay together. The round metal disk at the bottom is cracking. After a year the hing and bands were replaced (free by BGE). I'm not complaning, I love the thing. But is the expected life cycle 3-5 years or what? I use it for grilling and or smoking minimum once a week and often 3-4 times a week.

Wise One · June 2004

bk, my firebox is cracked but only in on espot. My gasket has burned off twice and one day soon (before I want to do another low and slow) I'll replace it. My grate is in excellent shape and my bands have had no problem. I expect that every five to ten years I will need to replace the firebox and grate and once a year I will replace the gasket but that would be it for me. Then, I'll let my kkids worry about replacing pieces.

SouthJerseyGrEGG · June 2004

bk,[p]I have mine for about two years now and I need to give it
a basic two year tune-up as well. Gasket needs to be replaced, but I can get one more season. Firebox is cracked and my dealer will call when my replacement is in. [p]I have seen pictures of Eggs here that date back about 15 years...maybe more. Back then they were clay, not ceramic, orange, not green![p]

Unknown · June 2004

SouthJerseyGrEGG,
Will they replace the fire box for free?
Also need to replace the thermometer. Even after adjusting, it doesn't seem toread correct anymore. But hey the thing sits out side rain or shine without any sort of cover.

SouthJerseyGrEGG · June 2004

bk,[p]Your firebox is under warrenty. They will replace it but the shipping is an issue. You can pay the shipping cost OR
see if your Dealer will work with you and have your firebox
sent to them when their next shipment of Egg products come in. That way you will pay the dealer for the shipping which will be much cheaper.[p]

JSlot · June 2004

I'm on my third year with a cracked firebox on my original (1997) large Egg and it shows no signs of crumbling any time soon. I have a spare in the closet just in case. The fire box and charcoal grate are covered under warranty and shouldn't be an issue. As for paying shipping, if your dealer is worth his salt, he will get you a new firebox in with his next shipment and not charge you a dime for shipping, since most dealers get Eggs delivered to them by regional distributors if I'm not mistaken and it doesn't cost any more for them to throw another fire box on the truck. Fortunately, I have had no gasket issues on any of the 7 Eggs in my stable, but if I did, I would replace it with the ceramic tape that Chef Arnoldi recommended.[p]Frosty Ones!
Jim

Unknown · June 2004

bk,[p]I have had my BGE for about a year and a half. It is like new really.[p]I may be naive, but it seems very durable to me. I try to avoid really nuke temps like letting it get above 700 degrees and I thoroughly clean it after each low and slow cook.[p]I will be disappointed if it does not last forever.[p]So far, I am very pleased with it.[p]Kyle

stike · June 2004

bk,
It seems to me that the gasket is a sacrificial thing, not meant to last forever. I think to set the tone, and enlighten new owners (I'm not saying YOU'RE new, I just mean in gen'l), maybe it would be a good idea for BGE to ship an extra gasket with the egg, and include instructions for the 'regular' replacement of same.[p]I now that my $300 gasser needed a new manifold every other season or so, among other fixes. But it was always chalked up to maintenance. Kind of an annual thing to do.[p]As for the cracked firebox... someone here many moons ago suggested that the thing be fired as three separate pieces to begin with (maybe even the competition alread does this). Seems to me the whole issue of cracking fireboxes would evaporate overnight if they did this. [p]It's kind of an unwritten code that a cracked firebox is a rite of passage, and does no harm, and affects performance not in the least. Even then, we all make sure we get our free warranty replacement, 'just-in-case'. That's expensive to the BGE folks, and most guys let the new firebox ride on a shelf somewhere forever anyway.[p]These seem to be the most frequently recurring issues, and the fact that both are so minor in reality kinda begs the question. Why don't the BGE crew just deal even MORE straightforward with them? Tell new buyers to expect to replace the gasket at intervals, and give them a freebie with directions. And make the firebox in the pieces it naturally wants to BE IN anyway! hahahaha[p]

Fairalbion · June 2004

stike,
An excellent post; you perfectly echo the sentiments of many fellow Eggers.

Unknown · June 2004

My large is about 12 to 13 years old now. My bro in law had it for several years before he gave it to me. Firebox was cracked at that time and still is. Grate is the original. Just like Cheech and Chong, still smokin !

Unknown · June 2004

bk,
I have an old large BGE (22" round)in Red clay was made around 1996, recently replace the band with springs and the bottom draft door. The fire ring crackes in 2 places, it tied it up with heavy cooper wire and bond it back with fireplace mortar. In fact the ring feel very solid now. the firebox is still in tack. The seal is old but there is no leak, General structure is still very good shape.

WooDoggies · June 2004

bk,[p]I agree with the folks below. Continually used tools are going to need a certain amount of maintenance ..... and with eggs it seems to vary from owner to owner.[p]For my large, that's has been exposed to the elements, uncovered for 5 years.... I upgraded to the spring hinge 2 years ago.... though the old hinge was working just fine. [p]My firebox cracked 2 years ago and has since worked itself into 5 pieces... mainly from bouncing around in the back of uhauls heading to competitions.... I have a spare on hand if it ever decides to fail... so far it has not.[p]On my last cook I noticed the old black bottom vent has begun to rust.... I will finally get around to replacing it with the stainless steel vent that Jim Nufer sent a while back.[p]I've upgraded from the ceramic charcoal grate to the steel one.[p]The original gasket is doing fine.[p]I think a lot of the gasket problems could be avoided if folks regularly checked that the dome is firmly flush with the base. The bands need to be periodically tightened and sometimes the domes can gradually shift in the hinge and cause gaps which can cause fried gaskets....
Also, I don't bring my egg up to turbo temps for a self cleaning...... I think it unnecessarily shortens the life of the gasket.[p]To finally answer your question, the dome and body will last forever if you take care of them..... I'd be willing to bet if you were to bury the entire egg and then dig it up in 5,000 years, the hardware may be gone but the ceramic body and components will virtually look and perform as day you buried it.[p]Beers!
John[p]

stike · June 2004

Fairalbion,
i'm a perfect echo, alright. just ask my wife.[p]i'm a giant empty hole that she yells into.[p]har har
(really, thanks for the post. kind of you)

Julie R · June 2004

bk,
I got a demo from work 4 years ago. I cook continually on it in the during the seasons when it isn't buried in snow with the BGE temp ranging from 300-700 degrees. My BGE is on my deck in Iowa year around without a cover. I need to replace the gasket and all of my original ceramic interior parts are still in one piece. It has been in the back of several pickups going to different location, with no problems.
Someone touched on your gasket problem possibly being caused by the lid not joining properly with the bottom and you did mention getting your hinge replaced - look into the alignment again.
You BGE should be lasting longer than a couple of years before any of these parts should be causing you problems. Talk to your BGE dealer - he/she may have some other insight or there may be others with the same problem as you caused by a larger problem than you think.
Julie

Unknown · June 2004

bk,

Unknown · June 2004

bk,
It will last as long as you want it to. I got mine around 1978, shortly after they started to import them into the US. I’m on my third fire box, none since I installed a thermometer (the old ones didn’t have the hole in the cover for one} and limited the maximum temperature. I stopped replacing the gaskets after about 10 years when I noticed it made a good seal without one. Mine has stayed outside the entire time, most of that time with no cover, the hinges are in good shape, and I think it will out last me.[p]Mike

How long does a BGE last?

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