New Egg disappointment

Unknown · July 2010

I think I'm going to love my Egg. I got it for my b'day. I turned 51 http://www.eggheadforum.com/components/com_simpleboard/emoticons/cool.png. Family and friends came over for what was quite simply the easiest bbq steak-fest I've had. The grilling was perfect, what a party. The next morning, Sunday, I started to clean up. Oh oh, the lid's stuck. No, the lid is glued. No 'Egg' follow through on Sunday, this baby is sealed tighter than Fort Knox.http://www.eggheadforum.com/components/com_simpleboard/emoticons/sad.png. Call Big Green Egg on Monday...."Did you read the manual?", "Yes", "Did you watch the DVD?", "No." "Well sometimes the glue on the gasket hasn't cured, and if your bbq is too hot the glue will melt through the gasket. We recommend the 1st few uses should be lower temp. items no more than 400 degrees." Hold it, that's not in the manual and its not in the DVD.

The resolution, buy acetone to dissolve the gasket glue. Remove the gasket, and replace the gasket. Green Egg will pay for the gasket, but not the shipping. That may be extra. Oh, you'll have to buy some high temperature silicone adhesive to glue the replacement gasket. Be careful, use no abrasives, sanding or anything that will scratch the ceramic when removing the old gasket. You are required to use acetone and elbow grease exclusively. And, as a last point, once glued don't use the Egg for 3 days to allow for curing. (I'm still waiting to find out if High Temp. Silicone is appropriate as it is only rated to 400 degrees.) Likely that means I won't get to 'Egg on' till Fridayhttp://www.eggheadforum.com/components/com_simpleboard/emoticons/sad.png

This is a known but undocumented fault in the Egg. I know this, because the very nice lady was quick to point out the likely cause and immediately emailed me instructions to fix it.

Hold it, hold it. I thought I had the world's best Smoker and Grill, and certainly not an inexpensive present. I'm spending my time fixing a product defect and I have to buy materials to do it. Does that sound like a warranty?

Read the warranty! Quote "Defective Eggs will be replaced upon return, or shipment (F.O.B point of Shipment) to the offices of the Big Green Egg. The Big Green Egg will not be liable for any transportation charges, packaging costs, export/import duties or levied taxes."

I live in Canada. You live in Georgia, USA. Safe bet that Big Green Egg has covered all their angles in that single clause. It'll cost me more to ship it 2 ways than buy a new one.

By that point I was intrigued, so I continued to read the warranty. The quote above is in the first part of the Conditions, Item 1. Items 1 through 8 then go on to further limit, exclude, deny. defray, avoid and otherwise limit any liability for anything to do with failure of the Egg.

I will fix my Egg, and I am sure that it will be a great product. I just find it disappointing that instead of standing behind a product, North American (Canadian and US) manufacturers prefer to have their Marketing team stand behind it, followed by a cadre of lawyers who deny that the company even exists, and then hide in the shadows, simply manufacturing what will likely be a terrific bbq.

Happy with my Egg (when I get to use it), disappointed in Big Green Egg.

Mike in Abita · July 2010

Sorry for your troubles. It does get easier.

Wise One · July 2010

If you're going to be doing high temp cooks for the immediate future, just pull the gasket off and cook without it. Then right before you go away for three days, clean the rim, apply the new gasket and let it cure for three days.

I think that part of the instructions should tell you to do a series of three one-hour cooks at 400 degrees or lower. By heating it up a bit and then allowing it to cool, the gasket adhesive seems to adhere a bit better. By the way, I'd follow that same process after you replace the gasket. I may even follow that process if I replace the gasket on mine. It's been quite a few years now and it's a bit difficult to hold it at 225 (and virtually impossible to hold it any lower) but other than that it cooks just great.

Cory430 · July 2010

These damn gasket issues have got to be a huge black eye for BGE. I can't believe that they still haven't resolved this issue at this point. They'd almost be better off leaving the damn things off and offering to sell the Nomex as an after market item. I haven't had a gasket on either of my eggs for a couple years and won't ever bother to replace them. But when somebody drops this kind of change on a charcoal grill, the last thing that they expect is for something to fall off of it in the first few cooks.

Cory430 · July 2010

BTW, it is a helluva cooker though, you'll grow to love it like a family member over time.

Roll Tide · July 2010

I agree Cory. People get frustrated with it immediately when something like this happens and it can ruin their opinion of a product permanently. I was frustrated when my gasket melted, but I was expecting to replace it at some point. If I hadn't been aware of the issue, I would have been very aggravated.

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker · July 2010

your dealer really should take care of you on that.

i am surprised they said to use the high temp silicone, only because they've never said that "officially".

it's good to 600 degrees, and your ceramic rim will never see 600. absolutely no worries with the silicone, temp-wise. a few here have nothing BUT the silicone (it is 'gasket maker' after all).

thegasket will come off easily with a scraper and a little acetone to clean things up. don't tell anyone i told you, but if you are using the silicone, you beraly have to clean it, that stuff is tencaious.

first things first though... where's your dealer in this? they should be able to get you the gasket

cookn biker · July 2010

The first time mine got stuck shut I thought it was because of the weather. It happened when it was cold out. After using in the winter and anticpating using it the next day, I will put a piece of wax paper between the gaskets. I have only one gasket on my large and my medium. Still holds the temps quite fine.
I wont put an after market gasket on any of my eggs, don't need the trouble.
Sorry for your frustrations.

EdubGriller · July 2010

I have had my egg for 4 weeks, have had many great cooks, over 600 searing , under 200 smoking, but then i melted it, i was doing pizzas with the stone. i was cooking at 450 and i think it was a combination of a higher temp with little draft (also its drier in there then when you are cooking meats). My gaskets sort of melted together and fell apart in places but it seems to seal ok with the exception of a 4 inch section near the front. I'm just mad to have to go down for 3 days to fix it and lay off the pizzas and steaks for a week, GRRRRR. The naked Whiz has a great article on this issue, i followed some of his suggestions and it seems to be better, i have cooked 20 times with my half melted gaskets with no issues.

cookn biker · July 2010

Then I say don't worry about it. Use it as is. No need to stress, just cook.

cookingdude555 · July 2010

I recently put nomex on three of my eggs. I didnt wait 3 days after for it to cure. In fact I was so anxious to use the mini, I fired it 14 hours after putting it on, and had it at 600 degrees. That was many cooks ago, and it's holding fine.

NCSU-Q · July 2010

Is BGE still selling these things with the old gray felt gaskets?? If so, that is inexcusable. Those things are crap, and they know that they are crap. It is like selling a new sports car with tires that are rated to last for the first 50 miles that you own it.

They have known about this issue for at least as long as I have owned mine (2 years). Why not just sell them with with the Nomex?? Why is that such a burden for them?

I had a similar experience with my brand new egg and it is quite frustrating. I love my BGE, but to STILL be having these issues is terrible.

NCSU-Q · July 2010

Is BGE still selling these things with the old gray felt gaskets?? If so, that is inexcusable. Those things are crap, and they know that they are crap. It is like selling a new sports car with tires that are rated to last for the first 50 miles that you own it.

They have known about this issue for at least as long as I have owned mine (2 years). Why not just sell them with with the Nomex?? Why is that such a burden for them?

I had a similar experience with my brand new egg and it is quite frustrating. I love my BGE, but to STILL be having these issues is terrible.

deepsouth · July 2010

NCSU-Q wrote:

Is BGE still selling these things with the old gray felt gaskets?? If so, that is inexcusable. Those things are crap, and they know that they are crap. It is like selling a new sports car with tires that are rated to last for the first 50 miles that you own it.

They have known about this issue for at least as long as I have owned mine (2 years). Why not just sell them with with the Nomex?? Why is that such a burden for them?

I had a similar experience with my brand new egg and it is quite frustrating. I love my BGE, but to STILL be having these issues is terrible.

my grey felt gasket works perfectly. maybe i just got a good one.

PhilsGrill · July 2010

And remember, 95% of all original gaskets are still in use.

RRP · July 2010

why do you keep posting that? At least give a wink or something so newbies aren't mislead. Thank you.

PhilsGrill · July 2010

Well, I got that number on good authority here in Atlanta a year ago.

RRP · July 2010

I'm not questioning your honesty, but how the heck could anyone make that claim? I have 4 eggs and only one still has the original felt. Guess I wasn't aware of some poll or egg police program that keeps track of felt gaskets to the extent of claiming 95% - that just defies logic. Oh well...I have to go power wash my deck so I'm outa here.

cookingdude555 · July 2010

Same here, 4 eggs, 3 have been replaced, and the 4th has char that I guess you could call original.

NCSU-Q · July 2010

Let's just say the fail rate is a mere 5% (which i seriously doubt... That may be the failures that are REPORTED to HQ). I have not seen a complaint on the message board yet about the nomex ones. So...

If I own a company, that sells a product for $800+, and I can make a production change that costs me less than $10, that would nearly eliminate the issues, and the dissatisfaction of new owners, why not do it??

PhilsGrill · July 2010

We have three others in our neighborhood for a total of five eggs, none have had gasket issues. We see them here because the 1/10th of 1% of owners are on this forum and talk about it. The three neighbors do not participate in this forum. Why? They don't care or are not as passionate as we are. I have other friends outside the neighborhood with eggs (4 more oh, and no gasket failure for them either) and they don't get on the forum either.

So either we don't hear about the failures or they are not reported to Atlanta.

Anywho, it's frickin' hot here! Have a good one.

New Egg disappointment

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