Fate of a cracked ceramic kamado

dadsr4 said:
Just a question, based on looking at the pictures. What prevents you from rotating the lid so the hinge is at a location that was never broken? Who cares if the thermometer is off center, if it would take the strain off? Should cook the same.
Click to expand...

Honestly, that is exactly what I was thinking about doing. I feel pretty good about the support of the band though and may just put it back together the original way. I will figure out more once the epoxy drys and I apply the cement. I am thinking about using this cement.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Durst-Furnace-Cement/3455644


Chris
 
ChrisL said:
Honestly, that is exactly what I was thinking about doing. I feel pretty good about the support of the band though and may just put it back together the original way. I will figure out more once the epoxy drys and I apply the cement. I am thinking about using this cement.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Durst-Furnace-Cement/3455644


Chris
Click to expand...
To my way of thinking, the more dissimilar materials you add, with different rates of expansion and contraction, the more chance of cracking. If JB Weld is good enough for Big Green Eggs, it should do well for you. I would rotate, if it were me.
 
Lookin' good Chris! As I mentioned to you, keep in mind as you reassemble that what I believe was the reason for the crack was the lid wasn't closing evenly from left to right. There was a gap on the left side. Had I realized it soon enough, the hinge mechanism somehow became misaligned, placing stress on the lid. I'd make sure the hinge axle is straight and everything works properly and smoothly before reinstall. I'd hate to see all your hard work turn into another cracked lid.

I never knew there was a crack in the base.

As mentioned, fwiw, these Bayou Classics suffered from fire ring cracks, which this one surely did in its first few months of use. I contacted BC, they told me they were redesigning the fire ring to include an intentional split in it for expansion/contraction. It took them a few weeks before it was ready but they did cover it under warranty. It worked as expected and has held up since 2010 or 2011 when it was installed.

-Dom
 
dadsr4 said:
To my way of thinking, the more dissimilar materials you add, with different rates of expansion and contraction, the more chance of cracking. If JB Weld is good enough for Big Green Eggs, it should do well for you. I would rotate, if it were me.
Click to expand...

Hmm, my thought was to apply the refractory cement to shield the JB weld from the heat. JB Weld is only good to 550 degrees then it turns to dust apparently.

I am still on the fence around rotating the dome 90 degrees, it may be a game time decision.

Dom, thanks for the feedback on the hinge, I see what you are talking about, not sure how to fix that yet.

Yeah, the base is almost cracked all the way across, I am on a plane, but will take a photo when I get home. I think that is an easy fix with the refractory cement as it is not a stressed area.

While this smoker is better looking than a BGE IMO, the build quality is way-way off.

Thanks,
Chris
 
I disagree with the JB Weld 550 degree thing. I've had my JB Weld repaired kamado over 750 making pizza with no problem.
 
Ok, back from my trip so back to the repair. I first used a 36 grit sanding disc to grind the smoke and creosote off the smoker. I embedded some fiberglass tape used to repair wallboard to hopefully stiffen the repair. I also cleanly ground down the top and bottom rims of the cooker. I was careful to maximize contact and grind down any high spots along the repair area. The refractory cement spread easily. I feel good having a layer of cement over the JB weld as the folks at JB Weld said it starts breaking down at 550 degrees. That being said, my old BGE dome never reached 550 degrees on the outside even when cooking pizzas.

Dom, I took a look at the hinge, it seems like the left bracket was bent. I bent it back using a wrench.

Not sure how long the cement needs to dry, I may try putting it together tomorrow morning and try burning it in.

Chris
 

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Nice work, Chris. It'll be good if you can get this cooker up and running once more. It's no BGE, but it's a decent unit and should work ok. If not, you gave it the old college try with minimal investment.

As I had mentioned to Chris when he picked it up, the original stainless steel grate no longer fit into the grill after a few months use. It's as if the grate got larger or the grill got smaller. Bayou Classic sent a replacement which fit for a while and then the same darn thing happened. I never figured out why and it's quite unusual. Does a SS grate expand in diameter?

That's why I bought the Craycort grate which is now in my refurbed Weber kettle. At least Chris has the elevated SS grate which fits fine and brings the grilling level up even with the gasket.
 
Thank God, I read the first page and was furious that you were going to smash this piece of art! Good on you for trying to repair it.
 
Well, I am going to declare 90% success. I ran the smoker today for a few hours at 240 degrees and then for a few more hours at 450 degrees. As you can see from the photo, a patch on the right side lifted away from the underside of the dome and I broke it off. The main part of the repair held tightly. Not sure if I am going to patch that side again or just leave it alone. The dome sealed tightly to the base.

I need to fabricate a plate for my BBQ guru and then see how it operates on a long smoke.

Chris
 

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ChrisL said:
Well, I am going to declare 90% success. I ran the smoker today for a few hours at 240 degrees and then for a few more hours at 450 degrees. As you can see from the photo, a patch on the right side lifted away from the underside of the dome and I broke it off. The main part of the repair held tightly. Not sure if I am going to patch that side again or just leave it alone. The dome sealed tightly to the base.

I need to fabricate a plate for my BBQ guru and then see how it operates on a long smoke.

Chris
Click to expand...
Based on my experience with JB Weld, I kind of expected that.
 
Well, I have a few cooks under my belt and am happy to say it looks like the repair will hold. I soldered the following adapter for my BBQ guru. In case anyone is wondering, a 1.25" brass sink drain pipe from Lowes is the perfect diameter for the BBQ guru fan.

I am going to order some stainless steel rod to build a plate setter as this one did not come with a heat diffuser.

The refractory cement is now holding strong, I must not have ground down the area that lifted well enough and the grease caused it to lift. I will probably not repair the section that lifted since the JB Weld is holding so well.

Chris
 

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Well, the refractory cement is totally useless. It pulled clean away tonight. The JB Weld seems to be holding very well though. I have left it outside uncovered and it was pretty obvious that there is moisture under the refractory cement. I either need to get a cover or store it inside.

I welded up a plate setter tonight to raise the grate to grill level and to give me a place to place a stone for indirect smoking. I am far from a stainless welding expert, but I think it came out pretty good. I also welded on some handles to be able to replenish the smoking wood during a cook.

Lunchman, this is one of the grates you gave me, I just cut a 1/2" section out of the grate and then welded it back together. For some reason, the lower half of the cooker is undersized. The upper dome is probably 1/2" wider in diameter. That is why the wire grates would not fit.

Chris
 

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