Both gaskets ripped off my Kamado Joe.

wonderbread · 09-30-2013, 08:24 PM

Brand new! First time I used it yesterday. I had a tri-tip on there for 2 1/2 hours, temp was 230, so it didn't even get that hot. I went to lift the lid (didn't lift it the whole cook) to take the meat off and the gaskets where stuck together in one little spot (I figured out later) and they just tore right apart. Did I do something wrong?? I'm so bummed. They didn't tear off clean either...seperated in half, so to replace them I'm gonna have to somehow get whats left of the old ones off. UGH.

Called the place where I got it and they where nice, but said someone would call me tomorrow. I bought the floor model and told the woman on the phone maybe it had been sitting around unused to long, but she said no, they just got that one in.

Anyone had this happen??

nucornhusker · 09-30-2013, 08:58 PM

That hasn't happened to me, but I have heard of that happening. KJ will take care of you.

MeatCandy · 09-30-2013, 09:45 PM

Bummer...The KJ gasket is thick, so hopefully you can still cook, until you get a replacement...

Charcoal_Addict · 09-30-2013, 10:52 PM

WB, Send Meghan at KJ an email and they'll take care of you. I've seen this happen on other Kamado brands as well including the Komado, Primo and BGE's.

Sometimes you get gaskets with adhesive bonding issues. My friend tore his gasket off his BGE on the first burn. Good news is both KJ and BGE take care of clients when this does occur.

You'll still be able to grill in the meantime just not low and slow or easily over 600F. Just make sure to remove any left over fuzz so you don't trap more grease gunk between the gaskets that will make it harder to put on a replacement set.

Goo-off adhesive remover works very well without any scraping.

thirdeye · 10-01-2013, 12:55 PM

I won't say gasket failure is common because after all.... we only hear about failures. It's rare for the subject of a new post to be something like "Yippee, my gasket is 3 years old today and going strong", but it does happen. Even normal use will sometimes wear them down to the point you need to replace. I've had some worn ones on one of my Eggs for several years, just haven't gotten around to replacing them.

Premature failures like you had should be covered under the warranty, if fact if your dealer is cool, instead of just giving you a new kit, they might even come over and do it themselves. If they do, stick around and watch because eventually you will have to replace them again.

A few years back BGE got a bad batch of gaskets (self adhesive felt-like material), and the glue was bad... causing the gaskets to release and actually fall completely off, sometimes into the cooker or onto the food. The company provided replacements, but the users had to purchase a special kind of adhesive, then clean and prep the surfaces, then install the new one. This caused an enormous amount of heartburn with new owners, but corporate took a hard line on this. (Some BGE dealers did have a different policy). At any rate, it appears some other ceramic manufacturers and dealers took notice of all the bad publicity and go out of their way to correct any gasket problems which happen early, like in the first year.

There is also an option of fiberglass gaskets which are really long lasting, but they come with a warning about the material coming in contact with food, so they are strictly after market.

SmokerKing · 10-01-2013, 01:19 PM

Does KJ use the crappy 3M spray adhesive like BGE too?

Inferior adhesive whenever you do high heat cooks.

Haveuseen1? · 10-01-2013, 04:37 PM

I am still on my original KJ gasket after what I would guess is 500+ cooks. I cook on it around 3-4 times a week, and a few years ago we had a tornado that came through, and lost power for 10 days. I cooked not only for my family but several neighbors during that event. Easily did 50 cooks during those 10 days. Honestly I think there were days that it ran for nearly 24 hours during that. Back to the point. I would chalk your situation up to bad luck. Call them, and keep on cooking.

rwalters · 10-01-2013, 05:11 PM

absolutely NOT the norm... but very frustrating none the less. I've had my KJ for about 7 months now. The gasket is definitely matted down... but still in great shape. As other have said, KJ will definitely take care of you! :-)

chingador · 10-01-2013, 06:05 PM

I melted my gasket on my Primo pretty much the first hi temp pizza cook. I replaced it with a Cotronics and have never looked back. I hear that the KJ gasket is pretty good. Hopefully the people there will hook you up.

wonderbread · 10-01-2013, 08:48 PM

Thanks so much for the replies. The dealer never called back today and I got busy at work. Hopefully will talk with them tomorrow. I really hope they will replace them for me, because scraping the old leftovers off does not look easy. Perhaps the guy that assembled the floor model did a shoddy job and they didn't adhere properly. Hope it doesn't happen again. I will contact KJ regardless and see what they say.

nucornhusker · 10-01-2013, 09:52 PM

KJ's come 95% built from the factory unlike eggs. The gasket is installed at the factory, so it is not the store's fault.

SmokerKing · 10-01-2013, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nucornhusker

KJ's come 95% built from the factory unlike eggs. The gasket is installed at the factory, so it is not the store's fault.

Your point? My BGE came with a factory installed gasket.

Charcoal_Addict · 10-02-2013, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wonderbread

Thanks so much for the replies. The dealer never called back today and I got busy at work. Hopefully will talk with them tomorrow. I really hope they will replace them for me, because scraping the old leftovers off does not look easy. Perhaps the guy that assembled the floor model did a shoddy job and they didn't adhere properly. Hope it doesn't happen again. I will contact KJ regardless and see what they say.

KJ will respond very quickly. Allow the Goo-Off Adhesive remover about 20 -30 minutes to work on the gaskets and they will come off pretty easy with a putty knife.

wonderbread · 10-03-2013, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charcoal_Addict

KJ will respond very quickly. Allow the Goo-Off Adhesive remover about 20 -30 minutes to work on the gaskets and they will come off pretty easy with a putty knife.

Thank you. I received an email from KJ this morning saying the dealer had contacted them for me and the gaskets are being shipped to me. As soon as they arrive the dealer is sending someone out to repair it. I couldn't be happier with the customer service at both KJ and Armstrongs...really impressive!

mrbill · 10-03-2013, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wonderbread

Thank you. I received an email from KJ this morning saying the dealer had contacted them for me and the gaskets are being shipped to me. As soon as they arrive the dealer is sending someone out to repair it. I couldn't be happier with the customer service at both KJ and Armstrongs...really impressive!

good to hear! sounds like dealer and KJ are both doing what's right instead of trying to pass the buck.

09-30-2013, 08:24 PM	#1
wonderbread Found some matches. Join Date: 09-28-13 Location: Los Angeles	Both gaskets ripped off my Kamado Joe. Brand new! First time I used it yesterday. I had a tri-tip on there for 2 1/2 hours, temp was 230, so it didn't even get that hot. I went to lift the lid (didn't lift it the whole cook) to take the meat off and the gaskets where stuck together in one little spot (I figured out later) and they just tore right apart. Did I do something wrong?? I'm so bummed. They didn't tear off clean either...seperated in half, so to replace them I'm gonna have to somehow get whats left of the old ones off. UGH. Called the place where I got it and they where nice, but said someone would call me tomorrow. I bought the floor model and told the woman on the phone maybe it had been sitting around unused to long, but she said no, they just got that one in. Anyone had this happen?? __________________ Kamado Joe, Weber Genesis, Rusty Old Barrel, 75 beer ice chest and 8 person hot tub.

09-30-2013, 08:58 PM	#2
nucornhusker Babbling Farker Join Date: 08-29-11 Location: Lincoln, NE	That hasn't happened to me, but I have heard of that happening. KJ will take care of you. __________________ Yoder Smokers YS1500, Kamado Joe BigJoe & Joe Jr, IMBAS Certified MOINK Baller
	1 members found this post helpful.

09-30-2013, 09:45 PM	#3
MeatCandy Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 07-09-13 Location: Dog Patch, Ca	Bummer...The KJ gasket is thick, so hopefully you can still cook, until you get a replacement...
	1 members found this post helpful.

09-30-2013, 10:52 PM	#4
Charcoal_Addict On the road to being a farker Join Date: 05-28-12 Location: Edmonton, Alberta	WB, Send Meghan at KJ an email and they'll take care of you. I've seen this happen on other Kamado brands as well including the Komado, Primo and BGE's. Sometimes you get gaskets with adhesive bonding issues. My friend tore his gasket off his BGE on the first burn. Good news is both KJ and BGE take care of clients when this does occur. You'll still be able to grill in the meantime just not low and slow or easily over 600F. Just make sure to remove any left over fuzz so you don't trap more grease gunk between the gaskets that will make it harder to put on a replacement set. Goo-off adhesive remover works very well without any scraping. __________________ Super fast Red Themapen, Weber Platinum, Kamado Joe Big Joe, Maverick ET-732

10-01-2013, 12:55 PM	#5
thirdeye somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 01-14-06 Location: At home on the range in Wyoming	I won't say gasket failure is common because after all.... we only hear about failures. It's rare for the subject of a new post to be something like "Yippee, my gasket is 3 years old today and going strong", but it does happen. Even normal use will sometimes wear them down to the point you need to replace. I've had some worn ones on one of my Eggs for several years, just haven't gotten around to replacing them. *Premature* failures like you had should be covered under the warranty, if fact if your dealer is cool, instead of just giving you a new kit, they might even come over and do it themselves. If they do, stick around and watch because eventually you will have to replace them again. A few years back BGE got a bad batch of gaskets (self adhesive felt-like material), and the glue was bad... causing the gaskets to release and actually fall completely off, sometimes into the cooker or onto the food. The company provided replacements, but the users had to purchase a special kind of adhesive, then clean and prep the surfaces, then install the new one. This caused an enormous amount of heartburn with new owners, but corporate took a hard line on this. (Some BGE dealers did have a different policy). At any rate, it appears some other ceramic manufacturers and dealers took notice of all the bad publicity and go out of their way to correct any gasket problems which happen early, like in the first year. There is also an option of fiberglass gaskets which are really long lasting, but they come with a warning about the material coming in contact with food, so they are strictly after market. __________________ ~thirdeye~ I Play With Fire and Smoke *Barbecuist ~ Charcuterist ~ KCBS Master Judge & CTC* Big Green Eggs, Big Drum Smokers, Big Chiefs, Weber Smokey Joe "Custom Tall Boy" Oil Patch Horizontal, SnS Deluxe Kettle Visit my Cookin' Site by clicking HERE Barbecue is not rocket surgery “The problem with quotes on the Internet is that it's hard to verify their authenticity” ~ Abraham Lincoln

10-01-2013, 01:19 PM	#6
SmokerKing is Blowin Smoke! Join Date: 09-07-10 Location: Sunny AZ	Does KJ use the crappy 3M spray adhesive like BGE too? Inferior adhesive whenever you do high heat cooks.

10-01-2013, 04:37 PM	#7
Haveuseen1? Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 08-10-12 Location: North Alabama	I am still on my original KJ gasket after what I would guess is 500+ cooks. I cook on it around 3-4 times a week, and a few years ago we had a tornado that came through, and lost power for 10 days. I cooked not only for my family but several neighbors during that event. Easily did 50 cooks during those 10 days. Honestly I think there were days that it ran for nearly 24 hours during that. Back to the point. I would chalk your situation up to bad luck. Call them, and keep on cooking.

10-01-2013, 05:11 PM	#8
rwalters Quintessential Chatty Farker Join Date: 06-08-12 Location: Columbia, TN Name/Nickname : Robb	absolutely NOT the norm... but very frustrating none the less. I've had my KJ for about 7 months now. The gasket is definitely matted down... but still in great shape. As other have said, KJ will definitely take care of you! :-)

10-01-2013, 06:05 PM	#9
chingador is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 10-18-06 Location: Houston, TX	I melted my gasket on my Primo pretty much the first hi temp pizza cook. I replaced it with a Cotronics and have never looked back. I hear that the KJ gasket is pretty good. Hopefully the people there will hook you up. __________________ ______________________________________________ Rec Tec 590 Stampede, Primo Oval XL, Weber 26" Kettle with Gabby Grills Santa Maria attachment. Lonestargrillz 42" pellet grill on order.

10-01-2013, 08:48 PM	#10
wonderbread Found some matches. Join Date: 09-28-13 Location: Los Angeles	Thanks so much for the replies. The dealer never called back today and I got busy at work. Hopefully will talk with them tomorrow. I really hope they will replace them for me, because scraping the old leftovers off does not look easy. Perhaps the guy that assembled the floor model did a shoddy job and they didn't adhere properly. Hope it doesn't happen again. I will contact KJ regardless and see what they say. __________________ Kamado Joe, Weber Genesis, Rusty Old Barrel, 75 beer ice chest and 8 person hot tub.

10-01-2013, 09:52 PM	#11
nucornhusker Babbling Farker Join Date: 08-29-11 Location: Lincoln, NE	KJ's come 95% built from the factory unlike eggs. The gasket is installed at the factory, so it is not the store's fault. __________________ Yoder Smokers YS1500, Kamado Joe BigJoe & Joe Jr, IMBAS Certified MOINK Baller