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Q-talk *ON TOPIC ONLY* QUALITY ON TOPIC discussion of Backyard BBQ, grilling, equipment and outdoor cookin' . ** Other cooking techniques are welcomed for when your cookin' in the kitchen. Post your hints, tips, tricks & techniques, success, failures, but stay on topic and watch for that hijacking.


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Old 04-13-2008, 09:14 PM   #1
smokinbadger
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Default Exploding Big Green Egg firebox

I'm looking for some advice from fellow eggheads here. After a few "nuclear" steak grilling events, where the dome temp hit around 700F, I noticed a couple of cracks in the firebox insert in my XL BGE. Friday night, I fired it up to grill some chicken breasts, and I noticed that I could see lots of hot coals sitting in the air inlet at the bottom of the egg. Upon further investigation, I found that the firebox had decided to "relax" a bit, breaking into four pieces:





Kind of a bummer. Since I bought this used, I don't have the option of requesting a free replacement from the Egg people. So I'm wondering if anybody has an idea of how to repair this. (I'm thinking about some stainless wire, looped through the holes in the pieces, since each piece has a hole.) Or, am I better off just ordering a new one? Any thoughts one whether I can do better on this replacement part than I can get from my local authorized BGE dealer?

Thanks in advance for ideas.
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Old 04-13-2008, 09:52 PM   #2
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Check the dealer for cost. The wire should work. There are a few guys on the egg forum that have done it. Then I'd buy a new firebox when it wouldn't stress my budget. But I wouldn't use it until I had to.
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Old 04-13-2008, 09:55 PM   #3
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I would still try to get a replacement from BGE. They really believe in the product and are serious about keeping custoimers happy. You could probably bond less aerious cracks, but I would call customer support in Georgia for this one.
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Old 04-13-2008, 10:02 PM   #4
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If you wire this back together, will hot ash and embers fall through and cause a deck fire?
Call the egg people and find out what a replacment will cost, better safe than sorry. Also find out what the causes are for this, might help you avoid it in the future.
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Old 04-13-2008, 10:09 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roo-B-Q'N View Post
If you wire this back together, will hot ash and embers fall through and cause a deck fire?
Call the egg people and find out what a replacment will cost, better safe than sorry. Also find out what the causes are for this, might help you avoid it in the future.
No fire hazaed there. The firebox sits inside the egg so if any embers fell through they would sit inside the egg safely until they burned out.
Call BGE and ask if they will send you a new one. If not no big deal on buying a new one. Cheaper than buying a new egg. All partof the risk of buying used but let us know on the answer from BGE's service department.
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Old 04-13-2008, 10:44 PM   #6
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that looks like an old firebox. New fireboxes have little ledges around the box that support the grate so the grate doesn't wedge into the firebox. On old fireboxes the grate under its own weight would wedge tight and expand when heated, then.......bang goes the firebox. new xl firebox will be around $150.....T
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Old 04-14-2008, 06:26 AM   #7
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my medium's firebox has been cracked for some time now, but it's not broken into different pieces yet. from what i've seen, the cracks usually start at the hobbit hole in the front and go thru an air hole to the top, but yours looks like the grate expanded and broke the firebox like tvj said. i think i'd just try to wire yours together or even make some rings around the out side to hold it together and keep cooking.

i got a new medium firebox from the mothership, but it's still in the box, since the original one is still performing well. all fireboxes will eventually crack.

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Old 04-14-2008, 06:41 AM   #8
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My XL fire box cracked just like that. I got a masonry bit and drilled holes on each side of the crack in about an inch and a half. Then I wired it with stainless wire. I would have to tighten the wire once in a great while but other than that it was no big deal. I wouldn't bother buying a new one.
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Old 04-14-2008, 01:04 PM   #9
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A lot of folks continue to cook with cracked fireboxes in the larg Eggs, usually the pieces will fit back together. I have seen several fixes over the years exactly as mentioned above with holes drilled across from each other following the break. I thought some used a large diameter softer wire rather than stainless.
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Old 04-14-2008, 08:47 PM   #10
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My large has been in multiple pieces for the past year or so. I stopped by my dealer and told him about it and he gave me a replacement from one in his showroom. Still have in in my shop waiting for the cracked one to fully give up the ghost.
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Old 04-14-2008, 10:15 PM   #11
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Mine is cracked and so is the pot, non nuclear proliferation treaty declared on my deck!

Eggfest is coming to the PNW in September.
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Old 04-15-2008, 12:12 AM   #12
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Question to be an egghead or not be an egghead

and I need an Egg why
haven't cracked a WSM yet..
I did crack a pizza stone sunday
I do have a bent WSM looks at the
world a lot like me twisted but still
works fine


But i still want an Egg just because
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Old 04-15-2008, 06:38 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nitrofly View Post
and I need an Egg why
haven't cracked a WSM yet..
I did crack a pizza stone sunday
I do have a bent WSM looks at the
world a lot like me twisted but still
works fine


But i still want an Egg just because
what brand of pizza stone cracked?
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Old 04-15-2008, 07:54 AM   #14
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Send the pics to BGE HQ and they'll send you a new one free - you may have to pay shipping, but maybe not.

I went to their hq while on a business trip, and mentioned my cracked firebox. The guy said, "Hang on," and went and got me a brand new one. Free. The new free one is still sitting in my garage 6mos later. I've been cooking with the cracked firebox for over a year with no problems.
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Old 04-15-2008, 05:33 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vr6Cop View Post
Send the pics to BGE HQ and they'll send you a new one free - you may have to pay shipping, but maybe not.

I went to their hq while on a business trip, and mentioned my cracked firebox. The guy said, "Hang on," and went and got me a brand new one. Free. The new free one is still sitting in my garage 6mos later. I've been cooking with the cracked firebox for over a year with no problems.
i thought he said he didn't buy the egg new. the warranty is not transferable. you can try to epoxy it back together with jb weld, but i'd leave one of the cracks there for expansion relief.
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