*NEW* BGE Owners - Your Last Gasket Set, Ever?

[SmokerKing]

Yup, it happened to me, had my large BGE only a few months and I burned the gaskets off doing high heat for pizzas. Opened it up and the dome gasket was hanging and the base gasket was oozing off.

I contacted BGE and they sent me out a new Nomex replacement gasket, free, kudos!

Now the fun started. Being a novice to BGE gasket replacement I went on line and found a few of Fred’s Youtube tutorials. Are you kidding me? I have to remove the dome and scrape the ceramic sealing edges of the BGE dome and base of all its adhesive and crud with Scotchbrite pads and acetone and replace the gasket with the same crap that failed? 3M 77 adhesive?

I thought to myself, “Am I going to have to do this a couple times a year?” Forget that crap!!

So, I put my thinking cap on and designed a ring that would accept the Nomex gasket on both sides. I added and bent retaining tabs that would secure the gasket ring to the inside of the base to prevent it from falling off or rotating.

Bingo! The BGE Gasket Setter is born!

Now, I haven’t tried it yet but preliminary fitment and visual inspection of the seal looks like it’s going to work.

So, on low and slow cooks, it will seal just fine and when I sear steaks or bake pizza ‘s on high heat, I’ll simply remove the gasket ring and let her go.

And, If I ever have to remove or replace the gasket, I don’t have to worry about removing the dome, and scraping the ceramic from adhesive or crud again.

Obviously it needs some rigorous testing , but I thought I’d post up for those that experience the only major down side of owning a BGE IMO.

Having a gasket fail in the middle of a cook sucks. Hopefully, it will never happen to me again.

 

[Hoss]

I run my LBGE gasketless.Therefore I NEVER have gasket problems. :wink: Great idea you have there for those that think you need a gasket.

 

[BBQchef33]

ok, obvious question. hows the seal between the ring and the egg? Seal to seal is good, but if the egg and ring are not glued, is there possible gaps for air that may effect low and slow. Just curious..


(keep in mind, my egg hasnt seen a gasket since it was 2 weeks old.... I never installed the nomex because of all the scraping and scrubbing.. Only use it for steaks and pizza. this may get me a gasket installed. )

 

[Groundhog66]

Neat idea, looking forward to hearing how it works out for you.

 

[SmokerKing]

ok, obvious question. hows the seal between the ring and the egg? Seal to seal is good, but if the egg and ring are not glued, is there possible gaps for air that may effect low and slow. Just curious..


(keep in mind, my egg hasnt seen a gasket since it was 2 weeks old.... I never installed the nomex because of all the scraping and scrubbing.. Only use it for steaks and pizza. this may get me a gasket installed. )

Everything is a tight fit, the Nomex gives enough to match the irregularities of the cermaic surfaces. I will keep the gasket ring in th same orientation as the gaskets will confom to the ceramic surfaces.

Does that answer your question?

 

[SmokerKing]

I run my LBGE gasketless.Therefore I NEVER have gasket problems. :wink: Great idea you have there for those that think you need a gasket.

I thought about doing the same thing, the dome and base surfaces are very level on mine and mate up fairly well without a gasket.

 

[FatDaddy]

I lost my first gasket after a couple of months. I replaced with the nomex gasket per Freds site. I havent had a problem in over 2 years now. I do high heat steaks and pizza at lest once a week and very seldom smoke anything in the egg. Have other cookers for that use. But am curious to how this turns out. Keep us updated.

 

[Hoss]

ok, obvious question. hows the seal between the ring and the egg? Seal to seal is good, but if the egg and ring are not glued, is there possible gaps for air that may effect low and slow. Just curious..


(keep in mind, my egg hasnt seen a gasket since it was 2 weeks old.... I never installed the nomex because of all the scraping and scrubbing.. Only use it for steaks and pizza. this may get me a gasket installed. )

If your dome and base are alighned properly you do not have to have a gasket to do lo-n-slo cooks.I just did a gasketless 26 hour plus cook on one load of lump and had some leftover chunks of charcoal.Nothin wrong with gaskets if you want to use them but they are NOT necessary to cook lo-n-slo.

 

[SmokerKing]

If your dome and base are alighned properly you do not have to have a gasket to do lo-n-slo cooks.I just did a gasketless 26 hour plus cook on one load of lump and had some leftover chunks of charcoal.Nothin wrong with gaskets if you want to use them but they are NOT necessary to cook lo-n-slo.

Haven't had mine long enough to try a gasketless slow smoke. But since the gasket is off the egg now, I could give it try.

I'd have to adjust the ring clamps to make up the difference in the gasket gap.

I've read where some owners have BGE that don't mate against each other very well. Maybe the older ones?

 

[WildmanWilson]

I like it. I just may try it. What did you make the tabs from? Is it just two gaskets glued together with high temp silicone with the tabs between it?

 

[Cliff H.]

Why don't BGE either make gasketless or nomex the standard and discontinue the one that is burning off ?

 

[El Lobo]

:clap2: Patent Pending

 

[bigabyte]

Someone just sold an idea to BGE methinks...

 

[SmokerKing]

I like it. I just may try it. What did you make the tabs from? Is it just two gaskets glued together with high temp silicone with the tabs between it?

Plasma cut steel ring with tabs. Tabs get bent to fit inside the bottom of the BGE.

I used Permatex Ultra Copper High Heat Silicone to adhere the Nomex to both sides of the ring.

 

[Groundhog66]

I'd be happy to be a field tester if needed :wink:

 

[SmokerKing]

I'd be happy to be a field tester if needed :wink:

I may supply the ring, you supply the gasket and Permatex.

 

[chambersuac]

looks like a good idea and maybe worth a purchase if you produce them.

I fried my gasket after two or three weeks. Haven't used one since and do high heat and low and slow just fine...but...with this...???

 

[SmokerKing]

I'm traveling this weekend so I won't be able to do the initial burn.

I'll try to get it tested mid week.

 

[Groundhog66]

I may supply the ring, you supply the gasket and Permatex.

Sweet, let me know...I'd love to try it out.

 

[Dr_KY]

Get yourself to the patent office NOW!