Finally got my grill back from my daughter and noticed a small area beneath where the lower ring is supposed to go is damaged/crumbling (specifically there are 2 spots where the lower ring has a metal protrusion so that it's positioned correctly and this corresponds to the one in back by hinge).
I googled around and ordered some Rutland furnace cement. My thinking since I'm replacing the gasket/seal at the same time is to remove the gasket, apply the cement (ensuring there's an indent for the lower ring protrusion), and let it cure before installing the new gasket.
Does this sound about right?
by craigcl
8 Comments
I got lucky and they replaced my base under waranty, might be worth the chance.
First: Don’t ever lend anything to that daughter again 🤣 /s
Second: use your warranty
Warranty the base before attempting any repairs. I had a dome that started crumbling in chunks and they sent a replacement under warranty.
I bought mine used in 2022 so I couldn’t warrantee anything and I had that cracked. It’s been fine.
Wow, I’d be very upset. Did she tell you how this happened? But I would recommend reaching out to KJ to see if they can warranty this
If the warranty is a no go, Rutland will work. I have a similar issue with mine. The lid was not working correctly and would hit the base when opening causing it to crumble. Took it apart and glued it up. When I put it back together made sure the lid was working properly and hey presto good as gold. Fired up and running a treat
That looks like something was dropped there? I’d be curious to hear if KJ honors a warranty claim on that. I’ve also yet to see anyone have any success with a repair patch. Curious about that too. Especially in a “working area” or surface that sees more motion and abuse than other areas.
Ok, did a bit more research. For context, I haven’t had this grill for 2 years (I’ve really missed it – I’ve had to cook ribs in an oven like some kind of heathen). I was waiting for our house to sell and taking it up 5 flights of stairs in the interim apartment wasn’t going to happen so I lent it to my daughter. While she did slow-walk getting it back to me for a few months (she really liked the grill), I don’t believe the damage was from her.
When my wife picked up the grill from our daughter’s house I had shown her a video of how you zip tie the hinge shut (this is a Classic 1), loosen the top bracket, and then remove the top. Instead she didn’t zip tie the hinge and instead removed the lid from the hinge itself. Ok. Will make it harder to get the lid back on, but perhaps not a big deal.
It’s when my 18 year old son and she moved the base and, I sh*t you not, decided to use the bottom bracket as handles instead of lifting from the bottom as advised, that I believe led to this damage. If I hadn’t started to replace the felt gasket with a mesh fiber one, I might not have even noticed it as it would mostly have been hidden by the bracket.
As far as a warranty goes, I’ll ping Kamado Joe but honestly I haven’t yet been able to ascertain where I purchased it (it’s a Classic 1 bought at least 5 years ago). I’m checking Costco in the morning but it also may have been Craigslist. Then I’ll ping Kamado Joe and see what they say.
Honestly if I was working at the moment I would have just bought a Classic 3 and called it a day, letting my daughter keep the grill I had lent her. So I’ll pursue the warranty angle, and even if it’s a no-go they may have some opinions on the repair. With any luck I’ll have a pulled pork by the weekend.