Hey everyone,
I recently did a clean burn on my Kamado Joe Classic III and went a little overboard — temps hit around 900°F. After that, I noticed that when I close the lid, only the backside of the lid sits flush, while the front lifts slightly (photo attached).
It looks like the hinge system might be out of alignment or possibly warped from the high heat. Before I start adjusting or replacing anything, I wanted to see if anyone here has run into the same issue.
Could the air-lift hinge have been damaged or shifted due to heat expansion?
Is this realignment fixable, or should I be thinking about replacement parts?
Any tips for diagnosing whether it’s just hinge adjustment vs. warping?
Any guidance or experience would be hugely appreciated. I’d love to get the dome sealing properly again.
Thanks in advance!
by SkeptiKSZ
7 Comments
Edit: the lid when closed sits flush on the front not the back. (See image)
Looks like flames were shooting out the side. You might be able to align it, but it sounds like it might be too far gone. I’m not sure what you can do at this point. I have found that anything high heat just ruins the metal components. I’ve warped my interior fire box ring and gaskets don’t last as long, as a rule I don’t like going higher than 750 f for long periods of time.
Im guessing the metal bent when it was hot and you lifted the lid. Im going to guess its the metal ring section where it connects to the hinge.
I don’t have it so severe but kinda similar. I haven’t fixed it yet but did a little looking. My metal ring might be a little unaligned though
I would never go that hot for your clean burns. Stick to 500 to 600 Max. Pretty sure you’re going to take years off your grills life if you don’t keep those temps down
Contact support. They will either tell you how to realign or send new bands.
They will probably send you a new hinge.
I did a clean burn and the gauge basically broke it was so hot. Flames shooting out. Obviously I thought the kamado could take any temps and didn’t bother reading or researching.
Make sure to watch plenty of videos when replacing the hinge. It’s a pain.