Lid Gasket Install


 
Colin

Colin

TVWBB All-Star
Not wanting to hijack Samuel's thread, I thought I would ask here.
I need some tips on cleaning the lid on my Performer well enough to install the Fireblack gasket material I ordered from Island Outdoor. I took a look at the lip and my heart just sank! That baby is gunked up big time. My thinking was Simple Green and 0000 steel wool but after looking at it, I'm not sure if it is possible.

Quote from Tim Snyder's post:
I put a lid gasket on the new crimson kettle I just assembled. I must say that it makes quite the quality difference in the way the lid "feels" when you're putting it on/off the grill (plus seals it a bit better for smoking). Highly recommended and MUCH easier to install on a new clean grill.

Any suggestions?
Thanks in advance guys, I really appreciate it.
 
Hi Colin - may want to try a razor blade with Simple Green on the rim to get the gunk off. Has worked well for me in the past.
 
Colin said:
My thinking was Simple Green and 0000 steel wool but after looking at it, I'm not sure if it is possible.
Click to expand...
Anything’s possible with enough time and effort.

That being said - if it’s already ‘gunked up’ then why do you need a gasket? The congealed smoke tends to seal pretty well. Maybe try spinning the lid on the bowl to even out the contact surfaces?
 
I cleaned my totally gunked Performer lid with Easy-Off oven cleaner, steel wool, and a brass head gasket scraper (actually, my Performer was so bad I used sprayable paint stripper in a few sections) brass scraper being softer than steel and could be bent to match the interior radius of the grill. Funny enough, I started cleaning another grill today using the same system. Just use plenty of rinse water, wear gloves.

After the grill is "clean" I prepped the lid rim with rubbing alcohol until it was literally squeaky clean.

My kitchen oven is also an enamel interior and I've cleaned that 4x a year for the last 20 years with Eazy-Off with no negative effects on the oven interior. The grill is actually easier to clean (except for the extreme neglect part) than the oven because you can clean and hose off the grill outside. I've tried many cheaper brands of oven cleaner over the years and Easy-Off is my favorite.

I like the gasket and I'll be installing one on my current user grill and my Performer for now. The gasket makes the lid feel like your closing the door on a Mercedes, not ringing that Weber kettle bell. :LOL:

Kettle inside.JPG
 
Last edited:
I probably should mention too that I work in small sections at a time and I only leave the Easy-Off on long enough to just soften the carbon. I try to keep the outside of the grill free of the oven cleaner if I can (just in case) and it will discolor aluminum if it's in contact too long, so watch the vent(s).
 
LeeHarvey said:
That being said - if it’s already ‘gunked up’ then why do you need a gasket? The congealed smoke tends to seal pretty well. Maybe try spinning the lid on the bowl to even out the contact surfaces?
Click to expand...
Lee, see Tim's post above.
There are silicone bumpers on the lid of my Genesis II gasser that make it feel like a higher end grill, not the clang of a cheapy. That's what I'm going for.
Click to expand...
 
For $8.00 it's a noticeable improvement. I can't vouch for how long it will last, but even replacing the gasket every so often shouldn't be difficult. My friend has a dozen cooks on his kettle (3 long) with the gasket and there isn't any sign of deterioration so far. The rim is also completely sealed, no smoke leakage at all. His kettle also extinguishes coals and cools down very fast, which I'd consider a benefit and should actually pay for the cost of the gasket in short order.
 
Kelly C said:
I used oven cleaners in the past but the fumes were a bit too strong for me so I switched to Simple Green. Either one will work.
Click to expand...
Yes, the fumes are brutal. Keep upwind. The universal advice when cleaning something is always start with the mildest solvent that will get the job done. Sometimes soap just isn't going to touch the calcified carbonized fused satan lava in the grill and aggressive scraping with metal implements is risky, and probably isn't good for the grill either.
 
Jeff Boudman said:
Easy Off now makes a Fume Free oven cleaner that is safe to use without gloves and works as well as the Heavy Duty. I use it on my cooking grates.
Click to expand...
That's good to know, I just assumed it was a watered-down version. Easy-Off actually makes a grill cleaner, but I've never seen it for sale locally so I haven't tried it.

Easy-Off.jpeg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top