Lid FireBlack Gasket Question

charlesrshell

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O'Fallon, IL
Grill(s) owned
  1. Stampede
  2. Bullseye
What is the best size FireBlack lid gasket for the Bull, Stampede, and Trailblazer? I have noticed folks using anywhere from 1/2 to 1 inch wide and 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. I know some of y'all and Rec Tec say not to use it but I am going too anyway. I am a newbie but to me I think 1/2 x 1/8 is a good size. Thanks for your thoughts.
 
I used the 3/4 x 1/8 inch Fire Black and it's almost invisible on the lid when applied, I only sealed the upper and lower surfaces mainly to help keep the grills exterior surfaces cleaner.
20200714_064833.jpg
 
I just put the 1/2”x1/8” gasket on my 340. The gap on the top and bottom is greater than the sides, so I’m still getting smoke (and stains) above and below the opening. I may try to replace the top and bottom gaskets with 1/4” thick material, if I can get the old stuff off.
 
I just put the 1/2”x1/8” gasket on my 340. The gap on the top and bottom is greater than the sides, so I’m still getting smoke (and stains) above and below the opening. I may try to replace the top and bottom gaskets with 1/4” thick material, if I can get the old stuff off.
@Clm65 there are others that have the Trailblazer and they have adjusted and/or bent their lid to fit closer. I will try to find the thread for you.
 
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I just looked at my grill, and one side and the bottom may benefit from a little massaging of the lid. But the top is a different story. The barrel of my grill is not 100% uniform. The gap between the lid and the top of the barrel increases as you move from the outside towards the middle. I would say that the gap in the middle is at least 1/4”. The bottom is not quite as bad, but not perfect. You can see from the picture that the gasket worked fine between the hinge and the edge, but there is a bit of staining as you go from the hinge towards the center. I’ll probably try thicker gasket along the top, but I may have to live with some staining.

52EFB053-6119-4240-A247-64F88017FF13.jpeg
 
I just looked at my grill, and one side and the bottom may benefit from a little massaging of the lid. But the top is a different story. The barrel of my grill is not 100% uniform. The gap between the lid and the top of the barrel increases as you move from the outside towards the middle. I would say that the gap in the middle is at least 1/4”. The bottom is not quite as bad, but not perfect. You can see from the picture that the gasket worked fine between the hinge and the edge, but there is a bit of staining as you go from the hinge towards the center. I’ll probably try thicker gasket along the top, but I may have to live with some staining.

View attachment 5657
Maybe call RT
 
If it was new, I might call them. But I’ve had this for over a year and a half now, and never noticed it. I don’t think it affects the performance at all, it’s just aesthetics at this point.
OK. I think you have a two year warranty.
 
OK. I think you have a two year warranty.
True, but I feel that I would be taking advantage (if they would do anything at all). Especially since I got a new controller from them last week. I may try to adjust it myself, but it is really not that big a deal.
 
I have been enjoying my Trailblazer for several weeks now. I am happy with the design and the cooking results. I am not very happy with the fit of the lid, however. I have been unable to achieve any sort of a reasonable seal when the lid is closed. Smoke pours out of the top and bottom of the lid, blackening the stainless steel for several inches. The lid also leaks smoke on the sides but not nearly as badly as the top and bottom.

Before resorting to brute force, I contacted RT. They cheerfully sent me a new lid. Unfortunately, the new lid was unusable due to poor alignment and disconnected edges on the raised box on the underside of the lid. I am really surprised that the replacement lid made it through quality control.

RT is out of stock on lids at the moment but will be sending another replacement when it becomes available. In the mean time, I plan to try to fix the poor seal on the original lid.

It surprises me that the Trailblazer lid is not manufactured with some sort of a gasket. I will be experimenting with some 1/2" x 1/8" Nomex gasket tape in hopes of reducing the smoke leakage. I have used this material before on an egg smoker and it did the job quite well. I will be installing the tape today and will report the results.

One last thing. For RT users who are searching for a way to quickly remove the smoke-induced tarnish, I found something that works quite well... acetone. A little acetone on a rag quickly cut through the tarnish on the stainless steel and surprisingly thick smoke build-up on the edge of the lid where I plan on placing the Nomex tape.

Stay tuned

Bob
 
I have been enjoying my Trailblazer for several weeks now. I am happy with the design and the cooking results. I am not very happy with the fit of the lid, however. I have been unable to achieve any sort of a reasonable seal when the lid is closed. Smoke pours out of the top and bottom of the lid, blackening the stainless steel for several inches. The lid also leaks smoke on the sides but not nearly as badly as the top and bottom.

Before resorting to brute force, I contacted RT. They cheerfully sent me a new lid. Unfortunately, the new lid was unusable due to poor alignment and disconnected edges on the raised box on the underside of the lid. I am really surprised that the replacement lid made it through quality control.

RT is out of stock on lids at the moment but will be sending another replacement when it becomes available. In the mean time, I plan to try to fix the poor seal on the original lid.

It surprises me that the Trailblazer lid is not manufactured with some sort of a gasket. I will be experimenting with some 1/2" x 1/8" Nomex gasket tape in hopes of reducing the smoke leakage. I have used this material before on an egg smoker and it did the job quite well. I will be installing the tape today and will report the results.

One last thing. For RT users who are searching for a way to quickly remove the smoke-induced tarnish, I found something that works quite well... acetone. A little acetone on a rag quickly cut through the tarnish on the stainless steel and surprisingly thick smoke build-up on the edge of the lid where I plan on placing the Nomex tape.

Stay tuned

Bob
Good info on the Acetone @TomatoBob . I just installed 1/2 x/1/8" Fireblack gasket on my lid. Still working on the smoke vents. I am going to use either Fireblack gasket, high temp red RTV, or hi temp gasket material. Wife is cutting out the hi temp gasket material as I type on her Cricut machine. I am not happy with the color. All the auto parts store had was white. Will see how she looks. What is the best way to bend down the metal flaps to hold the smoke vent in the lid hole? Did you use brute force, pliers, or hammer?
 
It won't be white for very long. I have not yet fired up the smoker for tonight's meal but I did learn that putting the gasket on the side edges does not work very well. It causes the bottom to stick out further. For my test cook, I will only have the gasket on the top and bottom edges.
 

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