Your thoughts about RTV High Temp Sealer VS. LavaLock Gasket Tape or similar?

Bama BBQ

Well-known member
Messages
91
Location
Guntersville, Alabama
Grill(s) owned
  1. Bull
Have decided to buy the 700 & from the looks of it will have to play the long wait game for delivery, possibly into mid February ... bummer !
Called them yesterday & was told they consistently keep a small stock in the warehouse for immediate purchase of walk-in's but ordering online is "different".
Don't think I'll make that drive, it would be a 600 mile round trip to their showroom & back.

Purposely posting this here for intake from those who have sealed the lids for various reasons.
I've read several if not all of the excellent previous post about the subject but don't recall anyone using RTV high temp silicone for anything but adhesion for the optional vents on the Stampede 590.
Anyway, I've used high temp RTV over the years in my shop with total success in similar situations & it's easy to replace if ever damaged & wondered if anyone here has used it for sealing the lid instead of using the gasket tape material & if so how did it work out after some use?

The nice thing about RTV silicone (when applied correctly) is it conforms to both sides producing a molded type fit & will stay put unless it gets damaged by accidents.

Thanks
 
RTV? On the lid? You know that you still need to... open... the lid to use the smoker, right? RTV is better left for parts you want to connect and leave, semi-permanently. The gasket material is more suited for this application.

That said, if you don't care about the patina that the smoke adds to your stainless... I wouldn't worry about sealing the lid at all. I added the LavaLock 1" wide stuff around the perimeter of my life in an effort to keep the smoke from adding patina my stainless around the lid. That's it. No functional difference otherwise. If it did, Recteq would add it from the factory. I also prefer the more solid "feel" when closing the lid and even added it to the hopper lid for this same reason. This is a very insignificant reason and if it were the only reason I wouldn't have bothered. Just an added bonus to keeping my stainless looking stainless.

I wish I could get onboard with the look of the patina because it would make things much more simple. As it is, I'm into this roll of gasket material $20 and I've already invested the 5-minutes to install it so... the "effort" put into it is quite minimal if the patina look bothers you.
 
RTV? On the lid? You know that you still need to... open... the lid to use the smoker, right? RTV is better left for parts you want to connect and leave, semi-permanently. The gasket material is more suited for this application.

That said, if you don't care about the patina that the smoke adds to your stainless... I wouldn't worry about sealing the lid at all. I added the LavaLock 1" wide stuff around the perimeter of my life in an effort to keep the smoke from adding patina my stainless around the lid. That's it. No functional difference otherwise. If it did, Recteq would add it from the factory. I also prefer the more solid "feel" when closing the lid and even added it to the hopper lid for this same reason. This is a very insignificant reason and if it were the only reason I wouldn't have bothered. Just an added bonus to keeping my stainless looking stainless.

I wish I could get onboard with the look of the patina because it would make things much more simple. As it is, I'm into this roll of gasket material $20 and I've already invested the 5-minutes to install it so... the "effort" put into it is quite minimal if the patina look bothers you.
Yeah ... I like to keep things reasonably clean as well.
And YES to answer your question (if that was a question) about using it on the lid.
There are multiple ways to keep the RTV adhering to only one side, wax, parchment paper etc.
Being in the motorcycle business including restoration of very old bikes we've literally molded obsolete parts including engine case seals with it in my shop.
 
Yeah ... I like to keep things reasonably clean as well.
And YES to answer your question (if that was a question) about using it on the lid.
There are multiple ways to keep the RTV adhering to only one side, wax, parchment paper etc.
Being in the motorcycle business including restoration of very old bikes we've literally molded obsolete parts including engine case seals with it in my shop.
While I understand it can be done, the felt-like stuff is much easier and cleaner. I likes me some RTV as much as the next guy but I just feel as though it's not the best choice for this particular application. No chemicals or anything like that either. Just cut, stick and done. It also cushions the lid as you close which gives the whole thing a very nice "feel" and feels more high-end. Kind of like slamming a door on a Mercedes versus an 80's Toyota or Honda.

It will compress right where the lid comes into contact with the housing and forms a very good seal. You'll quickly notice that the uncompressed portion of this stuff is brown and the compressed portion is still light gray (unless you buy the other brand that is black) which indicates that it's sealing quite well.

Again, the goal here isn't even 100% sealing for some sort of performance gain as I think that's a fools errand that won't ever yield any noticeable difference.
 
Honestly, it sounds like a good thought but I'm not sure if that effort would really make much difference. The only thing I would do differently is use 1/4in thickness on the top/bottom and 1/8in thickness on the sides. Otherwise, it seems to adhere fine and conforming to the edges well. I attached mine to the lid directly. I do have a very small area on the top lid in the middle where there is a very tiny amount of gap but nothing really escapes. I think partly due to the raised sides and why I would use the varied thickness if I were to do it again. I believe that would resolve that. Only problem is you have to purchase 2x packs of seals so that raises the cost.

Using the RTV should eliminate that as well I suspect. Maybe you can do the test run for us :).
 
Oh.. sorry & Congrats!! You won't be disappointed with the RT-700. It is so nice to just let it work. Did 2 racks of ribs yesterday and there is nothing like seeing the app when you are away from home that everything is just spot on. Even the wife is impressed and knows what I have been through before. Just so pleasant something actually works so well as expected. Makes ya look like an expert LOL.
 
Honestly, it sounds like a good thought but I'm not sure if that effort would really make much difference. The only thing I would do differently is use 1/4in thickness on the top/bottom and 1/8in thickness on the sides. Otherwise, it seems to adhere fine and conforming to the edges well. I attached mine to the lid directly. I do have a very small area on the top lid in the middle where there is a very tiny amount of gap but nothing really escapes. I think partly due to the raised sides and why I would use the varied thickness if I were to do it again. I believe that would resolve that. Only problem is you have to purchase 2x packs of seals so that raises the cost.

Using the RTV should eliminate that as well I suspect. Maybe you can do the test run for us :).
Yeah I might just do the test & see ... the RTV is easy enough to remove if it fails so that is a plus in itself & I have several 10 oz. tubes that can be applied with a caulking gun so that makes it a 5 minute job & easy to trim once dried.
 
While I understand it can be done, the felt-like stuff is much easier and cleaner. I likes me some RTV as much as the next guy but I just feel as though it's not the best choice for this particular application. No chemicals or anything like that either. Just cut, stick and done. It also cushions the lid as you close which gives the whole thing a very nice "feel" and feels more high-end. Kind of like slamming a door on a Mercedes versus an 80's Toyota or Honda.

It will compress right where the lid comes into contact with the housing and forms a very good seal. You'll quickly notice that the uncompressed portion of this stuff is brown and the compressed portion is still light gray (unless you buy the other brand that is black) which indicates that it's sealing quite well.

Again, the goal here isn't even 100% sealing for some sort of performance gain as I think that's a fools errand that won't ever yield any noticeable difference.
I appreciate your opinion & time to respond. :)
 
Yeah I might just do the test & see ... the RTV is easy enough to remove if it fails so that is a plus in itself & I have several 10 oz. tubes that can be applied with a caulking gun so that makes it a 5 minute job & easy to trim once dried.

Go for it.. if mine fails over time and you have good results it might solve the uneven top to sides. I guess some wax paper carefully applied to the body will prevent sticking while curing. Then it should be perfectly formed. Keep us posted.
 
Just added the 1x1/4 inch Lavalock to my new 700. Really added a solid feel both to the lid and to the hopper lid. Haven’t done my burn in yet, for God’s sake it snowed in Austin today, but after all my research I think I’ll add the 1/2 inch version to my Weber kettle. Really gives everything a solid feel. After all the money invested, what’s a few more bucks to preserve the look and keep the smoke where it belongs.
 
Just added the 1x1/4 inch Lavalock to my new 700. Really added a solid feel both to the lid and to the hopper lid. Haven’t done my burn in yet, for God’s sake it snowed in Austin today, but after all my research I think I’ll add the 1/2 inch version to my Weber kettle. Really gives everything a solid feel. After all the money invested, what’s a few more bucks to preserve the look and keep the smoke where it belongs.
Funny you mentioned it, I added Lavalock to my Weber kettle. It got rid of "clang" noise when closing.
 
Just added the 1x1/4 inch Lavalock to my new 700. Really added a solid feel both to the lid and to the hopper lid. Haven’t done my burn in yet, for God’s sake it snowed in Austin today, but after all my research I think I’ll add the 1/2 inch version to my Weber kettle. Really gives everything a solid feel. After all the money invested, what’s a few more bucks to preserve the look and keep the smoke where it belongs.
Yeah that's pretty much what I have planned too, get it done while it's still clean.
Think I'll add the Lavalock, do a burn in, let it cool down & infuse the top side of it with RTV, what's another 24 hours of wait time :)
 
For using the RTV why not apply masking or shipping tape around the edge of the barrel and apply a thin coat of grease on the tape. Apply the RTV to the lid, close and let it cure, then remove the tape.
 
For using the RTV why not apply masking or shipping tape around the edge of the barrel and apply a thin coat of grease on the tape. Apply the RTV to the lid, close and let it cure, then remove the tape.
I used Saran Wrap over the RTV as it cured.
 
One would think so, however.

Grease/oil or any kind of petroleum base will cause the surface areas of the RTV to not cure correctly.
I've seen it many times over the years when molds for parts were not cleaned 100% of residual oils & grime.
We've used RTV in my shop to make what is referred to as a "spaghetti seal" in older engine cases where the 2 sides mate together & the part is no longer available. If the seal area is not perfectly clean it will fail every time.

We used a thin coat of hot beeswax painted onto the mating parts as a releasing agent for parts otherwise it would be a HARD task to separate if ever needed later on for service/repairs.

On the other side of the coin, oil applied onto already formed RTV parts or seals won't hurt a thing as long as it can be held into place while being joined. O rings for HVAC are commonly coated with oil before joining hose connections etc.
 
Have decided to buy the 700 & from the looks of it will have to play the long wait game for delivery, possibly into mid February ... bummer !
Called them yesterday & was told they consistently keep a small stock in the warehouse for immediate purchase of walk-in's but ordering online is "different".
Don't think I'll make that drive, it would be a 600 mile round trip to their showroom & back.

Purposely posting this here for intake from those who have sealed the lids for various reasons.
I've read several if not all of the excellent previous post about the subject but don't recall anyone using RTV high temp silicone for anything but adhesion for the optional vents on the Stampede 590.
Anyway, I've used high temp RTV over the years in my shop with total success in similar situations & it's easy to replace if ever damaged & wondered if anyone here has used it for sealing the lid instead of using the gasket tape material & if so how did it work out after some use?

The nice thing about RTV silicone (when applied correctly) is it conforms to both sides producing a molded type fit & will stay put unless it gets damaged by accidents.

Thanks
I did it on my Bull. I used the red high temp on the lid and wax paper on the barrel. Let it dry for a day and trimmed it. I noticed temp problems, like it would occasionally swing wide. This grill needs to breathe for it to function properly. I ended up removing the seal and the grill settled down. I also added another exhaust stack on the left side, like the BFG has for the look. I noticed the extra vent also helped settle the grill down more. https://www.recteqforum.com/threads/extra-smokestack.575/#post-25624
 
I did it on my Bull. I used the red high temp on the lid and wax paper on the barrel. Let it dry for a day and trimmed it. I noticed temp problems, like it would occasionally swing wide. This grill needs to breathe for it to function properly. I ended up removing the seal and the grill settled down. I also added another exhaust stack on the left side, like the BFG has for the look. I noticed the extra vent also helped settle the grill down more. https://www.recteqforum.com/threads/extra-smokestack.575/#post-25624
Adding that extra stack was a smart thing to do as I'm sure it helped even out the grill temps.
My main reason for sealing the lid was simple & intended to help keep external staining to a minimum.
I can see that being a breathing problem with a large bodied single stack grill (especially at high temps) but probably not the 590 which has 3 exhaust ports as I suspect it keeps more accurate overall grill surface temps.
All we can hope for is a happy medium when it comes down to intake fan & air pressure rates thru the firebox & into the grill surface & smoke/heat exhaust stacks while trying to maintain fairly even temps for those long smokes.

I build high performance motorcycle engines & know from years of shop time with a flow bench that you can add all the camshaft lift, increase fuel etc. but correctly ported heads are the real icing on the cake that makes it all come together & perform on a dyno.
My point is, I'm sure somewhere along the way the engineers who designed RecTeq, Traeger, & all of the others have played around with intake & exhaust venting because anything can be improved on.
 

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