sintax Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 I've noticed that the top vent of my grill leaks heavy (not around it, i've sealed that area) between the two spinning plates. When I close it there is still heavy smoke coming out. I would say when I close it, its still putting out 65-75% of the smoke it was before. I have adjusted the philips screw at the bottom as tight as I can where I can. How critical is a good seal at the top? Could it be sucking fresh air as its exhausting smoke? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coldfusion Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Just wondering what grill you have?Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EZ smoke Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Call Dansons/PB and have another one sent... sounds like you have a cap that doesn't have two pieces that mate well. If it were me, I would take it apart and try to see what the problem is maybe something put together correctly or maybe something is stuck in between the two mating caps... Mine seals really well and when shut it doesn't appear to leak. To control temps, as well as to, snuff the charcoals out at the end of cooks, it's almost a must to have a decent cap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sintax Posted February 13, 2017 Author Share Posted February 13, 2017 1 hour ago, coldfusion said: Just wondering what grill you have? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk I have the 24", from Costco. Picked up this summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sintax Posted February 13, 2017 Author Share Posted February 13, 2017 1 hour ago, EZ smoke said: Call Dansons/PB and have another one sent... sounds like you have a cap that doesn't have two pieces that mate well. If it were me, I would take it apart and try to see what the problem is maybe something put together correctly or maybe something is stuck in between the two mating caps... Mine seals really well and when shut it doesn't appear to leak. To control temps, as well as to, snuff the charcoals out at the end of cooks, it's almost a must to have a decent cap. thanks for the info, I'll pull it a part and see if maybe I can find the gap. Just from a quick visual, it looks like it should seal well, but it does not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m-fine Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 It does not need to seal perfectly if you also close down the bottom vent. The design is not great, but with use it should build up some grease and improve. If it doesn't kill the fire with both vents closed, and the problem does not improve with some use, get it fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molove Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 I bought my Pit Boss on Monday and decided to check for leaks today. I too have this issue of smoke billowing out of the top vent when it is closed. There is a little coming out at the join between the top vent and the ceramic which I will address using some high temperature silicone gasket or some nomex, but the majority of the smoke that escapes is through the vent itself. The photo doesn't make it look as bad as it actually is. Has anyone else had this issue? (Obviously OP has). And does it get better with usage, as the vent gets caked in tar? Luckily it appears to be the only place where smoke leaks, there are no leaks between the base and the dome and there is only a tiny amount of leakage around the bottom vent when it's under pressure from the fan of my Auber temperature controller. My Akorn does leak a little bit of smoke around the top vent but nowhere near as much as the Pit Boss The vents are now closed and I'm checking to see if it extinguishes the coals ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rahrah12 Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 That seems like a lot. I just purchased one also last week and cooked all weekend. I didn't notice any smoke leaking out of the top or bottom (I expected the bottom to). Was pleasantly surprised to not see any smoke and have the fire go out. I did wonder what I would do if that part leaked outside of requesting a return so I want to follow this post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-ville Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 After a couple of cooks that will "gunk up" and should seal nicely. asas2003 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BURGER MEISTER Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 I've had quite a several cooks and it gunked up pretty good to the point I had to thump the vent open the next cook and I still have some smoke leaking out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tallsilver Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 Have you checked the screw underneath the vent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molove Posted April 12, 2017 Share Posted April 12, 2017 1 minute ago, Tallsilver said: Have you checked the screw underneath the vent? It seemed reasonably tight when I assembled the kamado. I'll have a closer look tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molove Posted April 14, 2017 Share Posted April 14, 2017 I did take the vent apart and the top section of the daisy wheel looks like it was finished by hand with an angle grinder, and is not a good mate to the base plate. I ended up lubricating it with some powdered graphite and tightening the screw as tight as it would go whilst still being able to open and close the vent. I think it may have closed the gaps up slightly but it still leaks quite a lot. Luckily however, it doesn't actually seem to be a problem. When both vents are closed the coals are extinguished pretty quickly. The temperature started dropping within about 5 minutes of closing the vents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted April 14, 2017 Share Posted April 14, 2017 @molove - often these types of problems are self-liquidating. Over several cooks, the vent tends to seal itself when enough "gunk" accumulates on the vent and around it's parts that are to seal. When that happens, never deep clean it. Best of luck to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molove Posted April 14, 2017 Share Posted April 14, 2017 1 minute ago, CeramicChef said: @molove - often these types of problems are self-liquidating. Over several cooks, the vent tends to seal itself when enough "gunk" accumulates on the vent and around it's parts that are to seal. When that happens, never deep clean it. Best of luck to you. I thought this might be the case. And now I've discovered it's unlikely to cause me any problems, I'm quite happy, it was just a bit alarming seeing the amount of smoke pouring through a closed vent. Just need to get cooking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.