Maintenance
A Big Green Egg will last you a lifetime; especially if you maintain it well. Are you curious about what you can do to maintain your EGG? We will show you everything you need to know in this instruction video ! Alternatively, you could read up on our useful maintenance tips on this page.
Cover your EGG
You can definitely leave your EGG outdoors all year round, as its unique ceramic can easily withstand all kinds of weather conditions. We do, however, recommend that you cover the EGG and the rEGGulator when not in use in order to protect its metal parts. What you could use, for instance, is one of our useful, available in a variety of sizes.
In this way, you can prevent these parts from rusting over time or from becoming damaged in some other way.
CHECK ALL BOLTS AND NUTS/NUT CAPS
About one month after assembling your EGG, check whether all the bolts and nuts/nut caps you placed during the assembly are still tight. Tighten these, if necessary.
In doing so, the long bolts of the black bands surrounding the ceramic base and ceramic lid may be tightened to such an extent that they show a slight curve.
MAINTAIN THE METAL AND CAST IRON PARTS
Keep the moving metal parts of the EGG, particularly the hinge and draft door, in optimum condition by spraying them with WD-40 or a silicon spray a few times a year.
If your EGG has a dual function metal top, we recommend you treat this fairly regularly with a vegetable oil. Caution: do not use olive oil for this purpose. The successor to the dual function metal top, the rEGGulator , has a special rust-preventative coating.
REPLACE THE FELT GASKET
Over time, you’ll need to replace the felt gasket between the ceramic lid and the ceramic base, as the felt protects the ceramic well and prevents ‘false air’.
You can easily replace the felt using the Gasket Kit, a #13 wrench, a utility knife or putty knife, a piece of cloth or a scouring pad. Proceed as follows:
Step 1: Remove the rEGGulator or the dual function metal top from the EGG. Use the wrench to loosen the nuts on the topmost black band, lift the ceramic lid off carefully and place it upside down on a protective surface. Make sure that the lid can’t fall!
Step 2: Loosen the bottom black band from the ceramic base and leave the base in place.
Step 3: Use the utility knife and/or putty knife to remove as much of the old felt from the ceramic base and ceramic lid as possible. Scrape the underlying ceramic clean using a sharp knife or putty knife and remove any residue using 80-grit sandpaper. Finally, wipe clean with a kitchen towel.
Step 4: Carefully glue/apply the (self-adhesive) felt to the rims of the ceramic base and ceramic lid. Ensure that the seams of the felt on the base and the lid are not in exactly the same place. It is better to allow the felt to overhang slightly on the outside than on the inside (where it will burn the minute you start using your EGG). Try not to glue the felt tightly but allow some slack, as it may shrink further when heated. Cut off the felt neatly at the seam.
Step 5: Re-assemble the Big Green Egg. Hold the band on the ceramic base and tighten the nuts, leaving a little slack. Place the lid carefully in the upper band and tighten the nuts, leaving a little slack here as well. Make sure the lid and the bands are perfectly straight. Carefully straighten them if necessary, then firmly tighten all the nuts.
When you have finished, the best thing to do is leave the EGG with the lid closed for 24 hours, then fire up your Big Green Egg gently to ensure that the layer of glue adheres well to the ceramic. The felt should be replaced about once every two years.
REPLACE OTHER PARTS WHERE NECESSARY
We stand behind the quality of our products (models as well as accessories). To this day, each Big Green Egg is inspected in great detail before leaving the factory. This inspection enables us to guarantee that our product is of the highest quality and the best of its kind. Should something nevertheless break, we offer excellent service and warranty.
Should you unfortunately not be able to take advantage of these, you can always replace certain standard parts or accessories yourself. For example: the thermometer in the ceramic lid (Tel-True Temperature Gauge) or the Stainless Steel Grid.
This is basically all the maintenance needed to get lifelong enjoyment from your Big Green Egg! Read more on the Service & Warranty page.
Big Green Egg has done everything possible to ensure the safety of the cooker when in use. However, the users themselves are responsible for their own safety and that of their environment. Users must always act prudently and handle the EGG and the accessories with caution.
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