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Emmanuil

Burn in grout timing question. Help!!

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Hello! New KK 32" owner here. Been curing the KK all day and running out of light and time. Ran the KK at 500 to 550 deg for about 4 to 5 hrs now and probably done. I understand that I have to press several loose tiles in while still hot but can I apply grout the next day to all the small cracks? Will condensation, etc become a problem with the cracks? I'm in Los Angeles but it gets cool right now over night. I have all the cracks marked with small postits but id rather not do it in poor light. Thank you

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Thank you!! Just woke up and most of the smaller cracks I marked last night with postits disappeared. I can tell that some ofnthem were there by trace white residue. I spackled them. Should I be trying to remove all the white residue before spackling with grout? Also, if i see an area with trace white residue that I didn't mark yesterday as a crack and dontbsee one now, it doesn't seem like there is much benefit putting a thin coat paint of grout on top. From my experience to seal something you need material in the crack not paint a thin layer on top. As there are no details about these issues in instructions provided by Dennis, I'm guessing it doesn't matter. But I appreciate any additional feedback just in.

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You should be poking a hole in the grout then sealing it. There are also some extremely helpful videos on this process here on the forum, I believe BigO posted several. I'll see if i can find them for you

 

From the KK Owners Manual

Curing Process – the first burn before using the grill at high temps. You may do as many under 400of cooks as you like before venting this solvent.

Komodo Kamados refractory material has been pre-heated and is fully cured in the factory but the acrylic adhesive/grout/ insulation will still have some remaining solvent that still needs to be vented. This material will migrate from around the grill to vent so this takes some time. Best to start the process in the morning and have a full bowl of charcoal to ensure you can run it as long as it takes.

Because the insulation performs so well the grill needs to be heated a couple of hours at 500-525of before the outside gets hot enough turn the solvent to vapor.

As the outside of the grill gets hot, the vented vapor will smell just like water based acrylic house paint — this is perfectly normal and harmless. Just let it burn until this is no longer noticeable. It’s also not unusual for the vapor to lift up one corner of a tile or side to create an opening.

The goal is to vent the grill slowly, if heated too quickly and the vapor pressure is unable to escape quickly enough it may create a bulge in the flexible acrylic jacket. If this happens you will want to reduce the temp and create a path/hole for the vapor to vent without building this pressure. A carpet knife or tapping a small nail into the grout can be used to create this hole. If a tile is raised and when pushed back into place it raises again this means there is still vapor pressure and the venting is not over.

If for any reason the grill gets away from you and wanders into high temperatures and you get violent venting/steaming
or an area that raises up before venting, don’t panic just immediately take the grill back down to 500of so the grill can finish venting and create the hole mentioned above. BEFORE the grill cools, it is imperative that you firmly press the raised are back into place so that it cools in the proper position. There is usually uncured material dead center behind the tiles which will re- attach it’s self to the grill but this must be done before it cools.

There can be bubbling which leaves white residue (this can be removed with 409 or simple green and a white glass scratch proof scrubbing sponge) In the places where it vents it’s best to seal these holes later to prevent moisture from re- entering. Seal the hole/vent with the supplied grout by cutting a small corner off the bag and then folding it over and taping it closed. Rub a very small amount into the vent area — it can be cleaned up with water later but let it dry about 8-12 hours

There is also a chance that you will not see any venting; I just want you not to worry and how to deal with it if it does. After this precautionary first curing high temp burn you may use you can grill at high temperatures without worry. This is a one time process.

Please feel free to call me should you have any questions or concerns.

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Thank you, I read the manual and watched all the videos I could find, but it didn't address my specific concerns. I'm probably overthrowing it.  My concern was that majority of the visible cracks that formed became invisible by the time the KK cooled. Seems like it would have worked better to smear grout into them BEFORE they closed. I only know they were there because I marked them. My second question is regarding the white residue that formed along some of these vents. Do I need to clean it off BEFORE applying grout or is it ok to cmsmear over it?. Thanks. 

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Once you pass the burn in, your a free bird. Cleaning up is easy with some water, windex sprayed on a paper towel or a choice of a safe cleaning agent. Press the grout in the area and wipe the leftover away with a dry/wet paper towel.  That's it, you filled any cracks and voids and your done. Cook to your heart is content.  

Edited by Tyrus
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@Emmanuil.  When I burned in my KKs I a) wiped off what I could while the KK was warm, b) did not apply grout while it was warm and c) thinly covered the white residue over with grout.  Like you, I marked the locations where there was venting so that I could return to them when the KK was cool.

If you want to know more, search the forum for both words: white residue and you should come up with more information as to why the above works and more.

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As far as white residue just wipe it off, or don’t wipe it off if you don’t want to. Then get that thing back up to 550 and look for cracks or holes again. If you don’t see any great, you’re done. If you see any poke a hole in it and press the tiles down and shut your fire down to let it start cooling. Then grout over the holes and you’re done. But don’t overthink it, it’s no open heart surgery. It will be fine 👍

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This looks like a good post to continue and address my question. After completing the burn in process and doing a few more cooks I noticed some cracks around the ledge of the grout where the top closes. Is this something that should have grout added to it? I live in Michigan with a lot of moisture and freeze/thaw cycles so I want to ensure I do it right. Attached is a picture of the largest crack but there are a few more. 

IMG_4736.jpeg

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13 minutes ago, Tony8919 said:

This looks like a good post to continue and address my question. After completing the burn in process and doing a few more cooks I noticed some cracks around the ledge of the grout where the top closes. Is this something that should have grout added to it? I live in Michigan with a lot of moisture and freeze/thaw cycles so I want to ensure I do it right. Attached is a picture of the largest crack but there are a few more. 

     There is no escaping physics. The grills expand when heated, creating those small cracks.. They are called crazing in the business, and the material is designed to do that. It also has stainless steel shards all throughout the hot face, which works like rebar.
Don't worry at all about those cracks/crazing..

     The grills have always been pre-heated in the factory. What stumped us was how a grill could be taken to 1000ºf + for 24 hours in a kiln in the factory, and then heated again with charcoal to 800ºf before crating could vent moisture 3-4 months later in the US.  We realized they were picking up humidity on the sea transit. 
     We now meticulously wrap the grills with low-density polyethylene plastic wrap and throw in a big bag of silica desiccant beads to capture any moisture that may sneak in. This has pretty much stopped the venting. There will still be some uncured acrylic solvent that vents from time to time at high temps.

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