DennisLinkletter Posted July 9, 2009 Report Share Posted July 9, 2009 New Design for draft door airflow wheel and Knob The problem with the draft door airflow wheel is that when it's properly adjusted cold it's snug because of the inevitable expansion of stainless at high heat it becomes tight.. If cold it's just a little too tight, it becomes locked up and immobile when it gets too hot. Someone here on the forum suggested a spring tensioned wheel.. Thank you.. it's been implemented in current production and a work around to upgrade for existing customer's Komodos has been made. This is the original draft door bolt with spring and one locked on nut. This is the new production longer draft door bolt with spring and two nuts. This is the new char proof wooden knob with dense refractory material to insulate the bolt to prevent the wood from being carbonized. This is the metal insert that sits inside the refractory material inside the wooden knob and gives the wood type screw it's grip inside the refractory material. I am in the process of sending out this upgrade free of charge to all my current and past customers. These customers need to join the form as announcements will be made thru this forum via a special owner's announcement section. I also have two other upgrades coming soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tucker Posted July 10, 2009 Report Share Posted July 10, 2009 excellent!! Thank you Dennis! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidS Posted July 10, 2009 Report Share Posted July 10, 2009 Thank you Dennis. My knob has burned out again. This fix should fix the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted July 10, 2009 Report Share Posted July 10, 2009 Thank you Dennis. Will this also work on the back burned out one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted July 11, 2009 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 Wow I am in the process of sending out this upgrade free of charge to all my current and past customers. I know Dennis is known for taking care of his customers, but this is darn near crazy talk. The timing of this is interesting as I was just messing with this handle the other day. I didn't like how it would unscrew itself if I turned it to the left instead of the right. I decided to use some epoxy between the screw and the wood. Of course, being a new owner, I completely underestimated how hot it got at the draft door and the epoxy quickly burned up. I then tried a high temperature epoxy putty but I haven't cooked on the Komodo since then so I have no idea how it will hold up. Of course, Dennis's solution looks a heck of a lot better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted July 11, 2009 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 Thinking out loud... The wood is very pretty. And I know that it's The Other Thing That Dennis Does. But I wonder if an all refractory knob wouldn't work, too. Hmm.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted July 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2009 Absolutely Thank you Dennis. Will this also work on the back burned out one? Absolutely.. They will be sent out in pairs.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffB Posted July 12, 2009 Report Share Posted July 12, 2009 Re: Thinking out loud... The wood is very pretty. And I know that it's The Other Thing That Dennis Does. But I wonder if an all refractory knob wouldn't work' date=' too.[/quote'] Such a knob would definitely work but I think you would give up a lot in aesthetics going that route. Wood simply has a warmth and character that is hard to match. A stainless knob would look nice (albeit a little cold) but then you have that whole burning everyone's fingers problem which may not be well received Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conodo12 Posted July 14, 2009 Report Share Posted July 14, 2009 You never fail to amaze Dennis - Thank you for that!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primeats Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 Sometimes I think Dennis and Kelly Johnson from Lockheed are kindred spirits. their minds just keep working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linuxwrangler Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 Re: New Design for draft door airflow wheel and Knob This is the metal insert that sits inside the refractory material inside the wooden knob and gives the wood type screw it's grip inside the refractory material. And this is the cow that scared the dog that chased the cat that bit the rat... Sorry, something about reading this post right after bedtime books with my daughter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted July 18, 2009 Report Share Posted July 18, 2009 That lives in the house that Jack's son Dennis built.... Yup, I had the same reaction, LinuxW... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scouterpf Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 I suppose that everything looks so good because it can be traced to Art! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted July 28, 2009 Report Share Posted July 28, 2009 I suppose that everything looks so good because it can be traced to Art! "A great nation deserves great Art." - National Endowment for the Arts And so does a great family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orthoman Posted August 6, 2009 Report Share Posted August 6, 2009 Thanks Dennis! I just got my pair of new knobs and installed them. I bet they work a lot better - putting refractory material inside the knob was a great idea! Also, thank you so much for the new spring. Somewhere on here, I saw a thread about the spring material, being changed unbeknownst to Dennis, and the spring had different properties. I installed the new one, and immediately noticed a big difference. The old spring really seemed to apply a lot of tension to the lid when closed, even though I carefully tensioned it according to instructions, such that it was a little hard to close, and the spring would creak right before the latch was deployed. But then for some reason, it would not hold the lid in the fully open position when lifted? I dont know about the physics of springs, but it would seem that one that applied a lot of pressure in the closed position would easily hold the thing in the open position. There must be some variable in spring tech called "excursion" or something like that. (The distance each coil travels from the closed to the open position - seems like that would have an effect. Anyways, the new one makes an immediately noticeable difference. Thanks to Dennis for sending all that stuff. I know the poor guy must spend a mint in shipping for parts and stuff like that. I was not sure when I would get that, but I was surprised at the fast response regarding the knob problem too. People, if you have any reservations about sending this company your hard-earned money, don't be. I, and others here, have all received far better customer service from this one individual at this small company than I have experienced with just about any purchase I can think of that I have made in my lifetime. When I get some more money, maybe next year, I would love to get another Kamado to go with my first! Thank you Dennis. C. Whittenburg (Orthoman) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted August 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2009 Free of charge factory upgrades. I just got my pair of new knobs and installed them. I bet they work a lot better - putting refractory material inside the knob was a great idea! Also, thank you so much for the new spring. Thank you Dennis. C. Whittenburg (Orthoman) Yes, the first 46 sets of rear springs and wooden knobs went out late July.. After coming up with the new spring design, I just think it's wrong everybody does not have one.. When you buy the best it should be the best. Same with the little spring behind the knob and wheel.. it's so great, I want all my customers to have them too.. So these are free of charge factory upgrades. It's going to take me a couple of months to get to everybody but we're making springs and knobs like crazy and getting them out every container.. If you're feeling impatient drop me an Email and I'll put you on the top of the list.. the first people had written me about charred knobs.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphoran Posted August 6, 2009 Report Share Posted August 6, 2009 Dennis, Your commitment to customer satisfaction and product quality are without equal in my experience! Four cheers! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphoran Posted August 7, 2009 Report Share Posted August 7, 2009 the new spring The new spring nails it. With fairly broad adjustment latitude, it begins opening much more slowly than the standard one (i.e. holds much less tension on the lid when closed), and opens just to fully open without rebound! Marvelous! There is one small potential hitch to installing it, so take a file with you when you go to install yours! The new spring material is larger in diameter (and the spring itself is also larger in diameter), and on mine, it wouldn't quite fit through the space between the edges of the hinge body between the spring attachment rod and the body of the cooker. This space is formed by two corners of stainless that have been folded horizontal. A minute of filing on the corners made the gap wide enough for the new spring to slip through, and everything was great. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ak43 Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 New draft door knob design Dennis: I finally got around to registering for the forum. I picked up the tan KK in Carson and 1.5 months ago. We have had great meals off of it. I like the new design for the draft door knob, particularly since the knob on mine broke during the learning curve on managing the temps. Can you please send me the upgrade? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hitman Posted August 30, 2009 Report Share Posted August 30, 2009 Best to email Dennis, as opposed to PM or posting on the forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
