tile temperature

[inacoma]

for some reason I thought the outer shell of the kk would be semi-cool to the touch...man I was wrong. today I didn't even get the grill to 350 (verified with two temp probes)....and the entire outer shell was darn hot! is this normal?

later,

k

[Firemonkey]

I dont have a KK, just a mexi-k, so I will defer the answer to someone who has one.

But when you say it was hot, what part of the grill were you touching? And was it hot, like 2 second before you pulled your hand off, or like touch it and yelp hot? My mexi-K will be in the 3-5 second range around the firebox area at moderate temps like that.

[inacoma]

I dont have a KK, just a mexi-k, so I will defer the answer to someone who has one.

But when you say it was hot, what part of the grill were you touching? And was it hot, like 2 second before you pulled your hand off, or like touch it and yelp hot? My mexi-K will be in the 3-5 second range around the firebox area at moderate temps like that.

I would say I could tollerate it for about 5 seconds or so..maybe longer if the man in me comes out to play. the temp is prettty even all around the unit starting from above the firebox. so I guess this is normal... now i just need to learn temp control...reading up on TNW's website regarding temp control. I'm thinking of cheating and getting a rock stoker anyone fit that bad boy on yet? i may give them a buzz tomorrow.

later,

k

[Firemonkey]

Dude - cruise control is a cool insurance policy for long unattended cooks - like overnight. But really, these things are quite stable once you get the hang of the airflow! Give it a try and practice...by the time your stoker arrives, you will have it down pat.

[ThreeDJ16]

!!

I agree with Firemonkey on the air control; you should at least learn how to use is without. Though, I still cheated and used my Guru (or at least I did when I had a K - now waiting on an OBT).

Yeah, if you can hold your hand on it for 5 secs, I would say that is pretty darn good.

-=Jasen=-

[tcoliver]

This is normal, mine gets pretty hot too. Actually stays warm for a long time, just means its doing its job of retaining heat.

[DennisLinkletter]

Heat..

The mortar holds moisture and the grout seals it in and the grout is also sealed.. This is not much but I really believe that until it is disapated there is more heat held in the tiles.. I've been cooking on a textured the last 6-8 months.. The other day we were heating a cooker with gas and same thing when I touched it I was really surprised how hot the tiles were..

So my guess is that after a few cooks the trapped moisture will disapate and it'll be cooler to the touch..

I've been playing with heating them with gas for 4-5 hours after they are tiled before the grout to remove this moisture...

[Majestik]

Dennis,

How is this different from the vacuum kiln drying thing you do?

[inacoma]

Dennis,

How is this different from the vacuum kiln drying thing you do?

isn't the vacuum kiln drying done only on the molds before the mortor and tiles are added?

...I'm not a tiling expert, but not sure if the vaccum kiln would be good to cure mortar...I thought it needed a nice controled (and slow) cure to reach proper adhesion strength...kinda like cement? But that's just me postulating

we'll here more accurate word from Dennis

later,

k

[DennisLinkletter]

Drying the cookers

The two layer refractory and insulation material still hold about a gallon per half after they have air dried. The vacuum kiln removes this water. The body is wet with water and adhesive with a paint brush before the mortar is applied for better adhesion. The mortar of course is mixed with adhesive which is water based as is the grout. Heating the cooker with the gas burner does dry them both. Common sense would dictate that it's best to try to remove this moisture before I soak/seal the grout with water and stain proof sealer.. Possibly trapping it in..

I know too much thought