Nick Posted January 2, 2019 Report Posted January 2, 2019 Hi, my name is Nick. I got into komodo cooking a year ago I'm hooked. I just bought a used original tabletop version. The cooking grate is 12 inches wide and it stands about 25 inches tall. My problem is the top vent frozen closed. I tried heating with a torch and a 550-degree fire no luck. Any suggestions before I pull top dome off the hinge and do damage that can't be undone? Thanks, NIck
Tucker Posted January 2, 2019 Report Posted January 2, 2019 Nick, Can you post a picture of the cooker and and one of the inside of the underside of the lid please?
5698k Posted January 2, 2019 Report Posted January 2, 2019 I’ve heard of instances where these Richard Johnson Kamados top vents freeze. My best suggestion is to keep trying the heating and tapping routine. Can’t tell from the pic, can you get some penetrating oil on the threads? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Tucker Posted January 2, 2019 Report Posted January 2, 2019 Thank Nick. That is what we call a POSK; a kamado type cooker that Richard Johnson made back in the day out of concrete and chicken wire. It is not a Dennis Komodo Kamado. That threaded rod is probably totally rusted to the spider collar in the top. You may have to resort to a rusted bolt approach, i.e. liquid wrench. bear in mind to cover all the concrete surfaces so as to avoid them absorbing the liquid. Others may have suggestions.
Nick Posted January 2, 2019 Author Report Posted January 2, 2019 Thanks, Dennis for getting back to me so quickly and being so helpful and gracious about another manufactures product. The similarities are striking. I'm already trying to decide between the 23 or the 32. I'm leaning towards the 32. Look forward to buying from you soon. Thanks again Nick 1
Nick Posted January 2, 2019 Author Report Posted January 2, 2019 Upon further inspection of the similarities end with color. The cement is very sloppy and stainless super clunky. Thanks again. 1
Pequod Posted January 2, 2019 Report Posted January 2, 2019 Common mistake. Live and learn. A KK is the best you can buy, whatever size you go with. Any questions for the peanut gallery? I have have both a 23 and a 32. Can't go wrong with either.
tony b Posted January 2, 2019 Report Posted January 2, 2019 Good luck with the stuck damper on the POSK. I used to own one, too (a K7). Best solution is WD40, as noted try and keep the oil off the interior of the grill - cover the interior of the grill in the neck area with crumpled newspaper, and blast away with the WD40. Let it soak for a couple of hours, then try and wiggle the top free. Be careful to not over torque the vent top or you might break the spider bolts in the concrete walls.
Tyrus Posted January 2, 2019 Report Posted January 2, 2019 AS stated, lube the shaft going into the supporting bracket. If you can grind two sides on the shaft at it's bottom you maybe able place a wrench on it for added torque. If you can't turn it from the top the bottom is an alternative. Remember the structure is only capable of holding so much ft/lb of torque [ breakpoint ] so go easy and time will eventually bear down the process with the lube. It wouldn't hurt to lube it for a few days before you dive in. Let us know, it's good to know. Best
jonj Posted January 3, 2019 Report Posted January 3, 2019 I agree with Tucker. Liquid wrench (or other brand of penetrating oil) would be best for this purpose. WD40 is great for a lot of things, but is not a good substitute for penetrating oil.
Paul Posted January 3, 2019 Report Posted January 3, 2019 As far as penetrating oils go the best I've ever used is kroil. It's billed as the oil that creeps.
Bruce Pearson Posted January 5, 2019 Report Posted January 5, 2019 WD40 is actually a water displacement product that’s what the W D stands for and the 40 is how many times it took to create it. People use it for many many different things. Just a of trivia LOL
Bruce Pearson Posted January 5, 2019 Report Posted January 5, 2019 Actually one way to loosen the stuck shaft would be to heat it up with a torch to cause the outer casing to expand, don’t heat it up to much to cause the shaft and the outer casing to expand together. If you do it this way just be careful.
Syzygies Posted January 5, 2019 Report Posted January 5, 2019 I used to own a Richard #7 Kamado, and a friend owns a #5. I helped with stuck dampers on both cookers. If POSK is too blue for you, try BTK ("Boat Thief Kamado"). Everyone here was nice to me, and I ended up buying a 23" Ultimate nine years ago. Like moving from a rusted out crop duster to a Lear jet. I had to convince my wife to spend the $700 on the Richard BTK. She convinced me to buy the 23" Ultimate from Dennis. Yes, penetrating oil and a homemade strap wrench. Somehow you have to apply sufficient rotational force without hurting yourself. Once it's apart, find yourself a stainless steel bolt and nut of identical gauge. Then, completely rehabilitate both the existing nut and bolt, by repeatedly working the new, clean hardware up and down the old hardware. Use appropriate solvents to suit the problem. In particular, it is possible to work a nut further along the existing bolt than is possible with the damper itself attached. Cleaning further gives you a margin, so completely closing the top damper never reaches the remaining corrosion. With this hardware, you can clean annually, and avoid future problems. If anything goes wrong, you can make repairs yourself. Your cooker will of course lose any value as an authentic antique, because no one can find the same crappy materials that Richard used at the factory. 1 2
