I have a Bronco in-coming and have been reading through all of the great posts!
I am really on the fence on whether to use high-temp rtv during initial assembly. If you guys had it to do over, would you use rtv to seal it up, or does is seal up just fine if you tighten up the fasteners and use it a few times?
I have a Bronco in-coming and have been reading through all of the great posts!
I am really on the fence on whether to use high-temp rtv during initial assembly. If you guys had it to do over, would you use rtv to seal it up, or does is seal up just fine if you tighten up the fasteners and use it a few times?
Thanks!
I’d like to know as well just in case my luck changes…
Absolutely. It only takes a few minutes and few bucks to ensure no leaks. Lots of folks claim it's not necessary and after a "few" cooks the gunk seals it for you. And then in come the guys who say they tried that and still get leaks. Let others chance fate. Now, all that said, it needs to be done correctly. Thick isn't necessary, and is potentially problematic. First is to clean any processing material from the mating surfaces. Then a thin bead, making sure to make a full ring around each fastener opening.....might be overkill but thorough is better than slap dash. I also do the base portion of the exhaust stack just because. Doing the axle brackets is good insurance particularly if you plan to do lots of fatty, large cooks.
I agree. All you really need to do with the exhaust is keep the inside of it cleaned out, which you should be doing anyway to prevent nasty stuff from dripping on the food below.
Last edited by Steve R.; August 26, 2022, 07:09 AM.
My Bronco is 2+ months old, no rtv used, and I have not seen any leaks. On my Weber MT Kettle, I still have some leaks, but they haven't really hurt any of my cooks over the years. I do wish I applied a gasket prior to using the kettle because now cleaning the rims is a chore to get it clean after years of use. I guess it would depend how well your Bronco goes together. I saw several at a box store that had a small gap between the sections. Don't know if it was the Bronco or the employee who assembled the smoker. So, it couldn't hurt anything and it's easier to seal it as you assemble than after a few uses. Just clean it well before applying the rtv. Of course, YMMV.
Purc I remove the old gaskets and install new every fall on my kettles. I just use a brass scrapper and a razor blade to get them clean.....it's really not too bad of a job.
It kinda depends on how the box was handled between the factory and getting it home. The box is marked to indicate no forklift should be used, but I have seen them with holes that were clearly made by a forklift.
I say go ahead and do it. The RTV is cheap and easy to apply, and you get one shot to do it while the parts are all clean during assembly. Mine leaked like a sieve around each of the bolts holding the top and bottom sections together, which seemed strange to me because it went together really easily.
Last edited by Steve R.; August 24, 2022, 06:44 AM.
I assembled my Bronco and had very little leakage [grease drips] for only 1 or 2 cooks. I might have had 3 or 4 grease drops total, my first couple of cooks. But, I also agree with the others and say go ahead and do it before assembly anyway. There have been a few reports here of some irritating leakage. Uncle Bob gave you some good advice.
I’d use something high heat in black instead of red. In case of excess seepage it would blend in with the black Bronco. Not a big deal really if the silicone doesn’t spread outside the edges.
I was on the fence between black for better aesthetics or red for higher heat resistance. I couldn't find anything food safe in black that goes up to 650°, so I ended up going with red for that reason. If it starts bugging me at some point, there is always high temp spray paint.
FedEx tracking says delivery by end of today, 8/26. Planning to assemble Saturday with RTV...1st burn in Sunday without oil...2nd burn in Monday after spraying insides with canola oil. Does this sound like a decent plan?
Solid plan, jgd922. Just be sure to give it a good 24 hrs to cure before firing it up. Maybe not a huge deal, but another one of those better safe than sorry things for me.
Last edited by Steve R.; August 26, 2022, 07:27 AM.
Good plan. I would keep the first burn temperature low (225 or so) since many high temp paints used for grills and smokers need a low temperature burn to off-gas during their initial cure. It is also important not to coat the paint during this first burn as it blocks the off-gassing.
I just sealed the charcoal access panel... ​​​
Cleaned bonding area with isopropyl alcohol , waited to evaporate, applied RTV to leak area. Waiting to skim over and partially set.
Later, cycle temperature to set the sealant.
Bronco Pro Barrel Smoker
PBC
Pit Boss 757GD Griddle (2)
Blaz'n Grill Works Grid Iron
Weber Genesis E-310
Original Original Grilla
Smokey Joe® Charcoal Grill 14"
Fireboard 1
Thermoworks ThermoPop
Thermoworks Thermapen Mk4
Thermoworks Smoke Thermometer with gateway
2 iGrillminis - from before they were Weber.
I ordered my Bronco, a cover and Lava Lock RTV at the same time. The cover and RTV came weeks before the Bronco. I was unlucky enough to receive a Bronco that had probably not been treated kindly on it's trip to me. Being stubborn, and not wanting to go through the hassles of exchanging it, I made it work. I was glad I had ordered the RTV to make sure things would be sealed, and while I have not yet had the chance to use it as much as I would like since it's at my vacation house, it's working great, no leaks.
I put the rtv on...set the bottom barrel on with the notch oriented correctly...and tried to start all of the bolts...only 4 of the 6 bolts would start no matter which ones I started first. I used 2 smaller screwdrivers as alignment tools, a lot of curse words, and 2 of the bolts without washers to get it together. The barrels did not look dented or damaged??? If I had it to do over, I would try fitting up the barrels without rtv first to see how the holes align...less mess.
Nothing like self tapping hex heads to get the job done. I bought a crappy smoker a few years ago and wasted hours putting the thing together. I never ever have finished the job with the poor design and manufacturing of the smoker unless I made a few new holes.
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