fire grate, is this a bad idea?

Capt7383

I recently ran across a nice piece of 1.5mm perforated stainless sheet at a scrap yard. I cut out a twelve inch circle to use as a fire grate instead of the nine inch diameter the factory uses. This places the grate above the holes in the fire ring which I'm hoping will improve air flow. I did a nuclear burn with it and managed to break the dome thermometer, maybe 900 degrees.
Next day I did a low burn and maintained about 230 degrees. It seems to work fine and it didn't warp....yet.
any reason its a bad idea to have the fire grate above the holes in the fire ring? 

SkinnyV

Looks worse than the stock grate, but whatever floats tour boat

theyolksonyou

Hey, use it till it breaks. It's your egg. 

Chubbs

I wouldn't think so but I will let the metal folks chime in. 

I will say that if for some reason it cracks the fire box, that grate will void warranty. Having said that, I use a High Que which also voids warranty I have been told. I think you would be fine and worst case it fails and you look for an alternative 

Skiddymarker

Only issues I might see include the ash and small chips could fall thru and plug the holes, and you lose some of the lump capacity. I think the air holes in the fire box add to the air flow as they are usually just above the grate and close to unburned lump. They only plug when the lump is pretty much gone. 
You might be onto something....

Blassiter

Why does the High Que void the warranty? This has made a huge difference for me. Have been able to get steady temps fast with since I started using this. 

Chowman

It's hard to tell from the photo, but you may have reduced your lump capacity which will reduce your available burn time on a low and slow cook.  I do like the idea of protecting the air holes from getting plugged from ash and small coals.

NPHuskerFL

Agree with @Chowman lump capacity in regards to a long L&S is slightly diminished. I personally don't have an issue on either of my eggs using the standard OE fire grate. But, obviously many do like the High Que etc. Trim this one down to allow for more lump. Guess I don't see a significant enough difference here to justify it VS the OE grate in regards to airflow. 

stlcharcoal

Depending on the gauge, it may eventually start to sag and crack.  Early on when I made my own fire grates out of that cheap 16ga (or 18ga?) expanded stainless steel from Lowes or Home Depot, they would only last about 6 months before they would break.  Once we switched to #9 expanded stainless, no issues.

egger ave

I have been making my own with #9 expanded steel for several years and it works better for me than the stock grate. Hasn't hurt my BGE yet. YMMV.