Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Egg not heating.

Bwill
Bwill Posts: 102
in EggHead Forum
My L BGE has not been heating up as it should.  The first time I assumed it was because I needed to clean it out.  So I cleaned it out and used it again and same issue.  Even with the vents wide open it would not get above 350.  I am now thinking I may have starters and/or charcoal that is damp.  The thing is I store it in my shed which where I have stored it for the past 18 months with no issues.  Still, something has to be holding my egg back.  Suggestions or thoughts?
· Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
«1

Comments

  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,887
    is the opening at the base of your firebox lined up with the bottom vent? Sounds like it is not - that makes a BIG difference!
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 354
    Lose the starters
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    Another. Culprit can be too much shake / dust in the fire box. If you get a poorly handled bag, the dust can choke the air flow dramatically. The egg is very simple air in bottom, air out top, with the fire in between. Check the alignment and then your fuel / airflow. There is nothing more to it. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Bwill
    Bwill Posts: 102
    Little Steven said:
    Lose the starters
    What do you suggest?  I am not a fan of the electric starter.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 19,023
    edited December 2015
    Bwill said:
    Little Steven said:
    Lose the starters
    What do you suggest?  I am not a fan of the electric starter.
    Weedburner.  You can find them at Ace, Menards, Homedepot, etc. You use the little propane bottles.

    http://www.amazon.com/Bernzomatic-19425-Self-Igniting-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B00008ZA0F
    A bison’s level of aggressiveness, both physical and passive, is legendary. - NPS
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,322
    Fuel, a fire source and air-that's it.  If you have good air flow and good (?) fuel then once you get it lit-you should be good to go.  Is your dome thermo calibrated?
    If the air flow is good and you can get one or more starter cubes going then it has to be your lump-at least based on what's presented.  If you have been cooking with lump for at least 18 months and nothing else has changed then  that points more toward the lump. You will get it sorted out.
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 354
    edited December 2015
    Map torch. The whole thing is air flow, fuel and ignition. Accurate thermo too. If your airflow is blocked you won't get heat. Try using less lump till you get the hang of it. I use a map torch but the oiled paper towels will work also. When I light I usually leave the dome open for a while. This lets the fire establish without heating the ceramic too much. When using any torch wear safety glasses
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Bwill
    Bwill Posts: 102
    Is it easy to light?  I looked at something similar that used a 20 lb. tank and decided it was just too much.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 354
    Yes. A hand held torch and small cylinder will last a year or more
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    The ignition source is definitely not the issue. There are many ways to light the lump and they all work fine. That is another issue and it is strictly an issue of convenience and personal preference based upon your comfort level with certain ignition sources and the time constraints among other variables. Once the lump is ignited we are on to this issue. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • slovelad
    slovelad Posts: 1,742
    Get a torch
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 354
    pgprescott said:
    The ignition source is definitely not the issue. There are many ways to light the lump and they all work fine. That is another issue and it is strictly an issue of convenience and personal preference based upon your comfort level with certain ignition sources and the time constraints among other variables. Once the lump is ignited we are on to this issue. 

    I find the starters don't work with the dome closed
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • GATraveller
    GATraveller Posts: 8,207
    It's either lump or air flow. I'd lean towards air flow. +1 on ignition should not even enter the conversation except as a matter of preference. 

    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community [...] but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots."
                                                                                  -Umberto Eco

    2 Large
    Peachtree Corners, GA
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    Little Steven said:
    pgprescott said:
    The ignition source is definitely not the issue. There are many ways to light the lump and they all work fine. That is another issue and it is strictly an issue of convenience and personal preference based upon your comfort level with certain ignition sources and the time constraints among other variables. Once the lump is ignited we are on to this issue. 

    I find the starters don't work with the dome closed
    What works with the dome closed? Leave it open for a few minutes then close. A torch works very poorly with the lid closed as well. Fwiw, you can use them with the lid closed, it just takes longer due to diminished air flow. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    take the daisy off completely.  my daisy, wide open, will usually hold the egg to 400 or so, unless i have new lump (when it seems to take off regardless)


    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,654
    Little Steven said:
    Lose the starters ... I find the starters don't work with the dome closed
    How you start the fire has nothing to do with how hot the fire will get.  Starter blocks are all I've ever used, and I have no problem getting a fire as hot as I want.  And I always close the dome (leaving the vents wide open at first).

    Changing how he lights the fire won't help @Bwill with his problem.

    @Bwill, you said you cleaned it out, but you didn't say whether you removed the fire box or not.  There was a time when I couldn't get a really hot fire, either, and it turned out that a whole lot of ash had built up between the fire box and the wall of the Egg itself, cutting down on the air flow.  If you haven't tried that, yet, take out the fire box and fire ring and get rid of any ash there.  Then put them back, carefully aligning the main opening in the fire box with the opening of the vent, and then putting back the fire ring as well.  That may make a difference.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Darby_Crenshaw
    Darby_Crenshaw Posts: 2,657
    what steven is saying is that the startes have a way of snuffing out if they do not get a lot of airflow.  if you are using starters, and there is white smoke, then they have snuffed out and are merely glowing, and that will take a very long time to hit temperature

    starters need to be fully on fire, and burned away, before you should shut the dome.  that means for a low and slow cook you usually only want one starter, and often broken up into smaller pieces.  that will allow you to let them flame out completely, but the fir won't be too large because of the fewer starters used

    for a higher heat cook, just leave the dome open so the starters can rage a bit more.  they burn pretty clear, so if they aren't, if there's a lot of white smoke, they went out
    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 354
    Darby_Crenshaw said:
    what steven is saying is that the startes have a way of snuffing out if they do not get a lot of airflow.  if you are using starters, and there is white smoke, then they have snuffed out and are merely glowing, and that will take a very long time to hit temperature

    starters need to be fully on fire, and burned away, before you should shut the dome.  that means for a low and slow cook you usually only want one starter, and often broken up into smaller pieces.  that will allow you to let them flame out completely, but the fir won't be too large because of the fewer starters used

    for a higher heat cook, just leave the dome open so the starters can rage a bit more.  they burn pretty clear, so if they aren't, if there's a lot of white smoke, they went out
    Thanks for that. Sometimes I need an interpreter to American
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    Is this a conversation with yourself?
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 354
    You're picking on me today man. I apologise profusely
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    Little Steven said:
    You're picking on me today man. I apologise profusely
    Sorry. Carry on. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,458
    Sometimes it's good to have an outlet for the voices in your head. 
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Begger
    Begger Posts: 569
    I don't see lighting it as an issue, either.
    BUT, I DO use the Weber Chimney to great effect.   And nothing wrong with those wax starters.   I use ONE in the bottom, pile on the charcoal and light from the bottom.   In a very short time, it's a blazin'
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 354
    pgprescott said:
    Little Steven said:
    You're picking on me today man. I apologise profusely
    Sorry. Carry on. 
    I'm the one that says sorry OK.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,887
    Little Steven said:

    I'm the one that says sorry OK.
    And I'm the one still saying thanks, Steven - See I'm still using  those bamboo skewers you sent me years and years ago!

    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 354
    I was a nice guy once Ron. Then I got on these forums.
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Steve753
    Steve753 Posts: 140
    I don't agree in losing the starters. I use one Weber Starter Cub in the center of the lump (one of the BGE Chefs uses this method as well). I is inexpensive and works very well.

    Large Big Green Egg
    Weber Gold
    Old Smokey

    San Diego, Ca
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • Little Steven
    Little Steven Posts: 28,817
    Steve753 said:
    I don't agree in losing the starters. I use one Weber Starter Cub in the center of the lump (one of the BGE Chefs uses this method as well). I is inexpensive and works very well.


    Damn, I'm not very popular tonight. I thought I knew something but I will sit in the corner and be very quiet now.

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    Little Steven said:
    Steve753 said:
    I don't agree in losing the starters. I use one Weber Starter Cub in the center of the lump (one of the BGE Chefs uses this method as well). I is inexpensive and works very well.


    Damn, I'm not very popular tonight. I thought I knew something but I will sit in the corner and be very quiet now.
    I'm sorry, carry on. Oh wait, you're the sorry one. Jk
    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Categories