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Long time Egger, first time poster - Challenger Nest??
Comments
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The only thing I could think of is the heat transfer from the bottom of the Egg to the metal. I'd still think you'd want some air flow under the Egg. May be a grate or the ceramic feet.
And welcome to the forum.LBGE, Weber Grills, Silverback Pellet grill, PBC. No I don't have a grill issue.
LBC, Texas -
cajunrph said:The only thing I could think of is the heat transfer from the bottom of the Egg to the metal. I'd still think you'd want some air flow under the Egg. May be a grate or the ceramic feet.
And welcome to the forum. -
I, too, have a Challenger cart. When I did my first high temp (600F) cook, the egg started rocking about 1/4" when I opened the dome. I suspect that heat transfer to the cart caused the cart surface to warp slightly. The egg has been rock solid since, so apparently no permanent damage. But I plan to get a nest or something before my next high temp.
Kevin
Beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, CA
XL BGE, Woo2, AR -
I would put it in a nest, I would be too worried about damaging the cart and its finish.XLBGE, MMBGE, CyberQ
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I have mine in a nest in my challenger. I don't mind the height. It feels a little high right now, but I'm used to cooking on a medium, with normal grate cooking level without a woo.
Now I'm on a large, with a nest, in a cart, with a woo. It's about perfect height.
I wouldn't risk damaging my cart for an extra 2" on the height.
Kansas City, Missouri
Large Egg
Mini Egg
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us" - Gandalf -
Fire up the egg and cook a normal meal. Then open the two doors under the egg and CAREFULLY feel the aluminum support under the egg. With that, you can make an informed decision. I checked out one at an egg fest ... then ordered a nest along with the Challenger cart.
@pgprescott makes the nest a part of the deal when you buy a cart from his store.
Washington, IL > Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max
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Jeepster47 said:Fire up the egg and cook a normal meal. Then open the two doors under the egg and CAREFULLY feel the aluminum support under the egg. With that, you can make an informed decision. I checked out one at an egg fest ... then ordered a nest along with the Challenger cart.
@pgprescott makes the nest a part of the deal when you buy a cart from his store. -
I have one sitting in a nest, also would prefer it sitting lower in the cart.
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I have a challenger cart for the XL. the egg rest on the table nest. I personally would not want the egg resting directly on the base of the table. The tale nest is only maybe $40. no brainer to me.XL BGEJoe JRBaltimore, MD
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After 4 plus hours between 500-700* this was the highest temp registered. Outside air temp was 53* No movement when opening the lid, and a few degrees cooler inside the cabinet. Next test will be a low and slow with regular temp readings along the way.
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@miniMAXd ... did you feel the cross bar inside the bottom cabinet right under the egg?
Washington, IL > Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max
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@Jeepster47... The inside crossbar was about 3-5* less than where the egg sits the entire cook
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Well, to each their own. Hard for me to believe the metal is only 100 under the egg. The coal burns @1300. Hope you are happy with the decision in a couple years.
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I personally use the table nest. It doesn't raise it that high where it makes it look awkward and creates a little air flow. In my opinion the nest is worth the few extra dollars to protect against any possible damage to my cart.
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pgprescott said:Well, to each their own. Hard for me to believe the metal is only 100 under the egg. The coal burns @1300. Hope you are happy with the decision in a couple years.
Also, keep in mind that that metal table is going to function as one big radiator so it is going to dissipate heat pretty effectively.“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk -
HeavyG said:pgprescott said:Well, to each their own. Hard for me to believe the metal is only 100 under the egg. The coal burns @1300. Hope you are happy with the decision in a couple years.
Also, keep in mind that that metal table is going to function as one big radiator so it is going to dissipate heat pretty effectively. -
@HeavyG ... here's what I measured and posted last summer ... again note that my large egg was in a nest:
http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1183174/bottom-temperature#latest
Washington, IL > Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max
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100, was far lower than I expected as well and definitely cool to the touch. I will continue to monitor and make the switch to a table nest if I see any spikes in temp, or the stability of egg/table.
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pgprescott said:HeavyG said:pgprescott said:Well, to each their own. Hard for me to believe the metal is only 100 under the egg. The coal burns @1300. Hope you are happy with the decision in a couple years.
Also, keep in mind that that metal table is going to function as one big radiator so it is going to dissipate heat pretty effectively.
Aluminum is an excellent conductor of heat. My only concern might be the coating on the table but I have no idea if it is powder coated or anodized.
Normal powder coating can handle a few hundred degrees. High heat powder coating can handle 1000+ degrees. Again, I have no idea what the coating specifics are on the cart so there may be a problem there or not. I'm guessing not.“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk -
HeavyG said:pgprescott said:HeavyG said:pgprescott said:Well, to each their own. Hard for me to believe the metal is only 100 under the egg. The coal burns @1300. Hope you are happy with the decision in a couple years.
Also, keep in mind that that metal table is going to function as one big radiator so it is going to dissipate heat pretty effectively.
Aluminum is an excellent conductor of heat. My only concern might be the coating on the table but I have no idea if it is powder coated or anodized.
Normal powder coating can handle a few hundred degrees. High heat powder coating can handle 1000+ degrees. Again, I have no idea what the coating specifics are on the cart so there may be a problem there or not. I'm guessing not. -
@pgprescott this sounds like exactly what am looking for. Do you have a link for this article? I've searched thru most post' that mention "challenger" and all I ever find is talk about how you must have an air gap without the mention of problems people have had. My goal is to not destroy a brand new table, but gather information to make an educated decision. Even if my infer-red is mis- calibrated the surface which the egg sits was still cool enough to rest my hand on. Maybe the low and slow will have drastically different results? Still going to monitor...
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miniMAXd said:@pgprescott this sounds like exactly what am looking for. Do you have a link for this article? I've searched thru most post' that mention "challenger" and all I ever find is talk about how you must have an air gap without the mention of problems people have had. My goal is to not destroy a brand new table, but gather information to make an educated decision. Even if my infer-red is mis- calibrated the surface which the egg sits was still cool enough to rest my hand on. Maybe the low and slow will have drastically different results? Still going to monitor...
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miniMAXd said:@pgprescott this sounds like exactly what am looking for. Do you have a link for this article? I've searched thru most post' that mention "challenger" and all I ever find is talk about how you must have an air gap without the mention of problems people have had. My goal is to not destroy a brand new table, but gather information to make an educated decision. Even if my infer-red is mis- calibrated the surface which the egg sits was still cool enough to rest my hand on. Maybe the low and slow will have drastically different results? Still going to monitor...
“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk -
I'm going to assume all the table nesters will still be using their nest...
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@miniMAXd whatever floats your boat, Challenger didn't pay for the cart you did. Its up to you to protect your investment not them. for $50 and a piece of mind and the ability to wipe underneath once in a while in my opinion is worth the money.XLBGE, MMBGE, CyberQ
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1move said:@miniMAXd whatever floats your boat, Challenger didn't pay for the cart you did. Its up to you to protect your investment not them. for $50 and a piece of mind and the ability to wipe underneath once in a while in my opinion is worth the money.
I personally prefer to go nestless. I will continue to monitor table temps and inspect regularly.
Thanks for everyone's input. I would still like to hear if anybody has had any heat issues with their table. Hopefully I'm not "that guy"
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Also consider if the original fire grate has been swapped out for one of the more open after market fire grates. The OEM grate does provide much more thermal protection to the bottom of the egg than the open grate systems. This is especially true if you have the older ceramic fire grate.
Southeast Florida - LBGE
In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’ Dare to think for yourself. -
miniMAXd said:1move said:@miniMAXd whatever floats your boat, Challenger didn't pay for the cart you did. Its up to you to protect your investment not them. for $50 and a piece of mind and the ability to wipe underneath once in a while in my opinion is worth the money.
I personally prefer to go nestless. I will continue to monitor table temps and inspect regularly.
Thanks for everyone's input. I would still like to hear if anybody has had any heat issues with their table. Hopefully I'm not "that guy"
Worst case scenario - 5 years from now the repeated exposure to the heat of the egg has messed up the surface finish directly under the base of the egg. So what? It's not as if it would be visible.
One thing to be careful about with the Challenger cart is that while the surface finish may be impervious to heat it apparently can be harmed by solvents. There was a thread from sometime last year where a fellow set a can of bug spray or something similar on the top of his Challenger cart and just the little bit of "juice" that sometimes drips from spray cans ate up the surface where the can was sitting.
If only he had "air-gapped" that can!“Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk -
I have a Challenger cart as well for my Large BGE. Had it for a little over a year. All I had underneath the base was a thick piece of floor tile. I was doing a pizza 2 weeks ago and heard a loud "pop". The tile had cracked under the high temp (650-700). So I went with a table nest, adds only a little bit of height, and I don't have to worry about the heat transfer to the table. It took a little getting used to, but I actually prefer it. Just my 2 cents.
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If the manufacturer says it's safe, why not believe them? How about this for a compromise? You know those 3 little green feet that came with your egg? why not use them? Small air gap, not too high, but off the table enough so moisture doesn't get trapped between the ceramic and the platform.
1 large BGE, 2 small BGE, 3 Plate setters, 1 large cast iron grid, 1 pizza stone, 1 Stoker II Wifi, 1 BBQ Guru Digi-Q II, 1 Amaze N pellet smoker and 1 empty wallet. Seaforth, On. Ca.
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