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Fire down below....and above....YIKES

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vidalia1
vidalia1 Posts: 7,092
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I wanted to mention some strange goings on with my Lrge BGE yesterday. I was getting ready to cook my turkey. I had some leftover lump in the Egg. I stirred it and got all the ash to the bottom and all the holes were clear. I added a little new lump and mixed it in with the old. I also added a few apple chips.

I got the fire started per usual and all was going well. I put the plate setter in and a drip pan and closed the dome. The temp stayed at 275 for 20 minutes. I decided I would put the Eggcelerator on to give the fire a boost. After about 1 minute with the Eggclerator the fire was at 500 degrees...whoops..I turned it off and in another minute the fire had dropped to 310 which is where I wanted the temp. I let the fire go for about 10 minutes and it remained steady. Now I am almost ready to put on the turkey.

As I am getting ready to open the Egg my wife says you have a fire down below. I stopped and looked and for about 1 minute I had flames coming out the bottom draft.
I stepped back and said I have never seen that before. I waited until it subdued. The temp is still around 310. So I open the top with a slight burp and WHOOSH...another burst of flames out the top...YIKES...what the frick is going on...

anyway I waited almost 1 hr from the time I lit my lump until I put on the turkey...it turned out great with no other problems...

but does anybody have any idea what all that was about?????
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Comments

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
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    when the fire wants oxygen, it finds oxygen.

    you choked it down, but the lump was still calling for more, and found it in the bottom vent.

    when you open the top, it abandons the paltry oxygen from the lower vent and grabs it from the open dome.

    FOOM.

    fun stuff.

    try standing near the egg in bare feet and having a jet of flame shoot out the bottom looking for love. that'll get you dancing. fairly harmless though, but nefarious looking nonetheless.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
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  • crghc98
    crghc98 Posts: 1,006
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    I've had this happen to me before. I'm guessing it is like a chimney with the cold air pushing down....

    Weird that it happened to you after getting the dome so hot (or was that grate temp?) I was thinking you could lite some paper on the grid to get the chimney heated and air flowing in the right direction....

    In my experience it worked itself out once I got the fire going well and he temperatures stabilized.
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  • EgginDawg
    EgginDawg Posts: 747
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    any hair on your legs or just a little more North! :ohmy:
    That's kinda weird...Never had that one happen to me before.
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  • Buckdodger
    Buckdodger Posts: 957
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    Kim...I hope someone replies with a clue as to what caused your episode. I have seen a cherry red glow of coals at the bottom vent but never any flame. Coincidentaly when the coals were glowing the flash over was coming if I burped my lg.
    Bob
    Alex City, Al

    Opelika, Alabama
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  • vidalia1
    vidalia1 Posts: 7,092
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    I think Stike nailed it...a fire looks for oxygen wherever it can get it...luckily no one or nothing got burned... :whistle:

    but let that be a lesson...always pay atttention to the fire....
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  • AZRP
    AZRP Posts: 10,116
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    Small pieces of used lump were restricting your air flow, mine does that a lot. It will sit there and huff and puff, taking in oxygen then blasting a jet flame out the draft door. Only time its a problem is when it does it while I'm using the wiggle stick. -RP
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,754
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    sometimes it will rumble before it breathes fire thru the lower vent. keep the pets away.
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • FlaMike
    FlaMike Posts: 648
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    I agree, It usually happens to me when I overshoot my temp, and reduce the top vent for control. First some smoke appears to linger at the bottom vent, then either some rumbling, or just a whoosh with up to 5"-10" flames out the bottom vent. Sometimes like "Old Faithful" it cycles every 10-15 seconds or so until the temp eventually comes down and the whole thing settles down.
    It's really kinda of neat to watch. (from the side)
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  • vidalia1
    vidalia1 Posts: 7,092
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    I agree...fun to watch from a distance... :ohmy:
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  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
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    When this happens here, I usually have built the lump with smaller pieces of lump which has less of an airflow.

    I take the ash tool or wiggle rod and will move some lump as far down as I can to the fire grate. The air feeds the fire normally and the updraft is again established.

    GG
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  • Bacchus
    Bacchus Posts: 6,019
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    I think the egg gremlins were in our area of the country yesterday. I had some strange goings on also.
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  • opod
    opod Posts: 41
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    agree with previous responses--you had a lot of coals burning (you brought the temp up to 500 quickly)that were still hungering for air which found it in the bottom vent, "jumping" at the opportunity thus creating the bottom flame. when you lifted the top, coals had quicker access to more air and jumped at that opportunity as well. I've seen this a couple of times with my egg when i rapidly decrease a high temp--it can be recreated (don't want to though) by bringing up temp real high--600 or so and leave bottom vent open 1/2 way and nearly shut down completely top vent.
    klk
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