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ATTN: New eggers - Flashback

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Celtic Wolf
Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Saw the Dragon Question below and thought it might be time to revisit this.

Known as a Backdraft to fire fighters, It is caused by the rapid burning of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). It will most likely occur when you have that thick white smoke bellowing from your egg after you light it and you dampen down your egg. You could experience puffs of smoke and flame out the bottom vent

Be real careful when you open your egg during these conditions. If you open the egg too fast that VOCs built up in the dome will ignite and roll out at you in a very pretty blue flame. You will be missing a LOT of hair (arms, eyebrows, head) in a really short time.

I recommend you take the Metal top off and open the egg no more than an inch with some sort of heat resistant gloves on. This will contain the flashback sending it out the top and away from you.

Now if this is happening with the food on it usually means you did not give the egg enough time to burn all this off ahead of time. Allow the smoke to clear before cooking.

The Naked Whiz has a very nice flashback video demo of this effect. You should watch it.

Now go forth grasshopper and cook good food safely.
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Comments

  • Luvs to shoot clay
    Luvs to shoot clay Posts: 774
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    Cool video. We all need to be reminded, burning hair smells bad!
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  • Sooner Egg
    Sooner Egg Posts: 578
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    I have not experienced this yet.....I'm in a habit of burping my egg before I open it all the way.....I prefer the smell of food cooking not of burning hair and flesh
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  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0
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    open the egg no more than an inch with some sort of heat resistant gloves on.

    The gloves are important because even opening just an inch can allow flame out under the right conditions-which you don't realize until after your knuckles get singed.
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  • tjv
    tjv Posts: 3,830
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    oh sure, post this today, nothing like a day late.....LOL. T
    www.ceramicgrillstore.com ACGP, Inc.
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  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
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    Is Tom beardless today? :ohmy:

    I hope it wasn't the XL? You don't want to see an XL flashback, but I hear the mini's flashback is kind of cute.. :cheer:
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  • tjv
    tjv Posts: 3,830
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    It was the large. All I can say is good thing I trimmed the beard and got a hair cut last Thursday...lost some on the arms though.

    I agree with you on an xl flashback. t
    www.ceramicgrillstore.com ACGP, Inc.
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  • Magnus Viridis Ovum
    Magnus Viridis Ovum Posts: 63
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    I've had my egg a little over a month and never experienced it. Sure enough, last night I lost my armhair, eyebows eyeashes and a good piece of my head hair.

    Still not sure excatly why though, I had the bottom and top both half open and no smoke from the bottom vent.
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  • Bob V
    Bob V Posts: 195
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    It isn't just a matter of smoke. The rate at which the VOC's leave the large is constrained by the top. So with new charcoal you can get it going really well - no smoke - good glowing coals as you look through the top - yet when you open the dome you get a flash.

    The only way I've found to ensure you don't get a flash is a. close down the bottom vent but leave the top open (less air coming in than going out - gasses vented), or b. crack the dome slightly and then put it down. In the latter, if it flashes it will come out the top.

    Bob V
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  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
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    A. Is what causes the actual build up of VOCs

    B. Only if the metal top is off otherwise it's coming out around the that little opening.

    But if they work for you cool :)
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  • Celtic Wolf
    Celtic Wolf Posts: 9,773
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    It's not the bottom vent that will get you. The VOC build up in the dome. By the fact you have the vents dampened down you are depriving them of the O2 they need to ignite.

    When you open the lid all that fresh air comes rushing in the dome and POOF you have no hair..

    The times it happens if you dampen down after a high temp sear, or you are about to do a low and slow..

    Fire Fighters experience this if they are in a burning building and an external window breaks or someone opens a closed external door. In their case it can be explosive and rather deadly.
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  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
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    Here is a picture Ross in Ventura put up a while ago.

    Flashback in action.

    DSC_0002-29.jpg


    Hope you are OK with me posting this Ross, it is pulled from your previous post.

    GG
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  • JCinGA
    JCinGA Posts: 139
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    GG
    Looks familiar been there done that. How did it miss the beard?
    Jim
    JCinGA
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