Can't get temperature up

CrisGib

I can't get the temp up past 300 degrees and wanted to know if I need to clean out the ashes to allow more oxygen in to the coals? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

-- I am using two thermometers and neither one will go above 310 degrees.

PhilsGrill

Totally clean out the egg as if it were new! You need to do this every four cooks or so.

boston_stoker

You should clean the ash out, but now that it is lit I would be careful. You could have some very small pieces of hot charcoal down in the ash. I would get a wiggle rod (coat hangar), and poke holes from under coals to improve your airflow. I would guess airflow is your problem. If you are trying for super hot, make sure your vents are wide open.

Frobozz

Another common cause of this is the incorrect installation of the firebox. The "open" part of the base of the firebox (if you take it out and look at it, you'll see what I'm talking about) must point toward the bottom vent of the Egg. Otherwise, no high heat for you!

Grandpas Grub

 
The principle is heat = oxygen plus fuel.

If you have enough fuel (lump) and the lump is not wet, then the place to look for problems is air flow up through the lump.

To achieve a 400° plus burn in a large will require the lower vent open approximately 1 to 2 inches.


That small amount of air needs to be able to flow through up through the fire grate and through the lump bed.

IMHO the egg does not need to be broken down, aligned perfectly and all ash cleaned out before cooking.

I haven't broken down and cleaned out the large in over 3 years now. I only clean out the ash under the fire grate 1 in 7 to 8 cooks with one exception. If I am doing a very long or overnight cook I do clear out the ash under the fire grate, I do stir out the ash that is left in the lump bed and I absolutely make sure the holes in the fire grate and fire box are not blocked.

When the temperature stalls or the start up is slow I fall back to using a wiggle rod and clear out the holes in the fire grate and wiggle the rod to help make a air path up through the lower end of the lump bed.

My experience has shown a coat hanger is a poor choice at best. If you must use a coat hanger bend the wire in half and twist to get some extra strength then bend the end that you intend to put up through the fire grate. Do yourself a favor and buy a wiggle rod or go buy some round stock and make a wiggle rod. Member Thirdeye has a grate wiggle rod available, check out his site.

GG

CrisGib

Thanks. I will try it out tonight.

CrisGib

The firebox is installed correctly, but I will clean it out and make sure the air holes are open. Thanks

CrisGib

Thanks for the input. I will try it out tonight.

CrisGib

Thanks Phil. I will try it out tonight.