Does High Humidity Slow the Light?

Anthony Up North

Need some tooling up! I've set a match to start the BGE going on three weeks. Fire always started in a few minutes using BGE ligher squares.[p]Tonight I had trouble. Charcoal seemed awfully slow to light. Daisy Wheel off. Damper wide open. So slow I lifted the BGE lid and stirred the coals a bit. That didn't help. Finally after about 20 minutes it started and shot up to 550 deg. (I wanted to sear steak and did at that temp.) But temp wouldn't go higher. Is this odd, or is this the average time it takes. Maybe I was too impatient?[p]It was a hot muggy day. Little breeze. Air was stagnant. Could this be it? Or was it the charcoal. I was using True Value Charcoal for the second time? Could the charcoal have absorbed moisture from high humity. Bread flour does that. So it is better to make bread with a lot of moisture in the air. How about lump charcoal? Is it harder (slower) to light lump on a humid day?[p]Thanks.[p]Anthony Up North

JJ

Anthony Up North,
Second use charcoal does absorb moisture faster than none burned. It is best to add new to the EGG. Mine did that same thing today as I just removed the ash and relit for 2" thick pork chops. It took about the same 20 minutes then shot up like a rocket. That was in my smal EGG.

Tim M

Anthony Up North,[p]I agree with JJ - always - always - always add some new lump. The old lump is still good carbon - but it's less in weight so while it looks normal - it's really a whimpy skeleton of the regular lump charcoal. It would be good to do a fast burger or a hot dog but searing steaks at 700 deg requires a lot of fuel in the large and med Egg.[p]Tim

Billy

Anthony Up North
The more new lump you use, the hotter the fire will be. When I have a lot of left over lump from my last cook, I sometimes have a hard time getting over 600 degrees, even with new lump added. When my last cook used up all of the lump and I am using all new stuff, the needle is buried in no time.
Billy

Patrick in Minnesota

Anthony Up North, I'm sure that charcoal absorbs moisture under conditions of high humidity(it's no different than any other wood product, all of which absorb moisture under conditions of high humidity.). In my experience, when I start a fire after the charcoal has been outside in the BGE for several days, it emits huge clouds of smoke, indicating that the charcoal is "smoldering" from absorbing moisture from the air.

Unknown

Anthony Up North,[p]I generally have a humidity problem down here in Florida, so I store my lump in a sealed barrel with a damp chaser stick from a piano. This has helped quite a bit. If you dont use the egg all the time, you can get a bucket of Damp Rid from a grocery or discount store. You simply place it on the grill when it is cool and check it once a week. You may be very surprised at what you find, I know I was. It really cut down on the mold and musky smell.[p]The other advise below is right on the money about adding new lump when you fire her up.[p]ashley