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Anyboby have experience with a lump reducing ring for the XL?

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Comments

  • Plano_JJ
    Plano_JJ Posts: 448
    I'm not sure if I missed it but does anyone know what the diameter is of the lump reducing ring for the extra large egg?

    Go to the ceramic grill store website and it has a section for the XL that will show you which one you need.
  • I'm not buying one but will have one built from scrap for a lot cheaper. Their website doesn't give dimensions.
    XL bge, Mini max & 36 BS Griddle.
  • Plano_JJ
    Plano_JJ Posts: 448
    fairchase said:
    What problems are you having with the fire grate in the xl ? First time I've heard of problems with it. I've heard of problems with the grate in the large ashing over and snuffing out the fire. This is why people are replacing with the Hi Q , but never the XL.
    No problems at all, you just have to clean out your egg. I clean mine out about every 4-5 cooks. They run like a champ from the factory. You cant let them fill up with ash and expect them to work properly.
  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684
    fairchase said:
    What problems are you having with the fire grate in the xl ? First time I've heard of problems with it. I've heard of problems with the grate in the large ashing over and snuffing out the fire. This is why people are replacing with the Hi Q , but never the XL.

    Same problem, but instead of snuffing out the entire fire, it's causing hot spots.  Before when I would put four butts on, after 12-18 hrs I would get the fire concentrated in a corner and one butt would be running 20-30F hotter than the rest.  The plate has a TON of flat space on the top of it.  Some people drill more or larger holes, but you're just going to cause it to crack and fall apart faster (then BGE isn't going to replace it under warranty since you modified it.)

    I do not produce fire grates for the XL, and neither does Hi-Que......the size of the fire bowl is so large that it would be $50 stainless before the fabrication.  It's 4x the amount metal of a Large fire grate, and 2x as much waste when you cut it into a circle.  Plus, with the weight and the temps, even the stainless would sag.  Much more cost effective and easy to buy a $8.97 Weber grate and replace it every couple years.

  • fairchase
    fairchase Posts: 312
    edited May 2013
    Sorry you have had trouble with yours.

    Are you strategically building your fire , or are you a dump in the bag of lump type of guy ?

    I have never had problems with my XL
  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684
    fairchase said:
    Sorry you have had trouble with yours. Are you strategically building your fire , or are you a dump in the bag of lump type of guy ? I have never had problems with my XL


    There's really nothing strategic about building a fire in a XL.  The Fire box isn't a deep funnel like it is in a large.  It's a 18" diameter at the bottom, and 22" at the top.....only 6" deep.  It's very easy for that fire to migrate to one side of the firebox.  The thermodynamics it are completely different than the S/M/L Eggs.......not saying it's a piece of junk, just quite different at <250F temps.

    Besides, I have an unlimited supply of lump, so I only use the big chunks.  What few small chunks and fines our bags have, go into 5 gallon buckets, then burned in my woodstove over the winter.

  • dlk7
    dlk7 Posts: 1,053
    I found that using the digiq II at temps <230 eliminates any hotspot issues I had when I didn't use it.  For some reason on my XLs the fan circulates the air in such a manner that my lump has always burned fairly evenly from the top down and middle outward.  The fire box is so large, I can hold 225 for better than 24 hours and not burn down to the fire grate.  I fill to almost the bottom of the platesetter and light the top in the middle with wood chunks spread throughout the lump for lo and slo.

    Two XL BGEs - So Happy!!!!

    Waunakee, WI

  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684

    Yeah, my iQue definitely helped, but the weber grate at the bottom solved all the issues for me.