Lighting tip/cover lesson

JJ4473

So I left the cover off my egg and the freezing rain and snow we had recently froze it shut.  I had a houseful of people last night and I was making burgers.  I went to light it and "uh-oh" the lid won't open!  So I took off the cap, lit a lighting cube and dropped it on the grate.  Then I stuck my arm through the hole and moved it until it dropped through the grate on the charcoal then opened the bottom.  Voila!  About 10 minutes later the ice melted and the top opened with ease and I was on my way, gasket intact!  Happy New Year!

johnmitchell

Fantastic..Glad it worked out and you were able to feed the masses..Happy New Year..

lousubcap

Glad it all worked out-too much physical dexterity for me to be messing with a lit cube on a grate!  If you put some aluminum foil between the gasket surfaces then it won't freeze on you the next time-and if it somehow does...you have a solution.  Happy New Year.

Carolina Q

Install a Rutland gasket (base only). Mine has been on for six years and my dome has never frozen. We don't get a lot of freezing rain, but we do get it occasionally. Plenty of cold and snow. Cold weather rain too. I am convinced it doesn't freeze either because of the gasket material or the fact that there is only one surface covered. Maybe both.  

You can also place a starter cube or newspaper in the lower vent and let it heat up like a chimney starter. So I understand anyway.

Jeepster47

If your last cook included a plate setter or drip pan, then you might want to try a Mapp Propane torch stuck through the bottom vent and directed upwards at the lump.

pgprescott

Jeepster47 said:

If your last cook included a plate setter or drip pan, then you might want to try a Mapp Propane torch stuck through the bottom vent and directed upwards at the lump.

How about mine, a clean burn so I could finally replace my box and ring. So I got a frozen egg with no lump, plate setter in, frozen shut. I must have been a bad boy with this karma. Huh??? I suppose I'll stick the torch in there and see. 

GaryLange

Mine is frozen shut also but I am not using it right now but thanks for the tip on thawing it out. I hope I can get the light stick past the plate setter if I have to thaw it out though.

Jeepster47

pgprescott said:

Jeepster47 said:

If your last cook included a plate setter or drip pan, then you might want to try a Mapp Propane torch stuck through the bottom vent and directed upwards at the lump.

How about mine, a clean burn so I could finally replace my box and ring. So I got a frozen egg with no lump, plate setter in, frozen shut. I must have been a bad boy with this karma. Huh??? I suppose I'll stick the torch in there and see. 

Nice start to the new year ... damn I hate to laugh, but that is funny.

One other thought is to lower an old incandescent light bulb down through the top vent ... don't think a heat bulb will fit.  Our temps aren't that bad right now, so it might work if left overnight.  Through the bottom vent would be better, but even a 75 watt bulb won't fit through that vent hole.

I can drag my nested egg into the basement, but it has never frozen shut.  It's the egg in a cart, with an almost new OEM seal, that has frozen twice so far this winter. 

DaveRichardson

A couple of halogen shop lights will hear it up, too. 

Jeepster47

DaveRichardson said:

A couple of halogen shop lights will hear it up, too. 

There's the next product for sale to eggers ... northern eggers that is.  A 1000 watt halogen light where the case is sized to fit through the bottom vent hole.  Or, the same size case powered with a resistance coil. 

Tbent

100% agreed with Carolina Q. By coincidence I posted the same this morning.
There are always a ton of frozen eggs when the low temps hit. I need to install rutlands on my small and MM so I don't have to mess around with it anymore. 

blasting

welcome to the forum

theyolksonyou

Welcome. Preventive maintenance. Put some foil, coins or cork between dome and base when you shut down. 

Ozzie_Isaac

pgprescott said:

Jeepster47 said:

If your last cook included a plate setter or drip pan, then you might want to try a Mapp Propane torch stuck through the bottom vent and directed upwards at the lump.

How about mine, a clean burn so I could finally replace my box and ring. So I got a frozen egg with no lump, plate setter in, frozen shut. I must have been a bad boy with this karma. Huh??? I suppose I'll stick the torch in there and see. 

Put lump in through the bottom vent and lit the fire there.  Just keep it away from the bottom screen, that thin mesh can't take the temps lump burns at.

Jeepster47

Jeepster47 said:

pgprescott said:

Jeepster47 said:

If your last cook included a plate setter or drip pan, then you might want to try a Mapp Propane torch stuck through the bottom vent and directed upwards at the lump.

How about mine, a clean burn so I could finally replace my box and ring. So I got a frozen egg with no lump, plate setter in, frozen shut. I must have been a bad boy with this karma. Huh??? I suppose I'll stick the torch in there and see. 

Nice start to the new year ... damn I hate to laugh, but that is funny. ...

Ah yes, karma is really spelled "ha ha ha" ... while cooking today, I decided to thaw my frozen egg.  Damn, I must have emptied all the lump out of it into the other egg before it froze closed.  Am currently checking out the 75 watt bulb through the top vent to see if that does anything overnight.