High temp at high altitude

Engine62

I was in Colorado this weekend using my brothers large egg. I have the same size in Spring, TX.  In TX I'm at 100' elevation. In CO I was at 5,050.  I tried everything I could to get that thing above 300 degrees.  Both dampers wide open, full load of BGE charcoal, well ignited, but never got above 300 without forced air from the bottom, then only got to 330 degrees.  No ash in the bottom, all the vent holes were clear.  My brother told me this is consistent with what he has gotten for the last 5 years.  Is this normal in Colorado?

lkapigian

even though there is a derate for elevation it sounds like another issue--Not sure about charcoal but Nat Gas we de-rate 2-4% per 1 K elevation 10 % of 9000 btus is only 900 btus @ a pound of charcoal create more btus use more coal-it's going to have an effect on the food more than the temp of the grill

I think it is a flow/mixture issue ----like the fire box in backward

northGAcock

Did you go by this place? It might be your problem. 

YettiLuke

Have you checked the calibration of the thermometers that you are using?

fishlessman

when i cant get past 300 its usually because the ceramics had gotten wet. my egg in maine i light up on friday just to dry it out for weekend cooks if its been rainy all week

1voyager

It's not the altitude. I live at 6,975' elevation in Colorado. No problem getting to 650 - 700 degrees on my large Egg.

YukonRon

Had a charcoal grill go from 250⁰-270⁰F to 500⁰F+ low and slow to a sear in less than 15 minutes, 7K feet+.
What kind of fuel was being used?

MO_Eggin

I've also had issues getting to temperature at elevation.  I had my large in St. Louis (approx. 500' above sea level) for 8.5 years before getting my large in CO (approx. 8100').  With all else being similar, including charcoal and lighting methods, I struggled to get over 300* in CO until I switched to a hi-q grate in place of the stock charcoal grate.  YMMV . . . 

cookingdude555

I am at 4500', and while it is certainly easier to do at lower altitudes, I can get the egg almost hot enough to forge metals here.  Sounds like an airflow or charcoal issue.  Three things for fire: ignition, fuel, and air.  It sounds like you lit the matches without incident, so that leaves fuel and air.  Check the airflow, give the egg a good clean out.  Lastly, maybe the fuel is not the best, go with a quality new bag of lump.  Try dumping a lit chimney of lump in the empty egg and see what happens to the temp.

GrateEggspectations

northGAcock said:

Did you go by this place? It might be your problem. 

He said he was at “high altitude.” Seems like you might have missed the “altitude” portion. 😉

Engine62

Thanks for all the comments.  I'm using a large BGE. No aftermarket parts.  Assembly is correct and all components look identical to my large egg in TX.  Fuel is BGE branded lump hardwood charcoal.  Egg is not damp.  There are no restrictions to air path.  

Special thanks to northGAcock.  I appreciate your input Richard. 

northGAcock

GrateEggspectations said:

northGAcock said:

Did you go by this place? It might be your problem. 

He said he was at “high altitude.” Seems like you might have missed the “altitude” portion. 😉

So you are saying my attempted use of humor was less than stellar on that response?

wepinsf

Agree with many of the comments here. I'm at 7,000 feet and have never had trouble getting to 800°+. My biggest challenge has been controlling the temp up but after lots of practice I think I've finally figured that out. Good luck.