Egg Shut Down Due to Phase 2 Burn Ban

OPSteel65

Got my first BGE a few months ago and am just hitting my stride, when the burn ban comes out and shuts down all recreational fires including smokers with flames and briquets.  Has anyone else been arrested for using their BGE’s?

nolaegghead

You got arrested?  That seems a bit harsh.  Welcome to the forum!

nolaegghead

Never been arrested for the BGE myself.  Usually it's the drinking part that's a problem.

FlyOverCountry

With each passing day living in Joe Biden’s America I feel like packing up and moving to Chyna.
Then I realize that’s exactly what he wants!
WELL NOT TODAY SANTA!

Langner91

I was trying to "put out the fire" as I told the officer.  He apparently didn't believe me.

Battleborn

Yes, I have used mine during a burn ban. 

A couple of things to keep in mind (without me knowing where you live, so subject to change)

1.) you wouldn’t get arrested. More than likely it would be some sort of civil citation. 

2.) not sure how your property is set up, but if you keep the grill in the backyard with a solid fence around it, how are they going to know you aren’t using a propane or electric smoker. 

nolaegghead

Battleborn said:

Yes, I have used mine during a burn ban. 

A couple of things to keep in mind (without me knowing where you live, so subject to change)

1.) you wouldn’t get arrested. More than likely it would be some sort of civil citation. 

2.) not sure how your property is set up, but if you keep the grill in the backyard with a solid fence around it, how are they going to know you aren’t using a propane or electric smoker. 

3.) join the police force

TheToast

WTF. I had never heard of a burn ban before. Whatever happened to that good ol’ American freedom?

nolaegghead

TheToast said:

WTF. I had never heard of a burn ban before. Whatever happened to that good ol’ American freedom?

It's probably Obama's fault.  Damn you, Obummer!

Langner91

From the news, it sounds hot enough out west that you could almost grill without lighting the egg.

Here's hoping for some rain and relief!

BlueRidgeSmokers

Here in the SF Bay Area, the 'Spare The Air' rules specifically exempt fires used for non-commercial cooking, but the language of the alerts themselves leaves the impression that no fires at all are allowed. For example, here's the exact wording in the FAQ:

While fires for cooking are not prohibited during Spare the Air Alerts, consider public health and be mindful of air quality on these days. Consider using a gas or propane barbecue rather than a wood or charcoal-fired cooking device.

I'd take a look at your local air quality spare the air rules and see if the same is true there.

llrickman

OPSteel65 said:

Got my first BGE a few months ago and am just hitting my stride, when the burn ban comes out and shuts down all recreational fires including smokers with flames and briquets.  Has anyone else been arrested for using their BGE’s?

You in Az?  was in Flag a couple weeks ago they were talking about a burn ban including all smokers. seems that's a little harsh  Though today in Albuquerque the skies are filled with smoke from Oregon, Cali and the Gila fires 

poster

Our burn bans have an exclusion for food and warmth. Obviously keeping a pack of hot dogs near by probably wouldn't cut it as an excuse for a dozen people sitting around a bon fire, but running an egg would be no issue.

YukonRon

It seems all the locations we have chose to retire have crazy wildfire seasons going on the last couple of years.

lousubcap

@OPSteel65 - nothing further to add to the above other than prying the BGE out of my hands would be akin to banning NA V-8 engines from cars.
I don't know where you are located or the physical layout where you cook so there's that to consider. 
Beyond that, welcome aboard and here's hoping you can enjoy the journey.  Above all, have fun.
Also, given the tinder-box nature of the west I would make sure a functioning garden hose is available in the event of something going south.  FWIW-

fishlessman

never had a cruiser pull into the yard for an open bonfire let alone a bbq grill. the fire chief pulls up yelling. apparently a bon fire is smaller than 3 feet square and no taller than 3 feet

Botch

Many of the towns around here even banned fireworks this past 4th; surprisingly most people used common sense and not their self-entitled "freedumb", and very few fires resulted.  

MO_Eggin

Welcome to the forum!  I suffered under a similar fire ban last summer, if I remember it ran for all of May until October.  Penalty was either $500 or $1,000 fine for the first violation, with increasing amounts for additional violations.  Bought a gas camping grill and kept the eggs covered for the summer - didn't want to be the subject of an article titled "Idiot using Big Green Egg starts massive wildfire".   

Mark_B_Good

What the ... you can't even cook anymore. That's messed up.

SaskNortherner

I was in Squamish British Columbia two summers ago when they had their fire ban on. I had just lit my mini max when park security paid me a visit and told me to put it out. I was planning on doing some ribs so i set up my gas stove on the picnic table and deep fried them instead. Somehow they were OK with that.

BlueRidgeSmokers

Gas stoves don't throw sparks. Right or wrong, they don't. 

nolaegghead

An abundance of caution is perhaps warranted because people are imperfect creatures (aka idiots at times) and the stakes are high.  Libertarians might disagree with me but there is a reason there are no countries (except maybe Somalia) with functional libertarian governments.

HeavyG

nolaegghead said:

An abundance of caution is perhaps warranted because people are imperfect creatures (aka idiots at times) and the stakes are high.  Libertarians might disagree with me but there is a reason there are no countries (except maybe Somalia) with functional libertarian governments.

To be fair tho there are also no functional "pure" capitalist, socialist, communist, free market, or whatever (Liam disagrees about the latter tho) governments either.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz7_3n7xyDg

Botch

nolaegghead said:

An abundance of caution is perhaps warranted because people are imperfect creatures (aka idiots at times) and the stakes are high.  

Local news here in Utard reported last week that, of the 3,400 fires put out by state fire departments so far this year, 3,200 were human-started.  

fishlessman

just thinking of all the propane grills going up in flames from grease fires ive seen. my neighbor losing the skin on both arms elbow to finger tips and burning part of his house down from a weber. lighting the woods on fire from an exploding citronella candle being dropped in a lake (yes, they explode). and just one fire from lump in a grill. i can see a citrenella candle  burn ban, the tree overhead was burning 30 feet up and the lake was on fire, that wax gets on everything

Legume

fishlessman said:

just thinking of all the propane grills going up in flames from grease fires ive seen. my neighbor losing the skin on both arms elbow to finger tips and burning part of his house down from a weber. lighting the woods on fire from an exploding citronella candle being dropped in a lake (yes, they explode). and just one fire from lump in a grill. i can see a citrenella candle  burn ban, the tree overhead was burning 30 feet up and the lake was on fire, that wax gets on everything

So, do you need to let it burn for a while to get a pool of melted wax?

fishlessman

Legume said:

fishlessman said:

just thinking of all the propane grills going up in flames from grease fires ive seen. my neighbor losing the skin on both arms elbow to finger tips and burning part of his house down from a weber. lighting the woods on fire from an exploding citronella candle being dropped in a lake (yes, they explode). and just one fire from lump in a grill. i can see a citrenella candle  burn ban, the tree overhead was burning 30 feet up and the lake was on fire, that wax gets on everything

So, do you need to let it burn for a while to get a pool of melted wax?

what you do is go camping in the rain, put it in a campfire pit and put your soggy kindling wood over it to get it lit. then when the wax is thoroughly melted have someone pick it up with a stick and bring it to the lake to extinguish it. then run down there and put the fire out starting with the fishing gear, then the canoe and then mention to this guy that he is on fire as well. there was this little warning sticker on the bottom of the bucket, i guess youre supposed to read those

ArvadaMan

I am surprised that we have not started to see fire bans here in the Colorado front range this year.  We have had a long stretch of 90+ degree days.  Last year,  my Egg was shut down for probably 3 months due to fire restrictions.

womaus

nolaegghead said:

TheToast said:

WTF. I had never heard of a burn ban before. Whatever happened to that good ol’ American freedom?

It's probably Obama's fault.  Damn you, Obummer!

Blame it on the Buttery Males....

fishlessman

interesting how the fires out west makes the moon in maine look so red in the morning. its so bright right now you dont want to look up

Langner91

That's a wild picture!  It must be bypassing the midwest.  We have a slight haze, but I keep hearing about how bad it is in the east.