Temp running away.

GrillinSailor

Does anyone use a spray bottle of water or apple juice to help bring temps down when they start running too high?

I’ve opened the dome and let heat out, but it also lets fresh air in with inconsistent results and doesn’t lower it much. 

Closing down the vents takes a long time to get results because the egg is so efficient at retaining and spreading heat. 

I know the best answer is to control the rise in temperature so it doesn’t get away from you in the first place, but I’m not always that good?

what do you do?

fishlessman

for anything under 300 light the starter fire small. at one time i started using a weed burner which just lit too much lump which creates a runaway fire when you open things up.

you can also limit a runaway fire by shutting the lower vent completely when opening the dome, works good at stabilizing a 500 degree fire when using a wok

stlcharcoal

Opening the dome is just going to give the charcoal an unlimited amount of O2 and just make the problem worse.  The best thing about the BGE is also the worst part when you're trying to cool it down......that ceramic holds heat like crazy.

Best thing to do is start right.  Make sure your gaskets are good, no cracks in base, dome aligned, then light from the top for low and slow.  After that about all you can do is snuff out the fire and wait for it to cool down before relighting.

MaskedMarvel

It’s definitely faster to manage the heat from the beginning than to try and bring it back down …

calibrate your dome thermometer (and have a good seal), and do your best to get the lump lit and set those vents early. I mostly run around 225° for my low and slow, and both the bottom vents and DFMT are barely open at that temp. BARELY cracked open. 

If the temps still run away, it’s just a waiting game to have them come back down. Opening the dome only lengthens this process - I’ve introduced too much oxygen by doing this. 

lousubcap

During a brisket cook a while ago I somehow managed to get a grease fire going as some found it's way to the lump bed.  After hours of steady-state the thermo was moving up in short order. I run with a PS woo so I pulled everything out and tossed in some ice cubes on the general area of the runaway fire.  Knocked the fire down and got back to the cook.  
As you note it is way better to catch on the way up.  If you miss it then it is a waiting game to lower the temp.  

Florida Grillin Girl

The best advice I can give after many years of egg ownership... start closing your vents down 50 degrees before your target temperature and let it sit for at least 30 minutes at your target temp before putting food on, and don't open the lid. As someone here always has said, "If you're looking, you aren't cooking". 

StillH2OEgger

I have not sprayed water or put ice cubes directly on lump, but if you're cooking indirect I think the best way to bring it down if overshooting is to just pour some water into the drip pan. It's a heat sink that will help bring the temp down a bit. You could also just toss some moistened wood chips onto the charcoal rather than misting or watering directly.

zaphod

I played about with putting a large pot of water on the grill to speed lower the temperature after a cook, but I never saw faster drops in temperature, anecdotal or otherwise.  I do know that if I'm cooking direct putting in the plate setter helps bring down the temperature after a cook.

Foghorn

It takes a while, but if it is too hot - say 350 - and you want it down 50 degrees, you can shut the vents nearly completely down and wait about 30 minutes for the fire to die down to almost nothing.  Then, as mentioned above, close the bottom vent entirely and open the lid for a few seconds - maybe 10 seconds.  It will let out a lot of hot air and expose the inner surface of the ceramic to cooler air as well.  When you do that the temp that is measured on the dome thermometer will drop 30-50 degrees.  A miniscule fire will not grow much in the 10 seconds that the dome is open.  You can wait a couple of minutes and do the same lid lift again.  I have no science on whether 10 seconds is the right time - or if 15 would be better.  I just know that the fire has to be VERY small before you do it - so 20-30 minutes with VERY LITTLE airflow is necessary prior to lifting the lid.  I hope that helps.

zaphod

Don't know why I forgot about this, but there is a Captain Ron video where he recommends lowering the temperature by adding more charcoal.  The cold lump will slow down the fire and let things cool down.  I did this today when I added more charcoal before what was going to be a long burn. Cooled things right down for me as a side effect.

Captain Ron also recommends adding more lump if you need to raise the temperature - more fuel == more fire == more heat.  Fair enough.

However, keep in mind that the recommendation to add more lump to either raise OR lower the temperature comes from a guy who markets lump for a living.  He's not wrong, but still .... 

StillH2OEgger

Assuming there's enough lump to start with, I think oxygen is more important than fuel if raising temp is the goal.