MY EGG IS FROZEN

Orio Kid

OK GUYS AND GALS, MY LID TO THE EGG IS FROZEN. I HAVE DROPPED STARTER CUBES DOWN THE TOP, TRYED BUILDING A FIRE THROUGH THE VENT OPENING IN THE BOTTOM, AND I AM AT WITS END.

sprinter

Orio Kid,[p]Can you use a blow dryer to heat the seal area a bit? Good luck, at least you have lump. I may find out when I get lump that I have an egg frozen together too. But, one problem at a time. Give the blow dryer a shot, it may work, will have to work fast though.[p]Troy

Orio Kid

sprinter,
THE TEMP OUTSIDE IS 14 DEGREES. I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT.

Gfw

Orio Kid, no suggestions - I just had my bottom vent frozen tight - fortunately the top was ok and the bottom opened after the fire started. Wonderful Midwest weather! :~[

Tim M

Orio Kid,
If you have fire cubes - then lite one under the grate. Center it when lit. That is how I start all my 300+ fires. The dome gasket will soon melt and allow you to open it.[p]Tim

sprinter

ORIO KID,[p]That may have some effect on the usefullness of the blow dryer. Hard to heat 14 degree air when its only whizzing by a couple of heating elements. Can you move the egg into a garage? I'd somehow get some fire inside the egg, like TimM says, drop some firecubes inside. Do you have starter chimney to get some coals going outside the egg then drop them into the egg and put the lid on? It may only be stuck in a small place too, take a putty knife to the seal and see if you can just pop it loose that way. Mine was heated shut this summer and it only took a bit of a nudge with a putty knife to open it up. It may just be some grease or something frozen shut in the seal area.[p]Troy

Mr Beer

Orio Kid,
Not a major problem - mine freezes shut all the time. Like Tim M said - use a fire starter cube and place in the ash area under the grid. I have a few times when I did not have fire starters used balled up newspaper placed through the top. Place one sheet at a time through the top of the dome when it has just about burned out put in another. After 5 or 6 sheets of newspaper the dome is usually unfrozen. The only problem with this method is that it creates a lot of ash. The fire starter cube from below is the much prefered method.[p]Mr Beer

RhumAndJerk

Tim M,
You are the originator of that idea and I use it every time that this happens to me. If he is having trouble, he could also drop one down the dome opening. The primary one is the one under the grate.[p]BTW, Orio Kid could please turn off the Cap Lock.[p]Thanks,
RhumAndJerk[p]

Mop

Orio Kid, if you have a little propane tank with the little soldering tip on it for soldering copper pipe, then use that to ignite the coals under the trivet (grate) open top vent and "Bingo" the dome will open!...[p]Mop!