Sweatin' Egg - anybody got a towel ???

Walter

Well, with all the rainy weather out here on the not-so-sunny west coast, it's been a month or so since I've been able to fire up the EGG. Unfortunately, the patio cover didn't fare well in the storms and the EGG got rained on. Just picked up some fresh charcoal and decided tonight (since it's not raining) was a good night for steaks. Cleaned out the EGG, filled with fresh lump and let 'er rip. When the temp got to 700 or and I got the steaks on the grill, I noticed the dome was sweating. I mean it looked like somebody was squeezing water out of a green, dome shaped sponge. It also looks like hairline cracks in the dome (at least in the beltline area where the dome and base meet) as the water when wiped off would reappear instantly and it sure looked like crack patterns (straight lines, etc.). Anybody else seen this "sweating" phenomenon? Is it anything to worry about? I assumed the glaze was water resistant or repellent. The EGG was capped during the rain so I know nothing was directly ingested but I'm sure the latent moisture could have infiltrated through the ash door, dome to base seal, etc.[p]Thanks for any help on this one.
Walter

Tim M

<p />Walter,
That sounds unusual for sure. My Egg has lived outdoors for its whole life - nothing like what you discribed has ever happened to me. I get condensation running down from the top on occasion but I can easily rinse it off. Maybe a call to BGE is in order to ask them.[p]Tim

Nature Boy

Walter,
Mine has also sweated, and I keep it in the garage. Only on occassion, depending on conditions/temps. No cracks.[p]Someone else mentioned hairline cracks (eggshell type cracks) a while back, but he came back and said it wiped off with a rag. They weren't really cracks.[p]Let us know what you see now. Try wiping it.[p]NB

Mike Oelrich

Walter,[p] I tend to agree with Tim on this one. Though I routinely have liquid drip out from around the top vent (and even from the bottom vent occasionally), it doesn't soak into the shell. And I have never seen moisture come out *through* the glaze. My BGEs live outside but I've got the vinyl covers for them. So, since they left the store they've never been directly exposed to rain. I suppose it is possible that you got the thing really soaked and by heating it up so fast when it was wet, the moisture expanded causing the hairline cracks in the glaze, but that seems a bit far-fetched. I'd give BGE a call. After you talk to them, let us know what's up.[p]MikeO

bdavidson

Walter,
My egg also lives outside, and although I have a tarp, I have not kept it covered at all times, so it too has been exposed to the elements. I've never seen it sweat as you describe. Are the crack lines persistant, even after the dome cools? Sounds like I'd place a call to BGE as well.

Brant

Walter,[p]I've used my BGE for nearly two years, and until a week and a half ago, I'd never seen that. We had a lot of rain a day or so before I used my Egg after a long unused period -- over two weeks (don't hold it against me!). My guess is that the porous ceramic absorbed small amounts of water from the air during the long unused period. Then a high-temperature pizza episode boiled that water out. The glaze is apparently not completely water proof, but I don't think that is a problem. Any holes in it are microscopic (at least, my eyes didn't see any evidence of them where the water drops formed). I had never really believed similar reports until I saw it with my own eyes. By the way, my Egg stays covered with a vinyl tarp.[p]About the cracks, I have scared myself a number of times, but a little bit of 409 and water wiped those "cracks" right off! The water boiling out has apparently not caused any problems (knocking on wood), but I wouldn't want to have this happen too often. My solution: Don't go so long without using the Egg! :-) And the first cook after a long Eggless period should be a low-and-slow. My theory, anyway.[p]If you do call BGE, please let us know what they say. I'm not going to worry about it unless obvious damage occurs, and it's too early to speculate about that.[p]Brant

Tim M

Brant,[p]Not having seen either this miricle or the statue of the virgin Mary that cries - is there any chance the Egg was colder than the dewpoint. When the temp and dewpoint are equal or within a deg or two you get fog, condensation or mist. Ceramic holds heat and it also can take awhile to warm up on a cold morning. Any chance it was condensation like on a cold glass of water??[p]Tim (born in the "show me" state)

Walter

Nature Boy,
Unfortunately, I was the "spider-web" crack person from earlier. It appeared like small white spider web cracks in the dome but they wiped off with a damp towel. I assumed it was some sort of "overspray" from bug spraying operations around my house. [p]Last night I was able to wipe the water off the dome but it immediately started "bubbling" out of the lid as soon as it was wiped away. The odd thing is that it appeared to form that similar spider-web appearance of cracks that I had experienced earlier. It was too dark to determine if the dome surface actually showed cracks or not. I'll have to check it when I get home from work today.[p]You mention that your EGG has had this sweating phenomenon. Did you contact BGE and if so what did they say?

Walter

Tim M,
I'll venture a guess and say it wasn't condensation. I'm thinking of the cold glass of water example and wiping away the condensation clears the condition for several minutes. Last night with the EGG, as soon as the water was wiped away, more would "bubble" out of the surface. I got as close as I could to the dome and wiped away the moisture and literally watched it bubble out of the dome. It was described very well by Brant that it is probably coming out of very small possibly even microscopic holes in the dome. As the evening progressed and the moisture stopped, I could not see evidence of holes where the water was previously extruding from. I didn't notice any coming from the base, only from the dome.[p]I wonder if the glaze and or the ceramic can absorb enough moisture to cause it to be bubbled out like this with sudden, high temperatures. I hope to talk to the folks at BGE this week and I'll post whatever info I get from them. It would be a shame to have this cause any stress problems to the dome possibly leading to cracks or even failure.[p]Walter

Spin

Walter,[p]I have seem the same phemomenon when I left the EGG uncovered and can report that it has had no effect on the EGG or how it cooks (2 1/2 years).[p]I'd appreciate learning what BGE has to say. Thanks.[p]Spin

Mr Beer

Walter,
I have not seen the sweating that you describe. My egg sits outside uncovered rain, snow or shine. I also have never allowed a downpour rain or major snow storm prevent me from cooking on the egg. I have gotten drenched with rain while cooking on the egg with not ill effects and have also cooked on it while it was snowing so hard that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. The egg performed flawlessly in both cases. Don't let a little rain keep you from cooking on your egg. Your not going to hurt it.

Nature Boy

Walter,
No. I didn't contact BGE. I did notice the egg sweating at leat once. Beads of water, relatively evenly spaced around the dome. Not bubbling like you mentioned, but water drops appearing on what was a dry dome. Didn't worry me in the least, and seems to be something that happens when conditions are just right. [p]NB

Brant

Tim M,[p]When I tried the "wipe and watch the drops reappear" test, my Egg had been at 550 for many minutes, and had there been more water, it might have scalded me through the paper towel. That's just a colorful way for me to say that the little drops were hot, not condensation.[p]I'm just describing what I saw. I did not mean to add fear where none is founded! I don't think this is a problem. I suspect this wasn't even the first time it has happened to my Egg, just the first time I noticed -- most of my high-temperature cooking goes on at night when I might not see it. My Egg is holding up fine, and I've never heard of ANY reports of a ceramic Egg failing (knocking on wood again -- I forgot to knock on wood after posting in NB's firebox thread below.... Guess what happened!).[p]Brant