air reduction and low temperatures

Unknown

The air holes in the grate and firebox must be getting clogged, for I can't get rapid temp rising. Is there an alternative to emptying all the charcoal and cleaning after every use??[p]rig

Tim M

<p />robert ,[p]Yea, throw away the old ceramic grate and buy a new steel grate from Bge or get a 7" Lodge Cast Iron Trivet. Many more air holes allows faster temp rises and allows a Webber fire cube to start the fires from Under the grate for faster grilling temp fires. I have yet to find a fault with the new steel grates.[p]Tim
[ul][li]Tim's[/ul]

Trout Bum

robert ,
I use a piece of wire from a coat hanger, bend an end up at 90 degrees and about 1 inch long. I then use this to clean out the grate holes from the bottom. Works great, never had to empty out the lump to clean for good air flow.
B D

Unknown

Tim M,
Thanks. Where do I get a large bge steel or 7" lodge cast iron trivet???[p]rig

Grumpa

robert,[p]Try this link. It is where I got mine.

[ul][li]Lodge[/ul]

Unknown

robert,
Yet another alternative to what Tim has told you is to buy a cast iron floor drain available at good hardware stores or plumbing supply shops.

davidm

Tim M,[p]I see an 8" Lodge cast iron trivet on the Lodge Web site. Will that do for a large Egg?[p]Thanks,[p]David[p]

Spring Chicken

Tim M,
I agree with Tim. My ceramic grate just fell apart one day. I called BGE and they promptly shipped a metal one (I paid shipping). I like it a lot better than the ceramic one. I first thought about seeing if I could have one made or substituting something else but I'm more than satisfied with the one they sent. BGE is in the business so I will trust their judgement on such things.[p]Spring Chicken
Spring Texas USA

Tim M

Spring Chicken,[p]The steel grate seems to hold up better than cast iron. Someone reported a cast iron trivet that broke - assumably because of an air pocket in the cast or something like that. The iron can heat and bend too. Nature showed me one he had that looked like a basket rather than a flat trivet. The steel holds its shape better. An improvement might be oval or slots rather than round holes, but it works much better than the ceramic grates for sure.[p]Tim

Bordello

Spring Chicken,
Do you have any trouble with the steel one tipping over when you stir the lump??????? That was the problem I kept having with the trivet until someone told me how to put feet on it.
Thanks,
New Bob

Angie2B

Tim M, Do you know if BGE has a steel grate for the mini? Thank you.

Unknown

Angie2B, I'm not Tim but I betcha dollars to donuts that they don't - however measure the diameter of it and go get a floor drain disc. My local True Value carries them starting as small as 3" in diameter and up to 10".

YB

Angie2B,
The same steel great that fits the small fits the mini...I just put steel grates in all my eggs saturday.
Larry

Gfw

<p />kat, I'll second that! In a few days, my floor drain will reach it's 2nd birthday and it still operates as perfectly as it did in March of 2000 :~}

[ul][li]Floor Drains[/ul]

Angie2B

Thanks everyone![p]

Spring Chicken

New Bob,
When I first put the steel one in, I thought it may cause a problem, but it hasn't so far. I stir gently. The one thing I did notice right away is how fast my Egg came up to 550 degrees. I had to slow that sucker down some or it would have gone through the roof. I keep my eye on it a lot better now. [p]Spring Chicken