Twas an eggy Christmas

Charcoal Mike

<p />Santa was good to me this year - got a Maverick Remote Thermometer, Thermapen, and a BGE Chiminea. My wife said she would never believe she could spend this much money on thermometers. :-)[p]I like the chiminea a lot - you can really get a fireball going in there and heat a pretty decent area once the ceramic starts getting hot. Plus we have pulled the chimney portion off the top and roasted some marshmallows - fun for the kids. The only problem I have is that the fire-screen on the front is already RUSTED - I've only used this thing twice. Has anyone else had a problem with rust on their screen ? Is it covered under warranty ? It's not like this thing came with instructions.... :-)[p]Thanks and happy new year![p]- Mike[p]

Charcoal Mike

<p />Here is a pic of the rust on the inside of the fire screen.[p]Thanks -[p]Mike

RRP

Charcoal Mike,
what's all that green stuff off the edge of your patio? Do you have to mow year around? All our brown grass is white now...a reprieve until April or May

Charcoal Mike

RRP,
Hey! Nope - no mowing. Last one was sometime mid-October. I need to do it again though just to clean up the leaves. We normally have pretty mild winters. We had an inch or so of ice, and our office was closed for two days. :-) [p]BTW, I'm in Charlotte, NC.[p]Cheers to you and yours -[p]Mike[p]

Steve-O

Charcoal Mike,
That does not look normal to me - I would take it to the dealer or call BGE. If you have only used it a couple times and it did that, I think something is wrong. I don't even use my fire screen when I'm burning my chimea - it's just too big a pain to take it off and put it back on every time I add wood. Maybe that's why mine hasn't rusted yet?!
BTW, that's a great looking patio!

Charcoal Mike

Steve-O,[p]Thanks for the reply. I have been leaving the screen on, then just lifting off the chimney (with thick gloves), and dropping in the logs from the top. Maybe I need to do it like it was intended, but I had kids standing around the front and I didn't want something hot to pop out. I would still be leaving the screen on when it was not in use though, and out in the rain, but wouldn't expect it to rust in just 2 weeks....[p]Yea we had a little 10x11 concrete slab, and once we got the egg we started spending a LOT more time outside. Plus the table made the minimal space that much more cramped. So this summer we had the patio extended to about 14x20 and bricked in by a neighborhood "jack-of-all-trades". We were really pleased with his work - this summer he gets to paint the house.[p]Happy holidays ![p]- Mike[p]

Wise One

Charcoal Mike, I know you are going to think I am the "Stupid One" but if you have painted iron subjected to heat and then moisture, it WILL rust. However, it might be worth while spraying it with some olive oil and then wiping it off. Sort of the same idea as seasoning cast iron pots. It should remove the rust and by keeping it oiled, prevent more rust. An idea and if it doesn't work - you never heard it here. :-)

Unknown

Charcoal Mike,[p]I had the same experience of a rusted screen soon after using a BGE chiminea. I think it is probably a common problem. The solution is to touch it up once or twice a year with black high heat spray paint, or stove black. [p]Ours also did not come with instructions. We did not realize that you are supposed to fill the bottom with sand. After a couple of high heat burns, the chiminea cracked. The dealer replaced it for us due to the lack of instructions. [p]Pout