Spring cleaning

Hillbilly Willy

Yesterday I seized the day. I took advantage of the beautiful weather to clean up and clean out. I scrubbed the patio furniture and the eggs. I built a fire in the BGE and left the vents wide open to "self-clean" the egg's interior. I used the leaf blower to "sweep" the area before the scrub down and afterward to dry everything. When I finished cleaning the egg was heating up at a reasonable rate. It occurred to me that a little turbo boost might accelerate the heat up and speed the cleaning process. With the blower idling, I positioned the nozzle about a foot from the bottom vent. Flames appeared at the top vent and the temp reading began to climb. A controlled and sedate procedure. A little more boost?. Maybe half throttle and maintain the distance. WOW! Almost instantly, there was an eruption of ash and flames spewing from the top vent accompanied by a "jet engine" sound. Simultaneously the thermometer pointer was well into its second revolution and an eerie glow could be seen through the bottom vent . Instant volcano. Time to back off! I throttled down and diverted the air stream to reverse the volcanic effects. The flame and ash eruption subsided and the red glow disappeared almost as quickly as they appeared, but the thermometer took longer to unwind. Control regained.

This procedure is not recommended for cooking but it is useful to expedite the self-cleaning cycle for the egg. The deposits on the grate were quickly reduced to white ash. New felt gaskets and low ceilings would be at risk. My gasket is already carbonized, therefore it didn't melt. I used the blower to sweep away the ash deposits that settled on my newly cleaned surfaces. A leaf blower is a handy accessory for egg owners.

Regards,
Bill

Don't slay all of the dragons!