Moisture fom Vent Door????

ChargerGuy

Godd Morning All, I was wondering if anyone has experienced moisture dripping from the bottom vent door during long cooks? I woke up this morning to find theat my temp was steady but under the bottom door on the ground a small moisture puddle had accumulated. Seems to be dripping from where the slide is. It has been umid here like 90 percent humidity so I am leaning torwards that but I just want to know if I should bve concerened? Thanks,

civil eggineer

Perfectly normal and is a result of the egg maintaining high moisture conditions while cooking.

ChargerGuy

Thanks Tim, I have to admit I was a little worried. :unsure:

BBQMaven

are you cooking with a drip pan filled with liquid?

The Naked Whiz

That wouldn't do it. Whenever I do a low/slow overnighter, I have moisture down at the lower vent and I never use a water pan. I'm sure that the inside of the cooker is quite humid and cool air is entering the lower vent causing some condensation.

gdenby

I've only had that once, or at least only once that I noticed. It was the strangest lo-n-slo I ever did. The fire would just not stay lit. For awhile, I had the vents open far enough I would have expected 300 or more at the dome. At about 3 a.m., I could see the lump was burning in just one tiny spot, and the temp had dropped to 140. I had to pull everything, and blast the whole of the lump with my MAPP torch for almost 2 minutes. I then checked to see if just possibly there was ash clogging the bottom. To my surprise, I had water drip-dripping at the vent opening. My guess was that all of the ceramic had absorbed so much moisture from heavy rains a few days before that the evaporating water was cooling and smothering the lump.

civil eggineer

Most of the time the moisture is from the meat that is cooking. I never use a water pan but do use a drip pan. During the winter months I will have a long eggcicle forming from the vent door. Delicious, delicous, eggcicle!

ChargerGuy

Using a dry drip pan, I peeked this morning and nothing was overflowing so I think it is condensation.

ChargerGuy

gdenby, I havent had any problem with the temp in fact it has been pretty rock solid at 225 grid. We have had alot of rain recenytly but I keep my egg covered. Well whatever it is it doesnt seem to be affecting the cook. Thanks.

ChargerGuy

CE, :laugh: eggcicle, I like that. I can't wait to have me some eggcicles. I will definately be cooking through the winter.

civil eggineer

I regularly cook butts with temps as low as -10 with wind chills -40. My egg sits right ouside my sliding glass door so I can monitor things from inside. I did have a close encounter with a skunk last year that also appreciates the heavenly smell coming from the egg. :ohmy: However, he died a few months later from lead poisoning. :(

ChargerGuy

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

berrygood

The egg is powerful. I get that moisture even in the vey dry climate of NM. Enjoy.

bigeggdan

I've had a few cooks where not only does the water drip from the bottom vent door, it accumulates at the bottom of the base!  Last night I had about 1/8 inch of water accumulate in the base during my cook!  I absorbed as much water as I could reaching in the vent with a towel and ended up finishing the cook in my oven.  Let the Egg burn itself out all night - it dropped to 17 degrees and it was a race to evaporate the water before it freezes! This morning I wheeled the Egg into the garage where it will have time to dry out completely. 

My guess is when its really cold, moisture from humid air doesn't evaporate and the Egg turns into a giant dehumidifier?  

EzraBrooks

bigeggdan said:

I've had a few cooks where not only does the water drip from the bottom vent door, it accumulates at the bottom of the base!  Last night I had about 1/8 inch of water accumulate in the base during my cook!  I absorbed as much water as I could reaching in the vent with a towel and ended up finishing the cook in my oven.  Let the Egg burn itself out all night - it dropped to 17 degrees and it was a race to evaporate the water before it freezes! This morning I wheeled the Egg into the garage where it will have time to dry out completely. 

My guess is when its really cold, moisture from humid air doesn't evaporate and the Egg turns into a giant dehumidifier?  

I see you are in Indy. I'm here too and have cooked in very cold conditions with no issues. Do you have water in your drip pan? If so try eliminating it and just raise the pan off the plate setter with some balls of foil.

The only other thing I can think of is was it raining? We had a hell of a rain storm the other day. If you cook on an uncovered patio with no rain cap rain could get in that way.

Thapco

Think about the simple physics of this.  As cooler air passes through the vent, the humid cooler air is heated and the moisture condenses.  Much like a glass of iced drink condenses on outside.  As air around glass cools, moisture forms on glass.   This is basically  what is happening and on a high relative humidity day, more moisture condenses.  Don't think moisture is already in egg as it should have condensedout as egg warms up.