Lump storage

Charcoal Mike · May 2005

Hi all -[p]I have moved to a new home, and in the past I stored my extra lump in the garage, as my table would only hold two 10 lb bags. The garage in my new house leaves a bit to be desired in terms of storage, but I do have a walk-in type crawl space with plenty of room. Am I OK storing the extra lump in the crawl? My biggest concern is the moisture / heat factor. I have heard in the past of moist charcoal spontaneously combusting, which I consider an extreme example, but I don't want to ruin the stuff regardless.[p]Suggestions from the experts are welcome.[p]Thanks all, and I tip a glass in your direction.[p]- Mike

djm5x9 · May 2005

Charcoal Mike:[p]Yes, but I would keep it off the ground. Currently, I store a large quantity under a covered portion of my deck on a couple of wood pallets covered with a tarp. In the past, I have stored a similar quantity in a trailer covered with a tarp. I experienced wet bags in the trailer but they are fine once they dry out.

Chef Wil · May 2005

Charcoal Mike,
I store mine in some plastic tubs I bought at Wally World.
Heres the setup, I buy 4 - 20 lb bags of lump at once, pour each tub full and stack 'em out of the way. When I get some lump, i shake the tub a little and forces the smaller pieces at the bottom, when the pieces start getting small, I go to the next box. As the boxes deplete, I fill one box with all the smaller pieces and shake again, picking out of the top and discarding all the dust and smaller pieces. Guess you could say I'm a Cajun Engineer.

DobieDad · May 2005

Chef Wil,
Thanks for describing your method. Think I'll make a trip to Wally's tomorrow.[p]Trying to avoid the chips and dust, recently I built a frame with a screen bottom (chicken wire) and have been screening new lump and putting the good stuff back into the bag. Man, what a mess.[p]I'm adopting your method, and I thank you for it.[p]Ah! Eggdom and learning by Forum is a wonderful thing![p]Cajun Brewskies,[p]DobieDad

The Naked Whiz · May 2005

Charcoal Mike,
The spontaneous combustion thing is an urban legend. See my FAQ if you are interested:[p]TNW
[ul][li]Lump Charcoal FAQ entry on wet charcoal[/ul]

Unknown · May 2005

Charcoal Mike,[p]definitely a 'bubba meisa' (urban legend). I store mine in a concrete room under my porch and it's fine. There probably is a slight amount moisture in the air b/c a few days ago I put a bunch of lump in my pit and for 10 minutes or so I could hear it making these snap crackle sounds (moisture evaporating I guess). Then the sounds stopped. It burnt fine.

Yazoo · May 2005

Charcoal Mike,[p]Unless you can seal it in an air tight container, I would vote against a damp storage area, like a crawl space . If the lump absorbs moisture, it will spark and pop like crazy when you light it. What about the attic?

Eggecutioner · May 2005

Charcoal Mike,[p]I saw someone used those rubbermaid storage tubs. But raised off the bottom it had a piece of hardware cloth. It looked like it was 1/4" X 1/4" mesh, but it may have been 1/2" X 1/2" mesh. I think the larger size would be better. Then every time you pick up the "TUB" and move it a little the dust and small stuff has a place to fall through. This is what I intend to use, I am going to design my table/cabinet to hold a couple of these.

Love Handles · May 2005

Charcoal Mike,
I keep my lump in a 20 gallon metal trash can that has worked great for me. The lid seems to fit tight and I haven't experienced any moisture problems that I can tell. Although, living in Arizona, we don't get to much moisture anyway--See-Yaa

fishlessman · May 2005

<p />Charcoal Mike,
i keep a pallet in the basement. dirt floor and wet, the lump doesnt go bad. i dry it out in the living room and use thes bags for cooking

Lump storage

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