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Leaving BGE unattended?

Baysidebob
Baysidebob Posts: 489
edited September 2012 in EggHead Forum
Wife and I have to be somplace every morning for an hour or two.  I know some of you have left the BGE unattended for various reasons.  How comfortable are you with that.  If I could get past this nagging little fear of burning the house down I'd give the very, very long stuff a try.
My actuary says I'm dead.

Comments

  • gee
    gee Posts: 71
    edited September 2012
    Not being a smarty pants but move it away from the House. as long as you have the egg stabillized before you leave it should take care of itsself. Have you done low and slows if so how long have you let it go without checking on it probablly more than an hour.   I let mine cook over night and check once or twice all night.
    Who cares I'll post where I want
  • Every time I do a butt or brisket I let it go overnight and just go to bed.    Mine sits about 6 inches from the house which the siding is wood shingles.    I don't worry one bit.

    Steve Van Wert, Ohio XL BGE
  • bayside- I leave mine all the time. Did it today for hours and sleep like a baby when it goes overnight. I wouldn't worry as long as you have the screen closed
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Tjcoley
    Tjcoley Posts: 3,551
    +1 on the above. As long as you are not on a wood deck with no bottom screen I wouldn't worry about it.  I've left it cooking away unattended for a few hours while running errands and never thought twice about it.
    __________________________________________
    It's not a science, it's an art. And it's flawed.
    - Camp Hill, PA
  • It is on a wooden deck and there's no moving it but the screen is just dandy and I have great insurance.  Ok, time to ruin a brisket or three until I get it right.  The BGE has taken over my life.

    My actuary says I'm dead.
  • Mike8it
    Mike8it Posts: 468
    I had to leave mine unattended for 12 hours (not planned) and it was fine. The temp dropped from 275 to 270. The egg is a bad mutha!
  • Mine is on a wood deck too. Get after those Briskets.
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • I have done multiple 20+ hour cooks on my egg, and although I use the digiQ dx2 I have had no issues leaving it to be for the evening while I snooze or head out in the morning for a breakfast with the fam. I feel as long as you have it stabilized and you have the screen closed so that none of the embers can fall out onto your deck that you should be fine. If it is not something that you are comfortable with I can completely understand that as well. Best of luck in making your decision!
  • Do it big man! If youve got temp control and stabilization down leave it be! I've never left the house just because the need hasn't arisen, but would be comfortable to. Once my meat is on it never gets open again until it's done. Once the temp is stable i don't even look at the egg until the maverick tells me the food is done. So might as well leave the house. It's on a concrete slab next to a brick house. It would have a time trying to burn my house down with DW almost closed and bottom vent open about 1/4 inch


    _______________________________________________

    XLBGE 
  • Duganboy
    Duganboy Posts: 1,118
    Never entered my mind to worry about it.  Been leaving mine alone for years.
  • Left mine for a couple hours today. I make sure the screen is closed and the temp is stable...never worried about it.
  • Duganboy said:
    Never entered my mind to worry about it.  Been leaving mine alone for years.

    Me too. All my low and slows are done during the night-time while I am sleeping.

    My egg is located on my large wood deck that is attached to the house, and i've been doing it for seven years now.

    Just have the screen door at the vent closed, and don't worry.

  • Left mine for a couple hours today. I make sure the screen is closed and the temp is stable...never worried about it.
    +1, the issue is usually the fire going out not flaring out of control. As TJ notes, make sure there is no way an ember can get out of the bottom vent and fall onto a combustible surface. This applies to a stand alone stabilized egg set up for low and slow. Although I've never heard of a stoker or temp controller going nuts and turning the egg into a volcano, could it happen? 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • all the time! pre Ique-110 i'd get it stabilized for a hour or so, than i'd leave, come home 6hrs later to the exact same temp. Now with the ique i leave it for 12 hours at a time. right next to the house. a foot or less from the vinyl siding. I don't open the lid till the foods done, and i just wheel it away.