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CHARCOAL STORAGE. What do you have?

streamkeeper
streamkeeper Posts: 1
in EggHead Forum
I would like to be able to sort out the big chunks store my charcoal.  A water tight and pet proof container would be a plus.  I am sure some of you out there have spent more time thinking about this than I have.  What kind of solutions have your been satisfied with...
Thanks in advance.
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Comments

  • rolltideegghead
    rolltideegghead Posts: 116
    I have a plastic charcoal container. Works pretty good
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  • nolenut19
    nolenut19 Posts: 76

    I use a rubber maid storage bin, nothing fancy but it works.

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  • SMITTYtheSMOKER
    SMITTYtheSMOKER Posts: 2,668
    An old 22" Weber kettle makes a good lump sorter, dump in and let the cooking grate sift the dust and small stuff out.

     

    -SMITTY     

    from SANTA CLARA, CA

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  • bboulier
    bboulier Posts: 558
    I just keep it in bags in the shed, but I like the idea of dumping it into a rubber maid bin.  Would be easier to handle and would be stackable with other stored items. 
    Weber Kettle, Weber Genesis Silver B, Medium Egg, KJ Classic (Black)
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  • Deviledegger
    Deviledegger Posts: 271
    I ended up buying a tote made by kings ford. It holds 22 lbs. of lump and is weather proof. It has a handle so all you do is open lid grab handle and dump. I often grab the large chunks as they come out and keep them for longer cooks. But I am not as fussy as I used to be about my fires. It is nice to have a nice stash of larger lump for sure.
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  • Griffin
    Griffin Posts: 8,200
    dump and burn. if filling the mini, when I come across larger chunks, I toss them in the large.

    Rowlett, Texas

    Griffin's Grub or you can find me on Facebook

    The Supreme Potentate, Sovereign Commander and Sultan of Wings

     

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  • Dave in Florida
    Dave in Florida Posts: 1,157
    Have never sorted my lump.  Knock the ash off the old, fill'er up again, light and burn.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Welcome to the Swamp.....GO GATORS!!!!
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  • jleon401
    jleon401 Posts: 33
    I don't sort my lump, but I do empty into a milk crate to sift the dust. I also store in a rubbermaid tote.
    LBGE, Smoke Hollow 4-in-1, Charbroil Big Easy, and Weber Smokey Joe.
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  • Shiff
    Shiff Posts: 1,835
    I used to sort my charcoal but it was a waste of time.  I now use Humphrey's charcoal which is mostly large pieces.  I have 2 Kingsford charcoal bins that I bought at Lowes.  I saw that someone mentioned they hold 22 pounds, but mine only hold a little over 10 pounds each.  They stay out on my deck through all kinds of weather and keep the charcoal dry.
    Large BGE
    Barry, Lancaster, PA
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  • IrishDevl
    IrishDevl Posts: 1,390
    streamkeeper said:

    I would like to be able to sort out the big chunks store my charcoal.  A water tight and pet proof container would be a plus.  I am sure some of you out there have spent more time thinking about this than I have.  What kind of solutions have your been satisfied with...

    Thanks in advance.
    Nope, this bit right here shows quite a bit more thought than I ever put into storage of lump.
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  • TUTTLE871
    TUTTLE871 Posts: 1,316
    I use my Car Hold, Open it go inside get the lump, dump and then burn. Repeat Process.

    "Hold my beer and watch this S##T!"

    LARGE BGE DALLAS TX.

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  • Chubbs
    Chubbs Posts: 6,929

    Not this guy. Zero thought-- open bag, dump in charcoal, roll bag down and set it on the porch.

    Columbia, SC --- LBGE 2011 -- MINI BGE 2013
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  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490

    I have a plastic deck box and inside that I keep a cheap tote and I keep the lump in that.  Sometimes I will dump and sort if the bag has too many small pieces, but usually I just dump from the bag.  I have the hi-q grate so I find it doesn't matter so much. 

    The deck box is a nice cheap solution for lump, chips, and a few accessories and provides and extra place to sit down :).

    The top of the tote is handy for raking the ash into and also to use as a fan to speed up the light time.


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

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  • BYS1981
    BYS1981 Posts: 2,533
    edited January 2013
    Chubbs said:

    Not this guy. Zero thought-- open bag, dump in charcoal, roll bag down and set it on the porch.

    Same. I dont pour at end to avoid dust, but that's it.
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  • lwrehm
    lwrehm Posts: 381
    2 5 gallon buckets with the bottom cut out of one and replaced with a piece of expanded metal to sort the dust and small pieces into the second bucket.  
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  • streamkeeper
    streamkeeper Posts: 1
    Thank you all.  I might just be convinced to stay a bag man.  If it isn't broke.....
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  • 500
    500 Posts: 3,183
    I use a truck bed box on the deck for lump storage, flavor woods, plate setter storage, propane bottle and weed burner for lighting; everything for working the Egg.  Got it at Harbour Freight.  Water tight, with a shock absorber hinged door.  In the camp of don't sort anymore.  I will clean the Egg out completely for low and slow, but other than that, it's stir the old and dump new.
    I like my butt rubbed and my pork pulled.
    Member since 2009
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  • AleBrewer
    AleBrewer Posts: 555
    Another vote for dump and light here.

    Not directed at the OP....I don't see what all the fuss is about....I'm mean keep it simple....or butt a stump!
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  • jfm0830
    jfm0830 Posts: 987
    edited January 2013
    AleBrewer said:
    Another vote for dump and light here.

    Not directed at the OP....I don't see what all the fuss is about....I'm mean keep it simple....or butt a stump!
    That is easy. Some folks don't have a garage, tool shed or basement or trees. Or they have them but is a long trudge out to the Egg.

    As for me: I kept mine in my basement until my bulkhead froze solid a few winter'ss ago. Then I kept it behind the seats in my pickup. Frozen truck doors cured me of that. This year I am trying the Kingsford Charcoal Kaddy that @Devilledegger mentioned above. I got two of them in October and so far so good. Lowes carries them around here. If you get the right combination of freezing temps, rain and winds I am guessing these could freeze up too, so I keep one 22# bag on WGWW in the basement as an emergency supply.

    Jim
    Website: www.grillinsmokin.net
    3 LBGE & More Eggcessories than I care to think about.
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  • ExEGGnostic
    ExEGGnostic Posts: 1
    I keep my charcoal in the garage.  Once I open a bag I dump the remainder into a large plastic bin with a lid.
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  • burr_baby33
    burr_baby33 Posts: 503
    I am a stir, dump and light guy but here is good container from Lowes.
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  • smbishop
    smbishop Posts: 3,061
    I use two of the containers shown above from Lowes.  One for lump, one for smoking wood.  Up here in the rainy PNW, everything has stayed dry.  When I was using the high que grate, I used the double bucket method mentioned above to sort out the dust from the smaller pieces that fell through.  I have gone back to the original grates and no longer feel the need to sift...
    Southlake, TX and Cowhouse Creek - King, TX.  2 Large, 1 Small and a lot of Eggcessories.
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  • AleBrewer
    AleBrewer Posts: 555
    jfm0830 said:
    AleBrewer said:
    Another vote for dump and light here.

    Not directed at the OP....I don't see what all the fuss is about....I'm mean keep it simple....or butt a stump!
    That is easy. Some folks don't have a garage, tool shed or basement or trees. Or they have them but is a long trudge out to the Egg.

    Jim
    Ehh....it wasn't really directed at anybody in this thread.....it's a para-phrase from another thread.
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  • dfriend99
    dfriend99 Posts: 1
    I use this dog food storage tote on wheels
    https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71yCDTA7gjL._AC_SX466_.jpg
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  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,757
    Bag that it comes in works great too!
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  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 17,330
    stlcharcoal said:
    Bag that it comes in works great too!
    That's what I do, but I live in the high desert; have spent enough time in the Deep South, eastern seaboard, and even SD to know that probably doesn't always work.  
    Ah, and here's a question for you, @stlcharcoal : do the unopened bags of lump, of any brand, protect the lump against humidity changes?  My guess is "No", but I'm not sure.  
    "First method of estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him."
           - Niccolo Machiavelli

    Ogden, UT, USA

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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 19,779
    What's that bot handle that pops up randomly, posting links to shite products? 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,757
    Botch said:
    stlcharcoal said:
    Bag that it comes in works great too!
    That's what I do, but I live in the high desert; have spent enough time in the Deep South, eastern seaboard, and even SD to know that probably doesn't always work.  
    Ah, and here's a question for you, @stlcharcoal : do the unopened bags of lump, of any brand, protect the lump against humidity changes?  My guess is "No", but I'm not sure.  
    No, but neither does a plastic container.  It's going to keep the rain out, but it's not going to keep "humidity" out......in fact, it's going to keep the humidity IN.  Unless you have a truly airtight container and seal it in a controlled environment, then you're not keeping any humidity out.  You're sealing in the ambient air, but since none of these really are airtight anyway, it's going to acclimate over time.

    If you want to keep the charcoal from adsorbing moisture, the only way is to keep it in the air conditioning.

    If you want to keep charcoal outside and away from the rain, these are great.  But they're not doing anything for you when it comes to humidity despite what the advertising says.  And really it doesn't matter since the charcoal will shed that moisture content fast when the fire starts because if it's properly carbonized there's nothing in it to aBsorb moisture.
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