Question for those that use a chimney starter

I use a chimney starter and if you combine chimney with new lump you will have to burn off VOCs, if you combine chimney with old lump the VOC burn off will be minimal. 

Yeah I'm in camp of not needed for a BGE. I use one on my Weber. Oil paper towel, starters, torch, looft lighter all better. I use torch. 

I use the chimney for hot, fast cooks. 
For low and slows I will fill the Egg with lump and start small fire in the middle with a starter cube or oil soaked paper towel. 

I used to use a chimney starter back in the dark ages, when I used briquettes on the Weber.

It's all about this nowadays.

I use a chimney to start all my fires. I keep the fire box pretty full of charcoal, whether I'm doing a hot cook or a low and slow. If a hot, I fill the chimney up and let all the coals get good and going before I dump it out. If a low and slow, I don't fill it up all the way and dump it sooner. As stated, let the fire in either case mature for a bit so the nasty stuff burns off.

Might have to get a weed burner when my chimney rusts out again, though.

@Dfoshee they are volatile organic compounds, smelly stuff.  Search this site for VOC.   Some think VOCs stand for very ornery curmudgeons which this site is full of including me. 

I use the chimney that is built into the egg.  Add your lump, stir the old lump to remove ash, or a combo of both.  Leave the dome open, open the bottom vent, and insert/light a starter cube down there.  Just like a chimney, but you don't have to dump the coals, and the heat created during the process goes towards warming up your egg, not the environment.

When the starter has burned out in the bottom, close the dome and manage your vents to get your desired temp.

Thanks /JethroVA

Dfoshee said:

I hate to sound dumb but what are VOC

VOC, is defined by the US government as a Volatile Organic Compound. Volatile organic compounds are made up of any chemical compound containing at least 1 element of the following; Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen and Nitrogen. The bill seems to be inconsistently written in the description, specifically in relation to organic chemistry. By this definition, water is a VOC.
This identification and classification is directly related to the clean air act of 1970. The process put in place attacks air pollution in two different methods; 1) controlling the amount of VOCs released in the air (typically solvent based, or by products of chemical reactions) and particulate contamination (heavy smoke emissions).
I suppose the VOCs referred to in here are likely talking about any accelerator used to start a fire, or chemical remaining in the fuel source when establishing the beginning burn of the fuel source.
VOC's when released deliver a tremendous amount of NOx. UV light breaks the bond between these elements, and is the major contributor for lower level ozone, creating the greenhouse gas effect, typically the yellow brown haze you will see over larger municipalities. Flying into Atlanta is an excellent example, or perhaps even more significant, Ontario Airport in the southern California, LA area. You will see it on approach, and in the case of Ontario, you can drive up the road towards the mountain located near by, and after gaining some elevation, drive right through the ceiling of the Ozone layer.
Lower Level Ozone is bad Ozone made up of O2 or O3. Upper level Ozone is what we try to protect.

I'm in the no chimney needed. Fire cube or torch is all you need.  As stated, the heat that the chimney generates would be used to heat soak the egg.

I like using a chimney starter. A couple of sheet of (free) paper is all that is needed. I can use fresh lump or toss in some existing lump with new lump. Either way I have a bunch of red hot charcoal that has burned off VOC's. The chimney starter will get the charcoal glowing red in 5-10 minutes. I do not light it until I am essentially ready to cook. Place the paper in the bottom, add lump, open the dome, remove the cooking grid, place the chimney starter on top of the remaining lump, light the paper, make sure the bottom vent is open and the top cap removed, close the dome as much as possible, finish any food prep that is needed, go back out 5-10 minutes later and dump the lump, and put the cooking grid back on or put the platesetter in. High temp cooking is ready shortly after that. Low n Slow, adjust the bottom vent and add the daisy wheel to dial in the desired temperature.

I would not recommend a chimney starter for someone cooking on a wooden deck. An unnoticed piece of lump may fall out and become a major issue.

I use a chimney to light my Weber and Old Smokey, but not the BGE. For the Egg, I use a Weber starter cube in the middle of the lump. It works every time, and is inexpensive.