Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Youtube | Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.
Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch
Egg won't get hot
Options
easttexasaggie04
Posts: 108
My large BGE won't get much above 450 degrees, even with leaving the top and bottom vent open all the way. I'm guessing because the holes in the bottom are clogged with ash? Or could it be something else?
Whats the best way to unclog it?
Comments
-
Take out the grate, fire ring and fire box and vacuum out everything, including the grate holes, firebox holes. You can use a shop vac but be prepared to clog up the filter. Reassemble and load with fresh lump, larger pieces on the bottom. Shake out the screen if it needs it, or run without it.
______________________________________________I love lamp.. -
I'd bet it's clogged holes in the charcoal grate (like you mentioned). If you don't want to take it apart, take a coat hanger or something similar and poke up through the bottom vent into the holes. That'll usually do it.Packerland, Wisconsin
-
Buy a high que fire grate and never look back!
-
Ignition, fuel, O2 are the components of fire. You lack O2. Put on the gook gloves and root through the (cold) lump pushing all the ash through the grate and clear the holes in the firebox then pull out the ash before each cook. Less than ten minutes work. You will never have another problem of this order.My actuary says I'm dead.
-
Buy a high que fire grate and never look back!
Seems this is the best advice for you, since it seems you don't care to clean your Egg on a regular basis. This High Que grate works well, and now the ash tool does all the clean up work for you.-SMITTY
from SANTA CLARA, CA
-
Take out the grate, fire ring and fire box and vacuum out everything, including the grate holes, firebox holes. You can use a shop vac but be prepared to clog up the filter. Reassemble and load with fresh lump, larger pieces on the bottom. Shake out the screen if it needs it, or run without it.
To not clog up your shop vac, learned this from a neighbour in Villa Park Il. He used his vac all the time to clean his fireplace, I asked how he kept the filter clean. He slipped a cheapo $1 canister vac bag over the standard $20 shop vac filter, held it with a rubber band. Works like a charm. Reduces the suction, but then "dead lump" is not that heavy.Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad! -
If the top is 'open all the way', sounds like the daisy is still on, just all the way open. Is that right? If so, lose the daisyed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
-
Second to lose the daisy wheel, also clean out ash, pull the guts out and shop vac, if nothing works! I use the ash tool before each cook to move the d Old lump around letting the tiny pieces fall down then double checking all holes in the firebox.
-
1. Wiggle stick
2. dry lump
3 Use it more often - an unused egg can absorb moisture (lump and egg) so takes longer to get up to temp, as Stike pointed out on another post.
A good de-ashing can help with all this but it is really just a combination of the above - putting on dry lump and getting good airflow.
-
easttexasaggie04 said:I'm guessing because the holes in the bottom are clogged with ash?Whats the best way to unclog it?
It stirs the ash up a little of course (but not too badly) so I'd be careful if you already have food on the grill, but if you're just trying to get it up to temp before baking a pizza for example, it worked for me.
-
bobstaff said:I found a quick (2 second) blast from a leaf blower into the bottom vent would clear the holes and allow the temp to rise.
It stirs the ash up a little of course (but not too badly) so I'd be careful if you already have food on the grill, but if you're just trying to get it up to temp before baking a pizza for example, it worked for me.
Kirkland, TN2 LBGE, 1 MM -
The_Stache said:This made me laugh (I'm sure it will work)!! I had visions of an ash covered cook!! Sorry, sometimes I just think funny (to me) thoughts
I had the convector in and a pizza stone on the grill and just had a couple of pieces of ash on the stone to brush off.
Afterwards the temp went from 400 to 550 pretty quickly.
-
I wonder if the OP is still having issues?------------------------------
Thomasville, NC
My YouTube Channel - The Hungry Hussey
Instagram
Facebook
My Photography Site -
bobstaff said:The_Stache said:This made me laugh (I'm sure it will work)!! I had visions of an ash covered cook!! Sorry, sometimes I just think funny (to me) thoughts
I had the convector in and a pizza stone on the grill and just had a couple of pieces of ash on the stone to brush off.
Afterwards the temp went from 400 to 550 pretty quickly.
The excitement of seeing the "BGE Volcano" spewing ash is just tooo tempting!!
Welcome to the insanity!!!
Kirkland, TN2 LBGE, 1 MM -
-
I don't think I'd want to use a leaf blower - especially when the grill is lit. I have a wiggle rod which works very well. You could make your own from a metal coat hanger, or order a very nice one from thirdeye at:
http://www.thirdeyeq.com/products---pricing.html
Large BGE
Barry, Lancaster, PA -
The leafblower comment reminds me of the video where guys use a leafblower on a ceramic chiminea.
Language Warning!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K8FwMlkoxjIAledo, Texas
Large BGE
KJ Jr.
Exodus 12:9 KJV
Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof. -
Toxarch said:The leafblower comment reminds me of the video where guys use a leafblower on a ceramic chiminea.
Language Warning!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K8FwMlkoxjIXL BGE, KJ classic, Joe Jr, UDS x2 -
I have a small Sears shop vac with the fine ash filter and it never gets clogged. Works great and takes just a few minutes every so often. With the KAB, I just lift and vacuum.Two Large Eggs, 6 gal Cajun Fryer, and a MiniMax in Charlotte, NC - My New Table
Twitter: @ Bags
Blog: TheJetsFan.com -
tarheelmatt said:I wonder if the OP is still having issues?
Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.
Status- Standing by.
The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. -
Whenever I get down to close to empty on lump I go ahead and take it apart for cleaning- ~4-6 months. I use the leaf blower to get the final amount of ash out.
XLBGE, LBGE, Charbroil Gas Grill, Weber Q2000, Old Weber Kettle, Rectec RT-B380, Yeti 65, Yeti Hopper 20, RTIC 20, RTIC 20 Soft Side - Too many drinkware vessels to mention.
Not quite in Austin, TX City Limits
Just Vote- What if you could choose "none of the above" on an election ballot? Millions of Americans do just that, in effect, by not voting. The result in 2016: "Nobody" won more counties, more states, and more electoral votes than either candidate for president.
Categories
- All Categories
- 182.7K EggHead Forum
- 15.7K Forum List
- 459 EGGtoberfest
- 1.9K Forum Feedback
- 10.3K Off Topic
- 2.2K EGG Table Forum
- 1 Rules & Disclaimer
- 9K Cookbook
- 12 Valentines Day
- 91 Holiday Recipes
- 223 Appetizers
- 516 Baking
- 2.4K Beef
- 88 Desserts
- 163 Lamb
- 2.4K Pork
- 1.5K Poultry
- 30 Salads and Dressings
- 320 Sauces, Rubs, Marinades
- 543 Seafood
- 175 Sides
- 121 Soups, Stews, Chilis
- 35 Vegetarian
- 100 Vegetables
- 313 Health
- 293 Weight Loss Forum