Can't get my large BGE hot enough

Altidue, in my opinion, is not playing a role. Are you cleaning it out and then loading lump? Are all the lower holes clear of ash and small lump peices? Are you letting the lump catch well befoe addign parts?
Where are you located?

have you calibrated your dome thermometer? Is the opening to your firebox at the bottom lined up with your vent?

I'm sure Granpa's Grub will get in here since he has had issues with elevation also. Along with what the others have said, I would clean the egg out totally before every cook for good air flow. Try to find a small battery operated fan to put at the screen to blow air in to get the fire going.

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramicfaq.htm#calibrate

I think Kent is busy cooking for a party of twenty today. He may look in this evening. Tim

I'm in Larkspur.Just a few miles north.

 
Your altitude is part when lighting but after a good fire is going it won't be an issue.

A few years ago I really fought lighting and temperatures with my medium my egg. I did a lot of testing and playing around with it.

I am high altitude but not as high as you. Serial Griller had some good advice for you in his post.

Even at your altitude if you light your lump properly you should be up and holding 500° in as little as 9 minutes to not much more than 15 minutes. You will still have to wait to get clear smoke and the cceramics to heat up but you won't be fighting the slow light or temperature plateau.

I haven't had to worry about cleaning out the ash before every cook or and haven't cleaned out behind the firebox in 2 years now. I am not all that concerned about aligning the firebox opening with the vent opening.

For now do as Jon said above. For a high temperature cook light in 5 places and light about 1" deep into the lump surface (don't cover the lighting material). 3, 6, 9, 12 o'clock and center. Light about 60% to 70% out from the center on the egg.

On a lower temperature cook light about 1/2" deep in to the lump surface. light in 3 or 4 spots. 3, 6, 9 o'clock and maybe center.

Make sure you get a good lighting of the lump.

Light and if using cubes, oil & napkin close the dome once the starter material is well light and then close the dome (10 to 15 seconds). No DFMT bottom vent & screen wide open. DON'T LEAVE the egg.

You probably know this but these starting materials will give you a quick spike in temperature to about 700°. Do nothing yet. Then a drop in temperature to about 250° or so. Then a slower climb back up. On this slower climb you will adjust you bottom vent to not overshoot your cook temperature. If using a plate setter put it in. You shouldn't need any type of fan for assistance.

If you use MAPP to light make sure you get a deep light in each spot or those start points will go out.

I haven't use an eggcelerator but putting a fan at the vent opening does little good. Putting a blower is even worse.

A wiggle rod is your friend especially at the altitude we are at. If the burn is not developing or if you are at a plateau then use the wiggle rod through the lower vent to clear the air holes in the fire grate - this is mostly where your problem is at.

If the above does not give you a good light then get a vent pipe from a hardware store, cut it about 15 or so inches long. Before lighting insert the tube into the lower vent through the firebox and under the center to of the fire grate like this


Light the lump as detailed above.

Further testing showed the aluminum foil did little good and I stopped wasting the foil. This tunnel will increase the lighting time, produce higher temperatures.

Your lump will draw oxygen from the least path of resistance. When lighting the egg the oxygen will first come in from the open dome. When the dome is closed the air path will somewhat go into the fire box but the air path around the fire box and up on the outside of the firebox and fire ring, over the fire ring and into the top of the lump bed is the next easiest path. This type of air flow will not sustain a high temperature burn. Eventually, and with out blocking of the holes in the fire grate, in time the lump will draw air from outside of the egg directly into the firebox opening, up through the fire grate and into the lump. This air flow path will produce any temperature you want to use cook at.

This is getting way too long, but one last thing. If after this you still are not getting the performance email me and I will give a couple of more changes you can make. I don't think you will need them and probably won't need the tunnel but it's there if you need it.

Once in a while I have to use a personal 2 AA cell fan to get a better burn in the lump bed, but not very often. Your eggccelerator will do the same.



GG

First off keep in mind I am using an egg that has a clean fire box. That is the ash was removed and fresh lump has been put in above the holes in the fire box. Or in this situation I am lighting an egg using lump that has been burned before and has been stirred so the ash falls off the partially burned lump and falls through the bottom lump grate. As well as making sure the holes in the fire box are clear of ash and small pieces of lump or drippings and the ash in the bottom has been raked out so the air has a clear unobstructed path to the lump in the fire box.

For a high temperature cook light in 5 places and light about 1" deep into the lump surface (don't cover the lighting material). 3, 6, 9, 12 o'clock and center. Light about 60% to 70% out from the center on the egg.

On a lower temperature cook light about 1/2" deep in to the lump surface. light in 3 or 4 spots. 3, 6, 9 o'clock and maybe center.

Make sure you get a good lighting of the lump.

Light and if using cubes, oil & napkin close the dome once the starter material is well light and then close the dome (10 to 15 seconds). No DFMT bottom vent & screen wide open. DON'T LEAVE the egg.

You probably know this but these starting materials will give you a quick spike in temperature to about 700°. Do nothing yet. Then a drop in temperature to about 250° or so. Then a slower climb back up. On this slower climb you will adjust you bottom vent to not overshoot your cook temperature. If using a plate setter put it in. You shouldn't need any type of fan for assistance.

If you use MAPP to light make sure you get a deep light in each spot or those start points will go out.


How I stabilize my big green egg is merely a guide to help people get some sort of system in bringing their egg to cooking temp.

I may do things differently than others and I may change to a better way but this should help the new egghead get a system. Here is how I do it. I light my lump with the top and bottom vents wide open. After a short time I close the dome and spark screen and watch the dome thermometer rise after the starter cubes have burned down. If I want my egg to stabilize at 300° I will wait until the egg approaches 300° maybe 25° before your desired temp then close the bottom damper slider door one inch.

Now wait and see what your dome temp does. It should sit there for a short time and then start to go up again.

When the temp approaches 300° again I close the bottom damper half way and wait. (Keep in mind the daisy wheel is still off)

When the temp approaches 300° again close the bottom vent to about one inch open and wait.

When the temp approaches 300° again close the bottom vent to about half inch open and wait.

When the temp approaches 300° again place the daisy wheel on with the petals open and the slider all the way open and wait.

When the temp approaches 300° again place the daisy wheel on with the petals open and the slider half way. As the temp continues to rise continue to close the slider until your egg stabilizes at 300°.

You can refer to Grandpas Grub post as a guide to stabilizing your egg. Just review the settings he uses for a 300° dome cook as a guide.

http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=718915&catid=1


It may take 15 or 20 minutes maybe even longer. I often let my egg sit at my desired temp until I get blue smoke which is best and what I’m looking for. If you have smoke coming out of your egg and it smells like a camp fire wait for the bad smell to clear. Here is a discussion about that in a past post.

http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=697621&catid=1

Because the white smoke is bad and can give your food a bad taste. Blue smoke comes AFTER white smoke. Wait for the white smoke to die down. This way all the bad smoke that is the VOC's (volatile organic compounds - the source of the bad taste) clears out. In a past post the topic was discussed in great detail. Click here to review.

http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&Itemid=55&func=view&catid=1&id=881437

Also, in doing this the egg will recover fast after putting a big chunk of cold meat in there. This way you don't have to chase the temps around just leave the bottom damper and daisy wheel settings where they are set at and the egg will recover in time.

I also use a wiggle stick. http://thirdeyebbq.com/WiggleRods.aspx

Here is a very good post by Grandpas Grub.

http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=907427&catid=1

Here is another source to learn about controlling and stabilizing your egg.

Ceramic Charcoal Cooker
Temperature Control Hints and Tips
©2004 The Naked Whiz

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/tempcontrol.htm

FAQ How I stablize my big green egg

http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=907880&catid=1#

I know where you are. I work off of Briargate Pkwy. Welcome!! Got some local eggheads here. Let us know if you need anything or just need to know where to get egg stuff!
Good luck on the cook!!

We should!! Cory is moving. I'll miss him being around!!

The problem in these cases that I find is almost always not using enough charcoal. Be sure to load the lump well above the holes and even up to the top of the firebox. I find at altitude startup is a little slow but once an Egg is going getting it hot is not a problem. Load that baby up!