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:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Trouble reaching higher temps at 7200'

bpric
bpric Posts: 28
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I've had my BGE (large) a few months and I'm beginning to get a better feel for temperature control with the unit at lower temperatures. However, I'm having a lot of trouble with temperatures above, say, 400. I've tried cleaning out all of the ash with a shop-vac, starting with the maximum amount of lump, letting it burn for an hour or so with the vents wide open before I try to control the temperature, and most recently, I set up a little computer fan to blow into the lower vent to keep the air circulating. I think that the problem is even worse if I'm using the plate-setter. I'm using BGE lump. Anything else that I can try besides moving to a lower elevation?
Thanks,
-- Bryan

Comments

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,674
    when you say vents open, are you taking the daisy off the dome and placing it on the table, you want it on the table
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • I still cannot get the temperature of my Big Green Egg above 350°F. What could I be doing wrong?
    There are two common reasons why the EGG will not reach higher temperatures.

    The first is lack of airflow. Make sure that all of the air holes are free of obstructions, including those in the fire grate, the fire box, and the space behind and around the firebox. It is also necessary for the horseshoe shaped opening in the firebox to be aligned with the lower draft door in order to obtain proper air flow. Increasing the amount of air will ensure the EGG reaches higher temperatures.

    the above from bge website .. the 'raceway' between the forebox and he base of the egg will eventually become clogged and that will keep your temps down.. stick the shopvac small hose into this space or pull out the innards carefully,.
    bill
  • I think that the altitude can be a real factor. Using a fan to stoke the egg seems like a reasonable counter-measure, as long as you do not over-do the airflow rate to the point of blowing ash up onto your food.

    On Harry Soo's blog, he details how he had trouble getting his WSM up to 250F, and he was only at 2800 feet! His solution was to add a 2nd fan to his Stoker setup. Check the following link, about 2/3 of the way down the page:

    http://www.slapyodaddybbq.com/blog/?p=1291

    Don
  • Denbbq
    Denbbq Posts: 84
    Have no problem at all getting any temp I want at 5400'. Altitude is a non issue. Other replies about restricted airflow are germane. Search Grandpa's Grub posts about his many experiences with high temp at altitude.
  • cookn biker
    cookn biker Posts: 13,407
    I don't have a problem getting any of my eggs up to high temps at 6500'.
    Molly
    Colorado Springs
    "Loney Queen"
    "Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it."
    Bill Bradley; American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, former U.S. Senator from New Jersey
    LBGE, MBGE, SBGE , MiniBGE and a Mini Mini BGE
  • in addition to what bill said, stir the used lump to knock the ash off of it. the ash sitting on lump will tend to impede it's ability to burn.
  • Folks,

    It is great that you do not have problems with your eggs at your altitudes, but if it is true that Bryan has airflow problems, his altitude would certainly compound the problem.

    It is a fact that he has 22% less oxygen available for his fire than the folks at sea level. This is not an insignificant effect.

    Don
  • Bryan,

    If your egg is well away from anything combustible, move your shop vac hose to the exhaust outlet. Close the egg, open up the daisy and stick the hose in the lower vent and close the door on the hose. If this works you would need to rig up some screening to go over the top of the egg. Please think about any possibility of a fire before doing this. Once the fire is established it should create more draught.

    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • cookn biker
    cookn biker Posts: 13,407
    I disagree BGD. We do not know if he had everything aligned properly, if he has cleaned the egg out...ect.
    There are alot of other variables that could be causing lack of air flow. It's not an issue of alltitude at all.
    Molly
    Colorado Springs
    "Loney Queen"
    "Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it."
    Bill Bradley; American hall of fame basketball player, Rhodes scholar, former U.S. Senator from New Jersey
    LBGE, MBGE, SBGE , MiniBGE and a Mini Mini BGE
  • bpric
    bpric Posts: 28
    Thanks for all the input! I tried again over the weekend with better results. I increased the airflow from the fan a bit and removed the daisy-wheel. I also took care to keep the charcoal dust out of the egg as much as possible while loading the lump. I was able to get the temp over 600 before I turned off the fan and closed down the vents to let it settle down around 400. Once there, the temp was very stable.
    I think that the biggest factor was giving the burn more time to get established before I started mucking about trying to control the temperature. 'Course the increased airflow helped it get get established.
    Thanks again to all,
    -- Bryan