Hi all!
I hadn’t used my BGE for a while and it was kinda moldy. Not that uncommon as I live in the Netherlands and it has been very rainy and high humidity the last weeks. So I cleaned it with vinegar and wanted to burn it off. But the weird thing is that my chimney sort of leaks brown stuff and the temp doesn’t really go above approx 210 celcius. I checked the dome thermometer and it is still calibrated correctly and last summer I had no problem shooting the temp up higher than 210.
I suppose the lower temperature may be due to the charcoal being a bit damp as well? But the leaking stuff kinda worried me. Anybody seen this before? Thanks!
by PhilosopherKey9468
3 Comments
The limited temperature is probably a combination of damp charcoal and poor air flow. Clear out the old charcoal and make sure the little vent holes inside aren’t blocked from letting air flow through, and you’ll be just fine. The stuff leaking is just a combination of water condensing out of the damp charcoal and volatile compounds from the wood and charcoal in your Egg. If you do a low-and-slow smoke with a lot of fresh wood chunks, you’ll see this frequently.
That’s just the accumulated soot and grease dissolving in the condensation being formed as the metal changes temp. It’s fine. In fact, it will get even worse- wait til that same liquid atarts to ooze out of the invisible pores on the body. And it WILL eventually happen.
The ceramic absorbs moisture and when you get it hot enough that moisture is forced out, and the egg will sweat brown juice. Just like your top. Wipe it off and carry on.
And yes – lump absorbs moisture too, and will keep your temps lower until the moisture is driven off, then your temps will go back up
Use Zep Citrus cleaner, I find it works best and cleans it right up, even if it’s baked on, just needs more effort when it’s old gunk.