Fire box fuel door location

[Puff]

This was just plain stupid but here's what happened.... My propane grill had a cracked plastic screw on thing on the regulator where it screws on to the propane tank and we had the burgers made so...

I took out an old Weber type kettle and loaded the chimney with briquettes ... When I opened the top to see if the coals were ready for cooking the 'fire' within had some 12" flame that singed my hands,mustache, eyebrows and arms.it was quite the eye opener

Here's the question. I've seen fireboxes with side door openings and top load openings. When the fire is burning, does the top loader pose a high risk of that same kind of thing? My firebox is a side door and I can open and add splits without the risk of a flare up . Seems that the top opening needs to be burned down pretty far to open safely?

[Pete Mazz]

Wow! Glad your (mostly) OK. Never saw charcoal flare up like that. Good thing...

[cypertj]

I'm trying to picture this. Why did you have the chimney covered.

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[Big T]

I think he was referring to his charcoal chimney but I haven't ever seen charcoal flare up like that either unless there was grease dripping on it. I personally like my FB door on the end but I don't think there's anything wrong with having it on top.

[Puff]

Just had dumped the charcoal on the bottom of the grill, closed the lid on the kettle since the wind was whipping. When I'd re-opened the lid a minute later, Whoosh. The flame hit about 12" high and possibly the heat is what caused the singe...

Even my eyebrows got trimmed nicely. Yup, I heard that sizzzz. Then just patted my head and face. Close call and I think I'm liking my side loader.

[Gizmo]

Theory:

I think that's what firemen call a "Backdraft" It's a fire that has built up gobs and gobs of potential energy but the supply of oxygen isn't big enough to support it. Sort of like sayin' "All dressed up but nowhere to go"

Working on a fire that been contained inside a structure for a while firemen are very careful when they first knock down a door (or you open the FB door) all that oxygen rushes in and "Instant inferno".

Maybe try just building a smaller fire and keeping the draft/stack a little more open so the fire's energy is used as it's created instead of stockpiled. If that makes sense……

[cypertj]

How much lighter fluid was involved???

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[Smokeone]

Gizmo, I think your on to something ;)

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[SmokinFF]

Gizmo, you want a job? Sounds like you know more than my Asst. Chief.

[Smokeone]

Or at least a captains opening.

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[Puff]

Ha...no lighter fluid and it was my wife and I with two hamburgers....if there was 20 kingsford type briquettes ....that was about all and I had spread them out into a patch of about 8x10"....
I think Gizmos explanation was correct. It was windy and the gust came at me in the wrong direction. Surprised? Oh yeah!

My thoughts on this quickly went to the firebox on my 275. That would be maybe 7-8 times the size of those 20 briquettes and a bit taller than one level of them . While testing my temps, I'd open and close the FB door to check out flame activity versus output of heat an CC temps...a bunch o' times. Some times the flames were moving along big time but because it has a side door, the risk of exposure is low. The top loader seems like it would pose a greater problem so along those thoughts, I'm stickin' with the side door...!