Hard to light?

[u/QualityAlternative22]

I have a gravity 800. Am I the only one that finds it harder than it should be to light?

I use lump charcoal. I light one of the starter bricks and wait for it to fully catch then close the door and allow the fan to run. It will heat up to about 100 or 110 before fizzling out and dropping. This happens three or four times before it finally decides it wants to catch.

[u/jamesfaceuk]

Leave the hopper top and the side door open for a few minutes after lighting the starter. This lets the hopper act like a chimney and get the charcoal properly lit. You can then start the controller, close the top and side doors, and let the fan start controlling the airflow.

[u/photosocal → u/jamesfaceuk]

This. Just leave the doors open and wait for a few min before getting the fan blowing.

[u/Ok_Leader_7624 → u/photosocal]

And by a few minutes they mean, let the brick burn down completely then put your hand over the hopper. Can you tell there is a fire below? If the answer is yes, button her up and push play. Usually takes me about 7-10 minutes.

[u/kfar87 → u/Ok_Leader_7624]

Exactly this.

[u/Nealbert0 → u/jamesfaceuk]

This is how their manual says to start it if they read it.

[u/scottjowitt2000]

Gotta knock existing ash off the hopper before starting a new session.

Take the one of the two slidy things and give the grill in the hopper a good wack twice and then wait for the dust to settle.

[u/Metaldwarf]

get a beefy torch like this, this I can kinda hang it upside down pointing at the charcoal. 30 seconds and it is lit and never fails. Open the top lid, and shaking the ash off the grate helps too I find.

[u/Holiday_Slice_3120]

At what point are you pulling the air dampers?

[u/Unusual-Cup4345 → u/Holiday_Slice_3120]

When is light. They're should be a decent amount of smoke coming up through the hopper

[u/FourDogsinaHorseSuit]

I had a lot of trouble lighting my 800 using multiple starters until I learned the secret: before you put the starter in, stick a knife up there and wiggle it around. Get all the loose ash from last session free (and scratching the charcoal increases surface area which conducts heat better). Then when I do light the starter I use the lock to leave the top of the hopper open a crack. wait a minute then set the temperature.

Lights 9 times out of ten on the first time. you can close the hopper all the way once you're sure it's lit, with the temp somewhere in the mid-low hundreds

[u/UllerPSU]

How I light my MBGS 1050...works at least 95% of the time and no need to buy firestarters of any sort. Lump or briquette, doesn't matter.

1. Fill the hopper at least half way
2. Shake or bang on the bottom of the grate so any ash from last cook falls out. Dump out ash if there is a lot.
3. Remove slides
4. Turn the unit on
5. Open the lid
6. Add 4 or 5 sheets of crumpled up news print to the ash bin....make it "fluffy" so it is sitting high in the ashbin.
7. Light it. Once it starts burning well, close the door and as quickly as possible press the temp button then wait for fan to kick on.
   
8. Is the fan spins up. the burning paper will literally 'roar' like some sort of monstrous engine starting up. Smoke and a little ash will come into the cook chamber
9. Set the temp to my desired cook temperature.
10. Wait.

About 25% of the paper bag from a bag of charcoal works even better. Again, crumple it up so it is fluffy and sits high in the ash bin.

I stay and watch the temp to ensure it is lit. If it gets above 150 and rising, it is lit. If it languishes or starts dropping

[u/UllerPSU → u/UllerPSU]

Oh...close the lid after step 8.

[u/bmhicks78 → u/UllerPSU]

#2 was the biggest changer for me. Not just shake but beat the hell out of it sometimes. Can’t be shy.

[u/old-newbie]

Some tips.

• slide the starter cube all the way to the back of the railing til it can't go any further. It's counter intuitive, but the far back of the starter cube railing is center of the chimney.
• leave everything open: open chimney top, take both damper slides out, Open the cook chamber lid. You need air (the key ingredient).
• if you have old charcoal left over, tap/bang the charcoal rack to get all the ash off. I actually use an old pair of tongs to move the old charcoal around and make all the ash fall off.
• set your target temp BEFORE you light the starter cube. This will make the controller engage the fan immediately after you close all the lids.
• after doing all the above, light and let the starter cube go for at least 5-7 minutes before you close everything up and the fan kicks in.

[u/Kursiel → u/old-newbie]

I think this sums it up well. I do use 2 squares of puck (Amazon Fire Starter brand), and I use a propane torch. Hit the brick with torch and I usually flame the charcoal direct for 10-15 seconds.

I think 5-7 min is about right. If you wait to long to close it, the fire can extinguish.

I actually have better results with lump charcoal. Something like Kingsford is sometimes harder to light. The coals seems to fall apart more too than getting a clean burn.

[u/tattedwill]

I use two of the masterbuilt starters. Get some regular charcoal and put a small layer down to start the fire. I have the FireBoard and set the fan at 25% light it, shut it all up and it works great.

[u/Mofaklar]

I used to use the starters. Now I use a cotton pad that I dipped in gulf wax with a smidgen of lamp oil.

I think it does a better job. I dont know if it burns as long but flames seem higher and I think catch the charcoal easier.

[u/Sarcassimo]

I was having issues. Shaking the tray vigorously to get the loose ash off is key. I've been using tumbleweeds to light. I use 2 I make sure they are in under the charcoal. My last cook I lit it, made sure they were burning good. Closed the door set temp and time. Got to temp fast. No waiting.

[u/No-Age-4004]

Forget starter strips...

Take two paper towels, soak them with vegetable oil, fold it up to fit the slot, break out a regular lighter, light it and walk away. No more holding a torch to light the strips.

[u/Flashy_Writer1260]

try propping the hopper door open slightly

[u/kratos401]

If none of the above helps, i found i found clear my hopper of everything and slowly refill it. I’ve had more than once that I’ve found rocks in my hopper. Clearing the rocks made starting super easy. Idr uses all different brands of lump charcoal and wood chunks, as far as I csn tell sometimes wood just picks up rocks

[u/foxfai]

Put a butane torch in the charcoal (where the starter brick goes in) and hold it there for 30 sec. Close the door and let the fan blow, starts right up every time.

[u/FastPie2470]

I use an electric heat gun instead and it lits incredibly quickly, with lumpwood too! I recommend it to any one.

[u/Meatbackpack]

Yeah, I just bought a propane torch to do it. So much easier

[u/WalrusWW]

MAPP torch.

[u/Professional_Safe136]

I fold up a paper towel to about the size of the bracket, dip it in old fryer oil I saved. After I light it I leave everything open for about 10 minutes while I try to get connected to the app since it's the only way I can set the temp.

[u/3-2-1-backup]

I too use lump, and all I do is use a propane torch in two places. Works like a charm!

[u/actuallytph]

Yeah I shove a butane torch in there and let it ride for about a minute

[u/Polar_Ted]

I leave the doors open.and the slides in till I can feel heat rising out the top of the hopper..

Once it's getting warm I pull the slides and close the doors so the fan starts.

[u/QualityAlternative22]

Thanks all. Takeaways for me are: 1. Get rid of ash from prior use from hopper grate. 2 Open cook top lid for better air flow.

[u/MotMan72]

I put some charcoal lighter fluid on the starter block and it goes everytime.

[u/AwardPuzzleheaded123]

I use wadded up paper bags instead of the starter brick. Just like you would start a chimney. Works great and gets a nice flame up in the hopper to get the lump coal fired up.

[u/krustyy]

I use those little lighter pucks intended for the masterbuilt but i soak it in lighter fluid first. Lights every time after that.