Ever flip the grate in a Chimney ?

[JSMcdowell]

So I went to fire up the grill last night when for some reason I got the idea to flip the grate inside the chimney. Took a pair of gloves and about 2 minutes, but not really that hard. I then poured in some K, threw it on top of the performer ignitor and lit it. I checked the time and then walked away.

I would think that the normal design of the grate (Weber brand) is to ignite the charcoal faster than just a flat bottom. However, by flipping it, you can fit more charcoal in and for me, it gets the charcoal closer to the flame on the ignitor on the performer.

Well my test failed, but not because of flipping the grate. I ran out of fuel on the performer, and I have no idea when it ran out. I will try again, but it didn't really seem to take longer to start cooking.

Just wondering if anyone else had done this, it's nice being able to fit a little more charcoal in there.

 

[Mike Hartwell]

Many have found that reversing the grate in the Weber chimney also makes starting just half a load is easier doing this.
I just have a smaller brand X chimney for small loads.
I find that a 3 minute burn of the performer is sufficient.

 

[Mac]

Always the first thing done when I get another Chimney. Here's some Pics of the Mod on a used CL Chimney.
Original position.

After the flip.

This also increases the capacity of the starter.

 

[George Curtis]

i have two. one is modded and i use it when i want to start small amounts. i may put it back to the original position and just mod one of the older, cheaper, smaller chimneys i have for that job. otherwise the mod does work well. just be aware that it works best using lighter cubes or small piece of fire starter.