Kingsford storage


 
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Rita Y

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I was reading with interest the discussion about lump charcoal.

I've been storing my Kingsford briquettes in a metal trash can on my deck.

Would there be a humidity or other problem with that? It can get pretty humid here in Atlanta.

Do the briquettes have a "shelf life?"

Thanks in advance. It never ceases to amaze me how helpful and generous the members of this group are!

Rita
 
HI Rita!

I would advise to NOT do that. The briqs will pick up moisture and you will get a terrible burn. I have had this happen to me when I left the bag open for several days in the summer months.

I always keep mine in the bag and close it as tight as I can.
 
Thanks, Pat,
Yes, the deck is covered by a 4-foot overhang. I think I have the concept of your briquette storage containers, certainly more airtight than mine. I'll look around and see what's available around here.

As far as the low-temp/indirect cooking charcoal baskets, mine just arrived today. I actually had a choice from my local hardware store for the sheet metal or the grate/baskets and I chose the baskets for $6.00 each, $12.00 pair (I know, if Jim Minion had gone to Wal-Mart, he would have found them cheaper -- what a shopper!).

In response to your post, Webb Collings posted the suggestion about the baskets being available as a replacement part and Dale, the Weber expert at my favorite hardware store preferred the grate/baskets as well. I'm sure either one would be fine.
It'll be a couple of weeks before I do salmon again -- we're "fed-up" on it at the moment. I'm going to have to rein in my enthusiasm -- salmon salad, salmon sandwiches, cold salmon on crackers, not to mention salmon "noshing,"......we're going to be so healthy we'll be able to eat all the pulled pork we want!

Thanks to you both, and all other posters, for putting me on the right track!
Rita
 
My kettle grill has a large plastic bin (like a trash can) under a stainless steel work surface/hinged cover. I keep a 20 pound bag of charcoal there (in the bag for easy pouring) at all times as my cooking supply. This charcoal sits on an unprotected deck through rain, sleet, snow, and the cold of a New England winter. I've never had any problem starting a fire or keeping it going.

Obviously, if I'm cooking in the pouring rain, the overall moisture in the atmosphere is very high and fire burning is less fun. But, as long as the storage keeps the charcoal from direct exposure to water, I think that's about all you can do.
 
Thanks, Pat,
That was good of you to take the trouble of getting the model number for me/us. It's on my list. I particularly like the idea of the wheels. That charcoal gets heavy in a hurry!

We keep our birdseed in another trash can and it's been known to get a little moldy when we've neglected our duties, so there's obviously a humidity leakage there. Just might get two!

Appreciatively (let's coin that phrase!),
Rita
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Rita Y:
[qb]I was reading with interest the discussion about lump charcoal.

I've been storing my Kingsford briquettes in a metal trash can on my deck.

Would there be a humidity or other problem with that? It can get pretty humid here in Atlanta.

Do the briquettes have a "shelf life?"

Thanks in advance. It never ceases to amaze me how helpful and generous the members of this group are!

Rita[/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hi Rita,

Even though I'm just a rookie I thought that I would put this out there for experienced people, such as yourself, to respond to.

I have no experience in storing charcoal but my view is that a Rubbermaid plastic garbage can might be your best bet. Considering the condensation potential, brought to mind those little packets that are often included in the packaging of electronic equipment. They are supposed to remove moisture from the air in the box. I've got a call in to my friend who works at Rolls Royce < jet aircraft engine division in Canada> He used to bring home these huge pouches of the stuff that where included in the packaging of very large expensive jet aircraft parts. We used them to keep our firewood nice and dry under only a tarp in Montreal, Canada.

I'll let you know if and where it is possible to buy them.

The other idea I had was to put down a layer of kitty litter on the bottom of the container, even your metal trash can. That cat litter stuff was originally developped to soak up hazardous liquids so they could be swept up easily. It was only years later that someone realized that it would work well to absorb cat stuff. I'm sure about this one. You could lay down your cat litter and cover it with a cloth of some sort if you are worried about the dust affecting your charcoal. I really don't think you need to, but...If you feel better about it you could It would remove the moisture in the air and I'll bet that it would not affect the charcoal in any way !

If anybody wants to arm wrestle over this one, I'll be here !

Cheers!

Marc

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Hi Rita,

Here is the reply that I got from my friend Ken in Canada. Hope it helps !

Marc

Hi Marc:

What you are looking for is generically called 'desiccant' (spelling varies, either having one 'c' or two.), the most common type is a silica-gel based one. It should be widely available and obtainable for the public.

-Silica-gel usually comes in any size up to 2kg.
-They are individually packaged in a heat resistant and porous package.
-They will absorb 35% of their own weight in atmospheric moisture.
-They can be re-activated by heating to 120 degrees Centigrade for twelve hours.
-They are inert and non-toxic.
-In extreme moisture they will heat up slightly as they absorb, this is not a factor unless they are in contact with liquid water. (They are exothermic)
-Usually come with re-usable humidity indicator cards that will tell you when to change the desiccant.
http://desiccare.com/homeprod.htm (located in Santa Fe Springs)

Have provided a link above for reference. Seems over priced and shipping a granulated powder seems a little 'iffy' these days. Still, it will give you a better idea of what you are after. You are in Silicon Valley, they must use the stuff by the ton and have several local retailers.

Did a quick search and found a few:

Sun Garden Packing
1582 Monterey Hwy
San Jose, CA 95110
800-866-6001

Silica Gel Desiccant Products
734 E Hyde Park Blvd
Inglewood, CA 90302
800-426-1529

Hope this helps, will also get the address of the company that provides us with desiccant, though I think they only do 45 gallon drums of it.

Ken.
 
HI Marc,
You've gone to a lot of trouble to get all that detailed information -- many thanks. I know that shrubbery can be sprayed with ANTI-dessicants to keep it from drying out when taking cuttings, so, here we have the opposite!

Ordering powders through the mail..... well, as you say, maybe not at the moment! But in calmer times, it'll be worth looking into. I'll save the URLs for then.

Thanks again, to you and Ken, for all your excellent research,
Rita
 
Hi Rita,

I'm very grateful for this web site and it's experienced insightful members. My pleasure to contribute a little when I can !

Cheers,

Marc
 
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