Question about briquets

[Dave_H]

I am having a hell of a time getting my smoker up to temp.. I have 200 lbs of briquets sitting on the cement floor in my garage.. will this affect them? will they draw moisture off the cement floor.?. its all dry in there.. Garage door is open alot of the time .. been raining like mad the last month.. any thoughts?

 

[Cody]

Yes they will draw moisture off of cement. I keep mine in a plastic tub and just fill it up at need be.

 

[Mike Cosgrove]

Like Cody said, yes they will, you need to at least put them on plywood or 2x4s.

 

[Dave_H]

Thanks for the prompt reply.. I knew I could count on you guys..you would think they would reach a point where they would take off..Struggling to reach 225 degrees.

 

[Chad Bman]

..Struggling to reach 225 degrees.

On what, the dome thermometer or something like a Maverick?

As an example, here's my dome temp and what my Maverick is reading at the grate...

 

[Dave_H]

on my maverick..i normally have no problem with my temp but this time around my maverick was barely at 225 and my dome was less.. that was with my bottom vents all the way open.. i normally dont open my vents like that. mine is usually very similar to the readings you have.. i think perhaps my briquets were damp from leaving the bag open and on the garage floor in this damp weather we have had.