PSA: Check your old well used PBC Chimney Starter

[KuKuPuffs]

Been using the PBC Chimney starter since 2021. Always stored inside a weather proof deck box so it's not exposed to the elements. It was a raining that day so I started the chimney under my covered wood deck.

I went to transfer the hot coals to the PBC, the bottom seems to have disintegrated and all the hot coals fell out unto the ground. Thank goodness I already cleared my wood deck and it all just fell harmlessly unto my stone pathway, plus it was raining so that quickly doused out the coals



Thankfully I had a "backup" regular sized weber chimney starter so meat still got cooked.

Promptly reordered a new PBC starter which arrived today



So don't be like me and wait to the end, if that metal is starting to get degraded, go and get a new one, these things are cheap enough.

[Spinaker]

Good thing you did not have any issues after the coals fell out!

I think how you store these things doesn't really matter. The metal is thin and it get insanely hot. Given enough time, this is 100% gonna happen. Although, I will say, I have never seen the bottom of one burn out.

I usually end up destroying mine one way of another. One thing is for sure, I will destroy it in some other way before I can get to this point. I would consider this a win for making it this long.

[Johnny Booth]

I had the rivet/screw? that holds the top of the handle give way. That was exciting.
Luckily it happened as I was dumping them into the cooker. Phew!

A piece of wire was the fix until it just got too dangerous to use. 🤣

[Michael_in_TX]

I had this exact thing happen with mine! The nut fell off the screw on the top of the handle. Thankfully, I had a spare #4 nut laying around.

[HawkerXP]

Yowzer!

[Michael_in_TX]

After five years mine is starting to head in this direction as well. It is rather thin metal.