Fred Bedoink,If you cannot get is hot, your egg is probably ash-bound. Before each lighting, take a wooden stick and stir the old coals around, but not too vigorous as you may tilt the bottem coal grate and have to start from scratch. For me, I find that the fire lights best if I leave the top open for a short time with the bottem air control closed. It seems that the fire spreads out more quickly.