Time To Clean Your Gas Barbecue? It Could Save Your Relationship.May 20 '02 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Regular annual cleaning and routine maintenance will prolong the life of the barbecue and will keep the unit safe under normal operation. Don't wait for an unpleasant surprise.
I'll try not to scare too many people with this review. Cleaning out that dependable old gas barbecue, that you've been using and neglecting all year long, is not cruel and unusual punishment, for all those juicy hamburgers and steaks you've been enjoying. You may prefer to think of it as an investment, in a long and loving future relationship with your barbecue. Every other night you've popped her open, fired her up and tossed all sorts of marinated, dripping, meaty, culinary delights on top of her. She has responded, faithfully, by sizzling with fire and leaving you completely satisfied at the end of the evening. Doesn't that sound like a relationship that's worth saving? I know it's a yucky job, but, it's something you just have to do, at least once a year and depending on how much you use it, maybe more. WHAT PROMPTED THIS REVIEW?: Hey, I'm only human. Since my barbecue is only about 18 months old, I hadn't taken it apart since last summer. I instinctively knew it was overdue the other night by the sudden appearance of long yellow flames on the backside of the burner assembly. It makes it harder to cook anything evenly, when the flames are long in the rear and short in the front. However, since I consider myself to be such an expert on gas appliances, rather than taking it apart at the first sign of trouble, I reasoned it was probably just a bit of water in the venturi, cutting back the primary air, or a few earwigs had made a new home. Another possible theory that occurred to me, as I frantically rotated my meat to keep it cooking evenly, was that the ports were plugged up with something. "Clean that out in the morning." I said, "I have food to cook!" Time to put on a pair of work gloves and clean it out. TURN OFF THE MAIN GAS SUPPLY: TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT: You probably won't need much more than a pair of old gloves, an old bucket, a wire brush and a screwdriver. I usually like to burn off the grills and the inside of the barbecue the night before I plan a major cleaning. Simply leaving the grill on for about 30 minutes with the lid closed, usually cleans the grills up pretty well on mine. It cuts down on the biggest portion of the grease. Take out the lava rocks or briquettes, if you have them, and tossed them in the bucket. Remove the lower grill that holds the briquettes and you should have direct access to your burner assembly. Whether you've got the pan style burner or the straight tube burners, it's always a good idea to take a good look before you remove them and memorize the position for proper re-installation later. I recommend taking them out completely, so that you can inspect them for leaks, cracks and corrosion on top and bottom. You will also want to be able to see each of the burner ports and make sure they are all clear of debris. In my case, I have a large one piece pan style burner that is fairly easy to slide back off of the orifices and lift out. Once out of the barbecue the wire brush should easily remove any caked on unidentifiable, former food matter, that managed to fall on top of it. Carefully check the seams, and any welds for cracks or signs of leakage. WHAT WAS WRONG WITH MY BURNERS? Glad you asked. Even though my large stainless steel pan burner assembly is only about 18 months old, the entire bottom back side of the burner assembly had deteriorated and cracked, leaving a six inch long gap where there wasn't supposed to be one. It's really a good thing that I took time to check it out, this was a component failure that was only going to get worse over time and could have developed into a dangerous condition for anyone who used it. I had to trot off to my favorite store, Home Depot, for a replacement burner assembly. There's a company called GrillPro that specializes in replacement parts for older barbecues and one of their products is a Universal replacement burner assembly. For around $25.00 and a five year warranty, (yeah right) you really can't go wrong and the entire kit is pretty easy to assemble and fit up to almost any standard gas barbecue. Everything in the kit is adjustable to fit the different styles of barbecues on the market. I know, should have gone back to Sears and barked for some kind of warranty replacement burner. Secretly, I really wanted to try out these universal replacement burners. Just to see how well they work. IF YOUR BURNER IS NOT BURNED OUT Check all of the ports and give the entire burner a light brushing down with the wire brush. Try not to disturb the air shutters. I usually tap the main burner out on the sides with the venturi's pointed towards the ground to try to dislodge any foreign matter, water or rust built up inside. Brush down the inside bottom of the barbecue, there's almost always a collection of burnt stuff down there and it can collect into a really ugly mess. PROPANE MODELS: I've said this before, but, it's worth repeating, do yourself a favor and pick up a couple of replacement "O" rings for the POL fitting between the tank and the propane hose to the barbecue. Some LP refill stations offer them free to customers in my area, but, even if you have to spend a buck, it's worth replacing often. Those little rubber "O" rings are the only thing between your tank valve and the quick disconnect valve, that prevents a gas leak. They take a lot of abuse each time you change the LP tank, and they need to be checked and replaced often. FINISHING UP: The new burner is safely installed and working well or in most cases, the freshly cleaned burner replaced securely on the burner orifices and fastened down. A quick check with the gas turned on for even lighting to all ports is usually a good idea to make sure you've done it right before totally re-assembling the grills. NOTE: In my case, I don't need a screwdriver to remove the burners, everything's fastened down with wing nuts. It just looks more professional and complicated to my wife, if I have a screwdriver in my hip pocket. I take it out and twirl it around when I know she's watching me. As long as you haven't disturbed the primary air shutters on the ends of the venturi's, you shouldn't need to make any adjustments there. The flames should light evenly and burn relatively blue at all ports. A dirty yellow flame is usually an indication of a lack of primary air. Check that you have cleared any debris from the bug screens usually found around the primary air openings. If you find you have a persisting yellow lazy flame and can't find a problem with the air venturi, and the ports are all clear, it may be time to call in a licensed professional to have a look at it. It could be the regulator, the gas pressure or an oversized burner orifice. These are parts of the appliance that you really need to know something about before you start tampering with them. THE BRIQUETTES: I have ceramic briquettes that are generally okay for several years of use. Most of them don't require much more that a generally shaking up, together in the bucket to knock loose any charred on grime. The odd one may need a bit of brushing off with the wire brush. The worst case scenario is a fresh batch of fake coals at your local hardware store for a few bucks a box. Layer them evenly back across the top of the lower grill, pop back on the cooking grill and prepare to give it a test run with a couple of New York strip loin steaks. COVERING UP: I'm a firm believer in covering up the gas barbecue when it isn't in use. Of course, wait until it's cooled down. If you value that appliance you've invested so much time and money in, it only makes sense to have a decent tight fitting cover for it. After about 18 months of constant use, the exterior of mine still looks like the day I brought it home. Although the burner failed a little sooner than I would have expected, it's currently re-assembled with a shining, spanking new burner and ready to give me many more nights of gourmet pleasures. We have a reciprocal relationship going on here, and I think my wife is getting envious. Happy cooking and be safe. Regards, Gasman P.S. While I shouldn't need to repeat standard industry warnings here, I will. DO NOT USE ANY OUTDOOR GAS APPLIANCES INDOORS These appliances are capable of generating high levels of carbon monoxide and have been known to injure and even cause death when used indoors.  |
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