Aluminum(metal content) gas grill problem

I have a Weber "Silver A" BBQ. After butterflying and marinating my leg of lamb Sunday, I fired up the grill. The flames looked short at 1/4" but the right shade of blue and the grill never got past 225 F. I actually had to broil the lamb inside. It was 42 deg. F. outside and the tank is full except for 2 meals, and I double checked, it's full. There are screens over the air inlets to prevent spiders and the burner holes were all lit and the same. I didn't see anything obvious with a quick flashlight inspection. It was like the gas pressure was low. I've used the grill year-round without this problem before. Any ideas? The right answer gets a new design grill brush specially designed for porcelain coated cast iron grills that we are just starting to test market.

The lamb was great! It always is, but better on the grill and best on charcoal. I would have done charcoal but I would have had to put pants on.

Reply to
Tom Gardner
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The tank was cold. it may have been 42 F outside at the moment, but the large volume of liquid fuel in the tank was likely colder than that. When you started up the grill, the boiling of the fuel lowered the temperature of the fuel even more, and therefore, the vapor pressure was depressed even more. Taking the tank inside, and especially putting it in a bucket of warm water should have cleared up the problem.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Elson

Gas valve on all the way? It happens...

-Carl (charcoal only!)

Reply to
Carl Byrns

I assume it's one of the problematic OPD tanks. Lots of complaints about them on alt.food.barbecue. Seems the recommendation is to turn all the valves off, shake the tank a bit to wiggle the level float and then slowly open the valves starting with the tank.

Pete C.

Reply to
Pete C.

Maybe since the weather has been warm - the 'propane' is really Butane - a high temp gas. Propane is used in winter and fall. I bet you have liquid. Pouring a pan of hot water over the tank or the like might perk it up.

We too cook 12 months a year on the BBQ - We cook everything out there since we learned to do that after buying our first house - and the oven broke down. It took some overtime work to get an oven in those days.

Martin Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder

Tom Gardner wrote:

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

I have the same weber grill. Don't count on the spider guards to keep the spiders out. Every year or so I need to dissasemble the burner and blow out the burner tips with a pressure washer to get the webs out, despite the guards.

Tony

Reply to
Tony

Hi Tom, I have a gas grill that behaves just like yours did if the burners are not turned off before I open the valve on the 20# tank. The flames will be very small. If I turn the 20# tank valve off and turn the grill burner valves in the off position and then open the 20# tank valve and lite the grill burners the flame will be normal. I hope this helps....

Reply to
flyfisher

All newer grill models have an excess flow safety device which kicked in on your grill. The instructions are very explicit about the startup procedure to keep from tripping the shutoff. If it happens, just shut off the operating valves, then shut off the tank valve and open it slowly to pressurize the system before opening the valve to light it. The excess flow safety valve is usually a steel ball held by a magnet in the tank valve body. A sudden spurt of gas will cause it to pull off of the magnet and slam into the port. A small bypass allows some gas to flow until the pressure equalizes and the magnetic ball resets itself. Bon Apetit! Bugs

Reply to
Bugs

screens over

inspection. It

Tom,

I have the same grill and have had the same problem. Shut it off and pull the regulator, check the nose of the valve and see if yours has the gas inlet drilled square. Mine was creating a nice blockage between the face of the nose and the inside of the valve on the tank. This shuts the gas flow WAY down. I used a small file and cut a groove across the face to allow gas flow. MUCH better. Don't have a problem anymore since I connected it to my BIG propane tank that feeds the house. Oh if you need to replace the grills or the flavor bars, Home Depot had the stainless replacements for about 20 bucks more than the enamel. Unless you make your own like I did.

Reply to
Steve W.

Thanks, it was fun to learn about the magnet part. I wuz aware of the excess flow valves and the valve opening sequence thing, but I probably never would have thunk of a magnet being used for the "detent"

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Wisnia

So......let me see if I understand this right, Tom. If you are cooking out using charcoal, you do it with your clothes on? And if you are cooking out using gas, you do it ne-kid??????????? Just kinda curious. Bill.

Reply to
lathenut

Glad to help!

The lamb was great! It always is, but better on the grill and best on charcoal. I would have done charcoal but I would have had to put pants on. Uh . . . pants on you or the lamb? Most don't realize that there are pants for lamb. Bugs

Reply to
Bugs

You got it! Send me your address.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Are you talking about those little white paper things with the sliced up and curly ends they sometimes put on the bones of lamb chops so you don't get your fingers greasy?

I suppose one of those really could be called a pant, huh?

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff Wisnia

You can get bows to go in their fleece too, but we don't like to joke about the Welsh too much.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

He's getting to the age where he doesn't dare put clothes on if he has gas......

Reply to
Don Foreman

I think flyfisher got it first... same procedure without the mechanics.

er

Reply to
Enoch Root

Nah, The Welsh lamb pants have pockets in the knees. LOL Bugs

Reply to
Bugs

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