What material for grill grate

316L would be top of the line

john

John,

1/4" thick, 6 ft long, 316L stainless rods cost $11.08 each at McMaster-Carr. This is pretty cheap, as I think that three or four rods will be enough. 316L welds very nicely and should work out well.

304L is cheaper, though, would it practicaly be inferior to 316L for a grill grate?

i

Ignoramus11443 fired this volley in news:24GdnbYthJjDDzPWnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

316 is more corrosion resistant, but all of them lose their corrosion resistance once heated too high.

If I were you, I'd be looking for some 11ga 316 expanded lath, rather than going to all the trouble of cutting and welding. Anywhere you weld the material, unless you re-heat treat it, you'll end up with rust.

LLoyd

Actually any of the 300 series stainless steels would work. The 316L has more nickel in it and is more resistant to corrosion. The L designates that it is low carbon content and that helps to keep corrosion to a minimum. The 304 will work fine. Don't use 303 as it has a higher sulfur content and will not weld well.

John

Are they going to rust just on the surface, or all the way through? I thought that stainless was self passivating.

i

The question is how much heat will there be on the metal? If you are heating up the ceramic bricks and they sit on top of the grate heavy cast iron will hold up better than stainless.

John

It just depends on how much you want to pay and how long you want it to last. 309 and 310 are the stainless steels recommended for high temperatures. But they are really expensive. 316 will last better than 304 and 304 will do better than rebar. If it were me, I would probably use some rebar that is thinker than the original. Maybe put some kiln wash or ceramic enamel on it to slow up the rusting.

=20 Dan

Nickel superalloys, like Kanthal and Inconel X750, do well at gas-flame temperatures. Short of Boeing Surplus reopening, I'd not expect to see those on store shelves, though.

The burners and lower grate may well have been stainless. Being stainless and being magically proof against a harsh environment is not the same thing. You could perhaps try 316L, if you can get some "affordably" - otherwise use 304 and expect to to rust out, considering the service environment. 316L probably will also rot out, but may take longer. Inconel and platinum are great when cost is no object, but cost is never no object. For the lower grates, some type of ceramic might be nice, except that it also might crack and dump all your lava rock on the burner. A clever ceramic construct would eliminate the need for lava rock (but still might expire from thermal shock.)

Practically speaking, go see what's hanging in the replacement grill parts section at your hardware store (or on fleabay) and buy some, not expecting to have it last forever; they are consumable parts. From what I have seen of "good" commercial grills, I suspect a cast iron burner will last better than a stainless steel sheetmetal burner, if use is the primary wear item. If it's sitting out in the wet not being used that kills it, stainless sheetmetal may work better.

I get 19 results for: gas grill burner replacement stainless

I'm finding one: gas grill rock grate stainless

and it's a pricey thing (yet also available, indicating non-infinite life, to me) and only in one specific size that might not be yours. TIG one up from stainless stock.

I have seen replacements for the lava grates that were ceramic coated, Lowe's had them at one time, have a couple of aisles worth of grills and related parts in all the stores around here, YMMV. Grills run pretty much 12 months of the year here, even in the winter. It gets down to whether it's cheaper to buy/make new parts than to get a new grill, they're fairly cheap right now.

Stan

The material of choice is Inconel, but 316 will work. Inconel is designed for high temperature use. 316 is designed for corrosion resistance. Steve

I do have some Inconel TIG rod, but it is too thin.

i

In wood burning stoves, cast iron grates out last steel. I don't know if they still exist but years ago, you would stop at a road side rest and find a cast iron grill for cooking at many stops. The cooking grate in those was cast iron. They must have known something.

Wes

Having owned MANY grills from the cheap one up through the top of the line ones. There is not a stainless easily available that will take the heat and not rot.

I would replace the burners with cast iron ones. You may not find ones exactly like what you have. BUT you could buy ones that are wider and cut them down easily enough.

For the grid I would find some iron grating and use it. You can get enameled iron grills for Webers. Or if you visit a fireplace store you will find the cast iron grates used in stoves and furnaces that burn wood/coal. Those could easily be cut to fit your grill.

We were just talking about cast iron grills on the weekend. I had an expensive gas grill with castiron grates. Lasted about 1 year at most, when we were getting chunks of the grate in our steaks. 40 years ago, had a cheap hibachi, maybe $10 new. Lasted maybe 10 years, and set outside in the rain and sun. Probably still good hibachi, but wife did not want it moved to the new house. Handles were gone, etc. But the grate still was good and still grilled steaks better than most modern grills.

Nothing will last. You're talking about temperature cycling of 1000s of deg F, with constant showering of sodium chloride and other corrosive chemicals from cooking, and storing in a condensing atmosphere.

There is no aerospace superalloy that will stand up to that.

Would it help to, say, keep a 40 watt lightbulb constantly on, inside the grill, and/or a grill cover on, to prevent condensation?

At almost a kilowatt-hour per day, 365 days a year, that will cost considerably more than replacing the grate occasionally. It also only solves one small part of the problem. Why complicate things so absurdly?

Electric stove elements have a thin layer of chrome-nickel alloy that stands up, in my experience, rather well. Constant showering of sodium chloride is ... not my cooking style. That sort of alloy, Kanthal or Inconel typical tradenames, is what was suggested.