Why wont my gas barbeque get hot enough to cook?
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As a BBQ grill technician I repair gas and charcoal barbeque grills and clean or replace burners, grill cooking grates, ignitors, heat shields and various replacement grill parts every day. There is a call I get at east once every day where a gas grill is inoperable. Although the customer thinks they need me urgently they do not need technical service at all. One of the most misunderstood functions of your gas barbecue grill today in in your propane gas container. Any portable propane container manufactured after September 1998 must be fitted with a overfill prevention device (OPD) and no propane cylinder without an OPD may be re-filled after April 2002. The triangulated handwheel denotes the OPD installation. By now, most gas grill owners have had their tanks confiscated at the re-fill station and have purchased a compliant propane tank. However, most gas grill users do not realize a device called a check valve is also installed in propane cylinder tanks as an additional safety measure.
The check valve is installed to detect hazardous leaks in your propane tank. When the tank is turned to open, the liquid propane travels through the check valve, QCC and the barbeque grill regulator to fill the hose attaching to the grill manifold. If the barbecue grill valves are in the “off” position the propane stops before filling the barbecue burners and the pressure checks back to the valve. If there is a leak in any of the fittings that connect your propane tank to your gas grill, the drop in pressure is noted and the tank goes “into check” which restricts or stops gas flow.
My gas grill will not get hot.
I get several service requests every week from customers who believe they need a new propane gas regulator, ignitor electrodes, replacement grill burners and more. I have learned it is part of the mentality of the griller to self-diagnose the problem and come up with a solution and it is always tricky attempting to explain the probable culprit without telling the testosterone carrier of the house that the gas BBQ grill is not being used correctly.
The problem arises as a result of the OPD demanded by law. Both the check valve and the Overfill Prevention Device are tools to keep us safe while enjoying our gas barbeque grills and our backyard. When a new or newly filled propane tank is attached to your gas grill, the OPD is usually at its maximum limit position above a tank filled to capacity. The slight pressure of the OPD arm floating in the liquid propane can cause enough pressure that when the tank valve hand wheel is turned “on” the gas will rush through at a speed that feels like more water column pressure than is true. As a result of the pressure blasting into the gas hose, the tank goes into check.
The customer visits the gas grill store or calls the technician and requests a service call. Many clients believe they need a replacement grill burner, regulator or ignitor. Often, the gas will continue to flow into the gas BBQ grill but at such a low pressure that a customer will call to complain their grill will not get hot. Sometimes the barbeque will be unable to exceed 200 degrees in temperature because the propane tank is in check. I have had calls from customers who have been using their barbecue for several hours and cannot get their food cooked enough to eat!
While it is true that grill parts do sometimes need to be replaced and gas regulators are not made to last forever, if the complaint is the barbeque grill will not get hot or will not ignite, the problem can usually be addressed over the telephone. The trick is to educate the family chef without insulting their ability to grill or making them feel stupid.
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How do I fix the barbeque grill?
To reset the check valve and get back to cooking on your gas barbecue grill, first
- turn everything off. Turn off the grill, the rotisserie, the side burner and the LP gas cylinder tank.
- Once everything is turned off disconnect the propane tank from the gas grill regulator by unscrewing it or pulling the quick-release on older or retro-fitted propane cylinders.
- Now turn the grill on. I know, it is dis-connected from the gas tank but we want to ensure that the pressure in the gas lines or any gas in the burners is released.
- Leave the grill, side burner, rotisserie, etc on high for a few minutes with the hood open before turning all the valves back to the off position.
- Make sure. Most gas barbeque grill valves must be pushed in to turn them and if turning is attempted without pushing the knob, they will not turn to the “on” position.
- With the grill, et al turned off reconnect the propane tank and slowly turn the hand wheel to the open position.
- Slowly. The trick here is to turn the hand wheel slowly.
- When the propane gas tank is new or newly-filled, the gas is full and the OPD is pushing slightly on the top filled area and the gas will want to burst through the valve. Slow it down by turning the valve on slowly and the check valve will reset itself.
Once this is complete, you should be able to turn the barbeque grill on high and ignite your gas grill burner. Your barbecue cooking heat should be back to normal and cooking times decreased. If the problem persists, try this process again to make sure you followed every step. The check valve exists to save your life if there is a leak in any of the gas fittings. Constant check valve issues could imply a gas leak and a visit from your local gas grill service technician may be necessary.
To find a leak, turn the barbeque grill valves to the off position and the gas tank valve to the full on position. This should pressurize the gas line. Spray soapy water on all the fittings and look for bubbles just like checking for the leak in a flat tire.
Do not attempt to correct a gas leak on your own. While a check valve error when your gas BBQ grill will not get hot or will not ignite is a user education error and an issue corrected by learning about your barbeque and your propane tank, a gas leak should be corrected by a licensed gas service technician. When using your gas grill, turn the tank on first and then the barbecue grill to begin grilling. When you are done cooking, turn the gas tank off first and then turn off the barbeque grill valves. This will minimize the amount of residual pressure left in the gas hose. Keep some safety features in mind regarding your gas BBQ grill parts and you will not buy replacement parts that you do not need. Aside from that be safe, eat well and have fun.
check valve -- everyone's done it, just admit it!
Did you ever check the valve of your grill and could not get hot enough to cook?
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Thank you! I know in your restaurant u make customers cook their own food. do you use gas or just charcoal?
I can't wait to do some bbq in the summer anymore
Great information. I have seen your hubs and am very impressed. My wife and I are definatly going to purchase one. Which one would you recommend?
A grill? Choosing a bbq grill that will grow with you long term is selected based on usage, cleaning habits and what you will cook.
check us out at
Dude that is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fix it in 2 minuts and have been complaining about the low cook temp for months! Thanks so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I almost went out and bought a new grill.
This was super helpful. The low temp happened to be after refilling the tank. I thought they filled it with natural gas instead of propane as I know natural gas burns colder. But I'm not sure if it could even happen. I followed the instructions above and everything is back to high temp. Thank you very much!
should i disconnect bbq gas after use ?
Mike:
there are lots of maintenance and grilling articles at:
http://www.grill-repair.com/blog
and if you sign up on the home page at:
you will receive a book of great information about grilling and keeping good care of your barbeque.
To answer you though, you should turn the tank off when you are not using it. I turn the tank off when I am done grilling and let the lack of gas turn the grill off before turning the control knobs off. This way there is no residual gas pressure in the lines.
Thanks so much.
This scenario was driving me crazy......Had a full tank, yet sometimes the unit owuld work fine, other times low heat.
It never occured to me to open the valve slowly.
Now that I understand why, makes sense
Can you remove the regulating valve and use you grill?
no. you cannot take the regulator off of a propane gas grill. The gas flow will usually be much too low to barbeque. Depending on the gas source gas can also come through with too much pressure but usually it is too little pressure.
If you are using natural gas, often the ng is regulated before the gas line gets to the grill. in that instance, the regulating valve at the grill is a double blind and can be removed. there are times when it is a good idea to remove the appliance regulator but the gas flow must be regulated before it gets to the gas appliance.
if you go to the blog site at:
http://www.grill-repair.com/blog
and use the "search" box at the top of the page, there are articles online written by us that will help you understand the proper regulated water column for gas appliances.
great advice, worked like a charm, I have a 700.00 dollar grill that my husband complained was a piece of crap.I've actually tried even flipping the tank upside down to get the gas to flow, how dumb is that ... thank you for your advice it was spot on and truly awesome...
Thank you. Please be careful and have fun.
i am a big outdoor kitchen enthusiast. I am glad you wrote this informative hub. I'm sure it's going to help a lot of people with their barbecuing needs!! Great job
One of your comments is that you shouldn't take the regulator when using a propane tank because "the gas flow will usually be much too low to barbeque. Depending on the gas source gas can also come through with too much pressure but usually it is too little pressure."
Aren't regulators ment to reduce the pressure ?. So, i don't understand why taking the regulator off will reduce the pressure ?
Thanks for you help.
not the regulator but the gas valve. If you run the burner direct through a hose and regulator to the tank, the pressure will be too low. With the valve on the pressure is much higher. Logically I would think the absent valve would make the burner seem to be on "high" all the time but it does not work. without a gas valve the pressure drops to unusable levels. Even a simple ball valve (shut-off) increases performance.
Some grills that have 2 regulators, for instance Solaire and Alfresco both ship with an appliance regulator that sometimes needs to be removed when an inline tank is used.
Yep that worked Thanks!
almost always does. you wouldn't believe the amount of client who call because they think they need a service call and all they need is to reset the tank.
Thanks so much I always knew to shut off the grill first but since I los my knobs I just left them on....Gotta get a new grill but there is no money for it in the budget. I grill all year does not matter the weather would rather grill then cook inside lol (mikefaulkner@frontiernet.net)
Thanks, you're a party-saver. As I read your instructions I recalled the procedure and knew exactly what I had done wrong. We so often take for granted the instant access we enjoy with the internet, but even more so generous, helpful folks such as you who take the time to share their wisdom. Many, many thansk...
Thank you again for your feedback.
Mike get a knob at:
http://www.grill-repair.com/replaceknob.html
there is a great universal knob that fits everything, item 02342. it comes with several different sized inserts for the knob and it looks better than most of the knobs that come with the bbq.
jason.
You're awesome! I just spent half an hour messing with my grill thinking I was going to have to take it somewhere to get it fixed, googled "not enough propane pressure to grill", found your article and viola! Works perfect. Thank you!
Thanks Wes. Google is awesome like that, I am glad we could help!
Thank you great news for us glad we found you after all what good is an Aussie without a bbq that works, could not even cook the prawns on Christmas day the pressure was so bad. looks like lunch today will cook
Thanks
I had already exchanged a tank (now I know perfectly good) and was on my way to finding a new regulator when I found this page.
THANKS!!! This worked perfectly.
Wow I'm so surprised something on the internet that actually worked THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
I spent all winter intinking I would need to buy new grill. Read your comments and fixed my grill in five minutes. This is great.
i am glad to hear it!
you rock thanks
I'm a believer...it worked...THANKS
I fiddled with it like you said a couple of times and now i have some good flame. I had flame before but it was real low.
Thanks.
happy to hear it. very simple solutions are usually the best.
today is Memorial Day.
Happy Memorial Day to all -- love Freedom and appreciate our ability to save liberty from the horrifying violence and tyranny of pettiness
Finally some really useful and clearly explained information on the web!
The trick for me was to turn the gas back on SLOWLY. Didn't do it the first try, but this site had that tip, and it worked great. Saved the old grill from the recyclers.
I spoke too soon. It worked OK until I shut the grill down and turned the tank off (last). I have to go through the whole process every time I want to light the grill. For every 8-10 trips through the procedure, I get a normal flame. Maybe the regulator really is bad. It's two seasons old.
turn the tank off while the grill is still burning. This causes all the gas in the manifold and gas lines to burn. When you turn the tank off it will take about 10 seconds for the burners to burn out but then the lines are safe and clear. When the tank is turned on - slowly - next time it will fill the gas line and manifold, stabilize and check the valve correctly.
If there is pressure in the line there is a "backflow" when the tank is opened and it confuses the pressure check. DO NOT forget to turn the control valve to the OFF position once the burners have gone out. It is easy to forget to do that because the burners are not burning but if the valves are ON when the tank is turned on the gas will escape from the ON valve and confuse the pressure check.
Thank you very much information was exactly right All systems are go
When I read this I found it inconceivable that my problem could be so easily fixed. I had already bought a regulator, thoroughly cleaned every single inch of our BBQ and nothing! I called the manufacturer and they suggested we order new inners at $150.00 and I would have a six week wait. I printed your instructions and gave them to my husband. He immediately tried your advice and WHALLA the bbq works like new.. UNBELIEVABLE!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Thanks it worked the open slow part
We tried your solution 4 times. It burns high for about 15-30 seconds - you could hear the propane "blowing." Then it slows down again to a low flame and that's the end of "high." Could it be the connection line? We just bought it last year. We had it laying on the picnic table (disconnected) and liquid came out of it. Is that a problem?
I neglected to mention that the grill works perfectly with a 1 lb portable bottle (it's a little grill).
I had this happen with a portable, table top infrared gas grill. Is your grill infrared? if so i think the liquid and the pressure problem means the burner cracked. Water grows mass exponentially when it becomes steam and the growth will cause the ceramic tiles to crack in an infrared grill -- infrared burners cannot burn with water inside.
The other problem I have seen is moisture inside the regulator. The little diaphragm gets wet and is alters the movement inside the regulator.
I need more info. contact me at
service@grill-repair.com
One of our neighbors in the campground found the problem. The star washer in the end of the hose was cockeyed and the ball was crooked. He took it out, put the spring back in, put the ball back in and put the star washer back on top and tapped it back in with the blunt end of the drill bit. Works great. Thanks.
You are my grill god and made my grill cook great. Funny how a hot grill can end the long weekend nicely. Grillrepair, I salute you!
My brand new Charbroil 4 burner grill heats to only 500 degrees (according to the temp. guage). After 15-20 min of preheating I can pretty much hold my hand about an inch above the cooking area. I have tried the reset procedure. Please Help!
After years of thinking of being a grill king I have learned my most valuable lesson and I thank you! I had always blamed it on humidity or just the grill but never on me opening the valve to fast! Men never do anything to fast!!! Thank you again!
I am thrilled this Hub has been so popular and I am proud to have helped with this information. In his comment above, Cal asked about his Charbroil. A Charbroil is a barbecue and as a barbecue it is designed to surround the food with heat trapped inside the closed hood of the barbecue. A Grill gets hot enough to grill at the grate level without closing the hood but grills are rare -- and usually infrared. A barbecue will normally max-out at 450 - 500 degrees and this is perfectly normal heat for a barbecue.
The best example is Weber and a typical Genesis or Spirit gets as hot as 475 on average. If you want to sear a steak or sear fish filet at 1000 degrees or higher -- restaurant quality searing is considered 800 degrees -- use a cast iron griddle. Set the cast iron griddle inside the closed hood of the barbecue and let it get hot. Cast iron conducts heat well and will get twice as hot as the air conducting convectional heat in the BBQ.
Great fix!!!
Helped me out alot, and worked instantly.
I had no idea about these values or putting the hose on too fast, very informative.
I already knew of that problem and knew of how to reset it but i must say that im sure your article will be very helpful to those that didnt know. The article was educating and written in a way that those that are not " BBQ " orientated will be able to understand quite easily. - GO the aussie bbq.
Amazing! Worked perfectly!
Ruth 2 years ago
so helpful. I definitely will be buying and coming here for advice!