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OT: Our grill's out.

DJ Spanky

DJ Spanky

The Lunatic is in my Head
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Jul 25, 2001
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Went to use our Weber grill last night, and wasn't getting any propane from the tank. Well, actually got just a little bit, then it went out. Just tried it a little while ago, same problem. Switched tanks just in case (both tanks are full), but same result. Most likely is the regulator, which is around 16 years old, however, I wonder if it's also a temperature issue. Is that possible?
 
RU Mike73 said:
Spanky, check for spider webs. For what ever reason they are attracted to propane smell and can clog the lines or ports.
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This!

But if you tried grilling in 5 degree temperature that can absolutely be an issue. Try again tomorrow before you spend money.
 
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Heard the same about spiders when diagnosing my gas fireplace. Also read that air will get in if the unit's been inactive for a while so you need to run it for a couple minutes to get air out.
 
DJ Spanky said:
Went to use our Weber grill last night, and wasn't getting any propane from the tank. Well, actually got just a little bit, then it went out. Just tried it a little while ago, same problem. Switched tanks just in case (both tanks are full), but same result. Most likely is the regulator, which is around 16 years old, however, I wonder if it's also a temperature issue. Is that possible?
Click to expand...
Vapor pressure of propane is greatly reduced at temps near zero. If you have any blockage or regulator issues the lower vapor pressure combined with issue will cause what is happening to you.

Another possibility, is the released/accelerating compressed gas is "icing" your tank. If you ever noticed, when you grill in the summer your tank will become cool or even cold. Do this in temps around zero and your regulator can become so cold that it further reduces vapor pressure and you do not have enough pressure. This happens to us with the little Coleman tanks in a space heater for football games where temps are well below freezing. If it was this, the tank would light fine but die after it becomes "too cold" and the VP becomes too low. Assuming you have an adequate regulator and big 15lb tank, I would think this is unlikely, but if it is this, you could place your tank in cool water to regulate temperature while grilling.
 
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From interweb:

That's one of the difficulties of grilling in winter...The pressure in a propane container is independent of volume. It is determined strictly by the temperature. What I mean by that is the pressure is the same in a 20lb cylinder as it is in a 30,000 gallon bulk plant as it is in the delivery truck that delivers fuel to your home...IF the temperature is the same!

At -44° (Fahrenheit or Celsius) the pressure in a propane container is zero. This is the boiling point of propane. As the temperature moves up from there, the liquid in the container begins to boil and produce vapour which is what raises the pressure. At 5°F you only have about 30psi.

20 lb cylinders are not capable of absorbing very much heat out of the air around them. They just don't have enough mass. If you plan on using your grill regularly in cold weather like this, you might consider investing in a 50lb or 100lb cylinder. These are capable of vaporizing better than that poor little 20 pounder. The one thing you must do though if you go this route, is you will have to get a 12 foot hose to connect it. This is going to sound strange...but the 20lb cylinder that is usually mounted under the grill is allowed to be there because the appliance was certified that way. Propane is heavier than air, so if you had a leak the vapour would float away from the fire, not go upwards toward the burner. But once you set the cylinder somewhere other than in the bracket on the grill, you now have to observe the propane installation codes, which in most cases require that the cylinder be no closer than 10 feet to a source of ignition. I can't condone heating the cylinder up with an electric heater, but you could try having an extra cylinder or two and changing them when the cylinder frosts up and the flame goes low. Needless to say...never leave a grill unattended in this weather. Grills do not have 100% safety valves to shut off the flow of gas if the fire goes out. If the cylinder freezes up and the flame goes out, it will continue to pass gas into the area. If you go to relight it, you could have an explosion. Good luck with it! and be safe!!
 
Well, the grill is used regularly, 3-6 times a week, which makes me think that it's temperature more than anything else. I wonder if it would be worthwhile to bring both propane tanks inside until the next time I need to use them. Whaddaya thunk?
 
DJ Spanky said:
Well, the grill is used regularly, 3-6 times a week, which makes me think that it's temperature more than anything else. I wonder if it would be worthwhile to bring both propane tanks inside until the next time I need to use them. Whaddaya thunk?
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Bring the whole grill inside and fire it up! --Spank, just kidding there. That may help, but I would be leery about bringing propane tanks into the house. Perhaps in the garage in a safe place or in the basement.
 
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The warmer the tank the high the vapor pressure so it should do the trick, but bringing a potential hazard inside sounds like a bad idea. Maybe a warm garage??

Maybe leave the tank outside in the sun during the day and to warm up the propane.
 
We decided to do spaghetti for dinner - besides, the grill is covered in snow now, so I don't feel like brushing it off and trying to get it lit. I'll bring one of the tanks in tomorrow morning and let it warm up, then we'll grill tomorrow night. I kind of suspected it was the cold, as our favorite equation in chemical engineering pretty much dictates it, i.e., PV=nRT.
 
UMRU said:
FYI - Weber customer service is very good. They sent me parts for a five year old grill for free and were very helpful.
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Same experience with Weber ~7 years ago. I was having a big party on a Saturday and in testing the grill on Thursday, I realized there was a problem with the regulator. I was probably just outside of the 5-year warranty (I hadn't previously registered it) but the Weber rep on the phone said they could tell it was close based on the serial number. They treated it as if it was covered and when he heard I needed the regulator for the party 2 days away, he upgraded it to overnight shipping free of charge. Needless to say when it came time to replace my old Weber I stayed loyal to them.
 
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Block R said:
Same experience with Weber ~7 years ago. I was having a big party on a Saturday and in testing the grill on Thursday, I realized there was a problem with the regulator. I was probably just outside of the 5-year warranty (I hadn't previously registered it) but the Weber rep on the phone said they could tell it was close based on the serial number. They treated it as if it was covered and when he heard I needed the regulator for the party 2 days away, he upgraded it to overnight shipping free of charge. Needless to say when it came time to replace my old Weber I stayed loyal to them.
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Their grills and customer service are top notch.
 
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Veiox said:
Their grills and customer service are top notch.
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Propane Vapor Pressure by Temperature

Propanevaporpressureandtemperature.jpg


At 0 degrees you have less than 20% of propane VP versus 80 degrees. Why important? Your grill is dependent on your LP tank producing gaseous propane at a certain PSI. I think grills need around 15 psi and if the regulator is bad it could need more. look at that 0 degree value. Probably your issue.
 
Spiders chased me away from propane. Just kidding of course but found BGE 12 years ago and have never looked back. #BigGreenEgg
 
Veiox said:
Propane Vapor Pressure by Temperature

Propanevaporpressureandtemperature.jpg


At 0 degrees you have less than 20% of propane VP versus 80 degrees. Why important? Your grill is dependent on your LP tank producing gaseous propane at a certain PSI. I think grills need around 15 psi and if the regulator is bad it could need more. look at that 0 degree value. Probably your issue.
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I thought the low pressure regulators drop the pressure to 1/2psi for regular propane grills.
 
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Vejai said:
I thought the low pressure regulators drop the pressure to 1/2psi for regular propane grills.
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I always thought the output was something like 11" WC. Not sure what psi that equals. I might have misunderstood but I had the impression that the regulators expected at least 10 psi to work properly. I am probably wrong on that number.
 
DJ Spanky said:
Well, the grill is used regularly, 3-6 times a week, which makes me think that it's temperature more than anything else. I wonder if it would be worthwhile to bring both propane tanks inside until the next time I need to use them. Whaddaya thunk?
Click to expand...

Disconnect your tank and take it inside your house for 24 hours to warm up. Also, I have found that turning it upside down helps somewhat.
 
Veiox said:
I always thought the output was something like 11" WC. Not sure what psi that equals. I might have misunderstood but I had the impression that the regulators expected at least 10 psi to work properly. I am probably wrong on that number.
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Right. Believe 1/2 psi is 11" WC. Not really sure if a much higher pressure is needed on the input side.
 
I have a low tire air pressure warning light on for my car..will give updates.
 
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Love Weber. Don' t understand it when people opt to buy Chinese Shiite that needs replacing after 1-2 seasons.
 
RU Mike73 said:
Spiders chased me away from propane. Just kidding of course but found BGE 12 years ago and have never looked back. #BigGreenEgg
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Same as Mike. I have a gas grill tied to my home's natural gas and used to use it all the time but have used it only a couple of times since getting a BGE (actually similar product) a few years ago. We grill year-around and average at least twice a week. It really doesn't take much more time at all to get the fire going and heated up.
 
phs73rc77gsm83 said:
Same as Mike. I have a gas grill tied to my home's natural gas and used to use it all the time but have used it only a couple of times since getting a BGE (actually similar product) a few years ago. We grill year-around and average at least twice a week. It really doesn't take much more time at all to get the fire going and heated up.
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And as we all know, that lump charcoal heat up time is valuable cocktail time. :cheers2:
 
So what's so good about the BGE? After seeing the hype, I looked into it and was shocked by the prices. I could buy a Weber, a smoker and a traditional charcoal grill for that kind of price. Is it really worth it?
 
FanuSanu52 said:
So what's so good about the BGE? After seeing the hype, I looked into it and was shocked by the prices. I could buy a Weber, a smoker and a traditional charcoal grill for that kind of price. Is it really worth it?
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I actually bought the Cosco version (Vision) for $400 on sale. It's heavy duty ceramic so you can slow cook at a low temperature like a smoker, can do at 700 degrees for pizza, great for steaks, vegetables, etc. My brother-in-law is a professionally trained chef and he swears by it too. It's worth it to me but we all have our different (and personally valid) opinions as to what something is worth.
 
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phs73rc77gsm83 said:
I actually bought the Cosco version (Vision) for $400 on sale. It's heavy duty ceramic so you can slow cook at a low temperature like a smoker, can do at 700 degrees for pizza, great for steaks, vegetables, etc. My brother-in-law is a professionally trained chef and he swears by it too. It's worth it to me but we all have our different (and personally valid) opinions as to what something is worth.
Click to expand...

Good explanation. Thanks.
 
DJ Spanky said:
I kind of suspected it was the cold, as our favorite equation in chemical engineering pretty much dictates it, i.e., PV=nRT.
Click to expand...

Spanky - surprised RP78 or even T haven't lectured you yet on why you didn't immediately invoke the Ideal Gas Law to figure this out. We may have to revoke your Chem E degree, lol. Since you ruled out spiders, given that you use the tank regularly (they'll only be an issue after months of disuse - I don't grill in the winter and have seen that in the spring), then the only other root cause, other than an empty tank (or a suddenly blocked regulator), is temperature, as Veiox has pointed out.

By the way for those asking, a standard single stage propane tank regulator steps the tank pressure down to a delivery pressure of 11" of water column, which is equivalent to about 0.4 psi.

http://www.propaneproducts.com/catalog/propane-regulators-36-1.html
 
Weather is not as big a factor and used my Weber under colder conditions. If that is the case, then bring the tank inside for an hour. What you have is air in your line and this has happened to me in the summer. Solution is to disconnect and reconnect the line and maybe let some propane bleed before reconnecting.
 
No natural gas in my town. but I have Propane from our 500 Gallon underground tank (which feeds our Furnace, Water heater, clothes dryer, and range) also piped to my grill on the deck.
 
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