| I grill. | | | | outside to be burned. |
| I mean, I grill - often. I grill about 3 or 4 days a | | | | So how does this cause burn-through? Remember |
| week, every week of the year, every year. | | | | the flame that is sucking the gas out of the |
| Living 100 yards from Lake Erie, this is no small | | | | burner? Now shut that gas off. What happens? |
| feat: it gets cold in Cleveland in the winter, and | | | | The gas is still burning. When there is no more |
| we get our fair share of snow - most of which is | | | | fuel, the vacuum inside the burner actually sucks |
| lake effect, sometimes measured in feet rather | | | | whatever is right outside the burner, resulting in |
| than inches. | | | | an audible "pop" when the flame goes out. |
| I have often found myself outside after dark on | | | | Here it is in a nutshell: you've been cooking food, |
| a late December evening, in 20-degree weather | | | | right? You've been using spices, sauces and rubs |
| with an icy wind blowing in off the lake, snow | | | | -- and the food itself has its own juices. These |
| half-way up my shins, basting a roast on the | | | | are in the air surrounding the food and the |
| rotisserie. | | | | burners, mostly as partially-burned carbon |
| Naturally, my wife thinks I am nuts. She also | | | | particles. These carbon particles get sucked into |
| thinks I am a great cook, which is neither here | | | | the burner when the flame is extinguished. These |
| nor there. But, I digress... | | | | particles remain in the burner until the next time |
| A couple of months ago, I noticed that the grill | | | | you fire up the grill. When you fire up the grill, |
| was heating unevenly. The left side was | | | | these particles create chaos in the flow of the |
| noticeably hotter than the right. The flame was | | | | gas. The pressure of the gas will hold these |
| higher on the left, and I had more problems with | | | | particles against the sides of the burner. Reaching |
| flare-up on that side. Meanwhile, the right side was | | | | ignition temperature, they eventually burn through |
| not cooking very well at all. The grill is a 3-year-old | | | | the metal from the inside out. Now you know |
| Fiesta that my wife bought at K-Mart shortly | | | | why I had to replace my burner - and why you'll |
| before we met. It sports a stainless steel sheet | | | | have to do the same if you purchase a grill with a |
| metal burner which is adequate for occasional use. | | | | sheet metal burner. |
| I suspected that the burner was burned through | | | | My story points out another issue: what type of |
| since I use the grill much more than the | | | | burner will your new grill have? This is a major |
| manufacturer intended; I wanted to replace it | | | | decision that many overlook when they purchase |
| much earlier than this, but since we were buying a | | | | a high-end grill. Most grills, even well-known $3,000 |
| house, I placed the project on the back burner, | | | | to $5,000 units, have the same stainless steel |
| so to speak. | | | | sheet metal burners that I just replaced, and |
| The house threw us a couple of major curveballs, | | | | many have a thickness in the 20- to 24-gauge |
| the worst of which was a total replacement of | | | | range! Let's face it: buying a $3,000 grill is like |
| our kitchen. At the time, we were waiting on our | | | | buying a Mercedes or a Lexus; you shouldn't have |
| new countertops: we did not have a working | | | | to replace the engine in a 3-year-old Lexus! |
| kitchen; the microwave and the grill were our only | | | | If you purchase a grill with a stainless steel sheet |
| working kitchen appliances. Nice time for the grill | | | | metal (or cast iron/cast iron composite) burner, |
| to fail, huh? | | | | you will replace the burners at some point. The |
| One night during the remodel, I wanted to grill | | | | more often you grill, the more often you will |
| some chicken. I fired up the grill, and noticed that | | | | replace the burner. The more expensive the grill, |
| the flame on the left side of the grill reached the | | | | the more difficult the replacement. |
| cooking grate, and the flame on the right was | | | | "What?" you say! Stainless steel will rust? Well, |
| barely noticeable. Our chicken browned noticeably | | | | yes, it *will* rust. It just takes a lot longer. The |
| toward the left side, and barely cooked on the | | | | idea that stainless steel will neither stain or rust is |
| right. These photos show the old burner. | | | | a myth. The "stainless" in the term "stainless |
| I muddled my way through the meal, deciding to | | | | steel" refers to the fact that there are no |
| take action. The next day I ordered a new burner | | | | impurities in the metal itself, and that nickel has |
| venturi set over the Internet. Since spiders love | | | | been introduced into the alloy to produce a more |
| our new house, I splurged on spider guards. The | | | | acceptable finish. A lower grade of stainless steel |
| only tools I needed for the job were a pair of | | | | with a lower nickel content will attract a magnet, |
| pliers and a screwdriver. I assembled the burner | | | | also contrary to popular myth. |
| venturi assembly, connected the ignitor to the | | | | What, then, is the alternative to a stainless steel |
| burner, and went out to the grill. I disconnected | | | | sheet metal burner? Cast iron? Well, yes, but |
| the securing pins for the burner underneath the | | | | many grill manufacturers also use cast brass or |
| grill and the old burner lifted out easily. The new | | | | cast stainless steel, which will not rust or burn |
| burner settled gently into place, and I connected | | | | through. Lynx and Fire Magic are two such grills, |
| the ignitor and installed the spider screens. I | | | | and they're even warranted against rust and |
| tested the ignitor, and, satisfied that it worked | | | | burn-through. A less-expensive alternative with |
| properly, fired up the grill. Even blue flame, about | | | | cast brass burners would be the Coleman 6000, |
| one and a half inches high, with yellow tips. | | | | retailing for under $1,000 (photo right). |
| Perfect. Nice, even heat again. Project completed, | | | | This is not to disparage stainless steel sheet metal |
| and in about a half-hour. | | | | burners: Napoleon uses 16-gauge stainless steel in |
| So why did this happen? Why did my burner rot | | | | their burners, much thicker than just about any |
| from the inside out? The answer is simple physics. | | | | other brand, and they tend to last longer than |
| When your burner burns gas, the flame outside | | | | other manufacturer's burners. They are still prone |
| the burner creates a vacuum inside the burner. | | | | to rot and burn-through, however: it just takes a |
| An open valve allows gas under high pressure to | | | | little longer, that's all. |
| flow from its source into the burner, where the | | | | So, if you're shopping for a new grill, check the |
| pressure is lower, and then continue out to the | | | | burner construction first. |