What’s the Deal with Stainless Steel?

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Grill Girl

Original Publish Date 02-15-2013

There’s a lot of disappointment floating around when it comes to one material currently on the market: stainless steel.

The two main issues are:
1) Why does my “stainless steel” rust?
2) Why is my “stainless steel” magnetic?

I put stainless steel in quotation marks because that’s how most people would phrase the questions. If either of the two above things were accurate, our customers would believe their item must not be stainless steel…

Right?

No, actually that’s not correct. There are different grades of stainless steel and they all act differently when introduced to either heat or water. In our grilling cases, that would be BOTH!!!

To clear it up, the General Manager at GrillPartsSearch.com has written up a guest blog explanation.

Take it away Will!!!

There are two general series of stainless steel grades used in the gas grill industry: 300 series and 400 series.

The 300 series group of alloys are non-magnetic and the basic 300 alloy contains 18% chromium and 8% nickel.
The 400 Series group of alloys are magnetic and the basic 400 alloy contains 11% chromium and 1% manganese. This series offers a much lower cost option in stainless steel parts.
-The 300 series is subject to corrosion at crevice points, while the 400 series has a considerably lower resistance to corrosion in general.

Knowing that, we choose the parts we sell to our customers very carefully! We try to gain as much information as possible about the grades of stainless steel we offer our customers so we can help them know what to expect from the parts they purchase.

Here’s how that information translates in grilling terms:

Cooking grids are exposed to more liquids and less heat, compared to other parts in a grill. In the case of cooking grids, the extra expense of the 300 series can be worth it. 300 series stainless is less prone to rust but the less than ideal conditions inside a grill will definitely degrade even the highest quality stainless steel. 304 is the most common type of stainless steel in the world, while 316 is generally the highest grade stainless you will find in ordinary applications, and both will degrade in a grill. While we used to carry a limited few grids made from 316 series stainless steel, manufacturers of grill parts worldwide have slowly removed these offerings from their lines of parts. We no longer have any 316 series grids, but carry multiple 304 series grids. You can check them out here and view by material type.

As for burners and heat plates, they certainly are exposed to moisture but are exposed to much more heat.

Heat is just as much of an enemy to steel, if not more so, as moisture and oxygen. Heating and cooling are used in the production of metals to actually change the chemical/molecular bonds and subsequent performance of the metal. It is no different inside your grill. While 300 series stainless will technically last longer than a 400 series plate of equal thickness, the benefit is only marginal. That marginal benefit compared to the substantial increase in cost doesn’t really pay off. We have found by spending a little more to make the plate out of a thicker 400 series stainless, you gain close to the same amount of life you would get out of a 300 series product at a fraction of the cost.

If you ever have any other questions about stainless steel or the applications of such in your grill, we’d love to help!

Just give reach out via email [email protected], phone 678-272-2451, or this helpful form!!!

Thanks so much Will!!!

That’s all for now,

Happy Friday!

-GG

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Hot Names in the Grill World

Posted on March 10, 2017 by Grill Girl

Hey Y’all!

Grill Girl here! The sun is starting to melt that snow all across the country and I’m back, ready to fill you in on what you need to know as you start grilling in 2017!

Throughout the winter, I spend a lot of time researching the most popular grill models from the previous year. This helps me make sure our website is up to date and ready when you come looking for parts and accessories. Here are some of the most popular names that you may have heard of, or even have on your back deck!

BACKYARD GRILL

These grills are sold at Walmart and Walmart online. With the majority of these grills falling between $100 and $200, they have been very popular since about 2013. The model number system begins with the letters BY, followed by a 2 digit number that seems to correspond with the year the grill was sold. Those first four digits are followed by 8 more numbers that are unique to each grill. For example, BY13-101-001-12 was a popular model from 2013. Some of the popular more recent models include BY14-101-001-01 and BY16-
101-002-05. The grills have 3-5 burners and a large cooking area, but at such a low price point, the quality of parts and material is low. The good news is that there are already replacement parts available for these grills and the knowledge base is growing. You might need to start replacing parts in the first one to two years, but you should be able to find the parts you need to keep your Backyard Grill on your deck or patio!

MEMBER’S MARK GRILL

This is the store brand sold at Sam’s Clubs. Grills with the Member’s Mark name have been popular for the past decade and many have lasted for that long! The best-made Member’s Mark grills were made in the early 2000s with cast iron burners. Those older grills had model number that looked like this: Y0101XC. However, grills being sold in the most recent years have long stainless steel tube burners. This is a pretty common grill style in the past few years, and while they don’t usually last as long as cast burners, they are pretty easy to replace. More current models are made by a different manufacturer and some have models that mix letters and numbers like this: M3206A or a series of all numbers like this: 720-0586. With a price point between $300-$500, you can expect a Member’s Mark to be made to a higher quality in both parts and material. These grills should give you at least 2-3 years before you need to start replacing parts. Even so, we carry burners, heat plates and cooking grids for a large variety of Member’s Mark grills and even have some grease trays available for older models.

MASTER FORGE GRILL

Master Forge is the branded name for grills and other appliances sold through Lowe’s. It makes it difficult to find support because Lowe’s has different manufacturers for different kinds of machines. That being said, Lowe’s has had a huge variety of manufacturers make these grills with the name Master Forge and likewise, a pretty big discrepancy in quality. You’ll see models of all types from Master Forge. Some of the most popular have been 2518-3, MFA350, or SH3118B. Another of their most popular and long-standing models is the built-in modular grill BG179A. Master Forge grills seem to be pretty well built, however, when you look at a modular set up like the BG179A, the cost is between $1000 and $1200, it’s good to keep in mind that you can buy a lot of other brands in that price range that have a better history of customer support and quality. Of course, after you spend the time and money of installing a built in grill, you want to keep it running. We are working very hard to have the parts you need to keep these grills working year after year!

CHARBROIL GRILL

Charbroil has been making grills for decades. You can expect a mid-line price point and a mid-line quality from a Charbroil grill. They make a much larger range of grills to cover basically any price point you can afford. Charbroil’s less expensive grills don’t seem to sacrifice quality as easily as other brands. Instead, you’ll find the cheapest Charbroil grills have only two heat zones with smaller cooking area. The more expensive grills will provide increasingly more burners and space. Every year Charbroil comes out with a wide variety of grills spread across dozens of new models. Charbroil is always looking to provide the next innovation in grilling as well. They add flashy ideas and branding to make their grills seem like they have an edge over “regular” grills. My suggestion here is simply to do your homework. Grilling is grilling. It doesn’t need bells and whistles or flashy marketing gimmicks. To give you an example of this; their newest electric smoker corresponds with an app for your phone! In my grill girl opinion, that seems to take the fun out of it. 🙂

What do you think? Do you have any of these grills on your deck? Maybe you love the idea of using a smoker with a phone app. Feel free to leave comments or questions below!

Happy Grilling!
-GrillGirl

Top 5 Grilling Gadgets for 2015

Posted on May 1, 2015 by Grill Girl

Grilling is not only a great way to cook your lunch and dinners, it’s also one of our country’s favorite ways to enjoy the summer months with friends.

I put together a list of my favorite newly added accessories to our website for this season. I like to call them gadgets because it makes me feel cooler. These items will make grilling even more fun and easier than ever!

LED Grill Light

A Grill Light!! It’s battery operated and comes with a base to clamp onto your grill. This means the uses for this light are extremely diverse. It has a flexible neck so you can bend it to shine a light in any direction. This is perfect for the grilling enthusiast, but also for anyone who loves to camp! Don’t keep yourself in the dark! Your food deserves better!

Meat Claws

Have you seen these? They are basically over-sized, really sharp forks. These are made of stainless steel, so you don’t have to worry about the rusting or getting gross after just a few uses. If you like to smoke meat, these are an absolute must for shredding that delicious pork, brisket or chicken once you’ve smoked it to perfection. We have a pair of these at home and I promise serving a smoked pork butt in our home is ten times easier now than it used to be.

Grill Griddle

This one will be a harder sell – but I promise, you will end up using it much more than you think you will! My favorite version of this is the double-sided cast iron griddle. One side is a smooth cooking surface while the other has ridges if you want some sear marks. It probably won’t take up your entire grilling surface area when you place it in the grill. It allows you to get the flavor of the smoke on delicate things like fish and veggies or even buns while using the rest of your grilling area for your burgers, steak or chicken. I actually made pancakes on a grill using this! We also have a stainless version available if you prefer that!

Grill Wing Rack

If you’ve ever grilled wings on a gas or charcoal grill, I’m sure you know the frustration of that fatty chicken skin getting stuck to your grilling surface. Is there anything more frustrating?! That skin is supposed to get crispy and flavorful and just when you’ve achieved that, you flip the wing and the skin stays right there, stuck to the grid. I HATE that! As you can tell, this hits a nerve with me, but there is an easier way! Chicken wings should not be naked, people. Keep the skin on right? Try out this wing rack and let me know what you think!

Shish-Kebab Grilling Set

Finally, don’t you love shish-kebabs? It’s such a fun way to bring diversity into your grilling repertoire. Get those veggies and meat all grilled at the same time, flavoring each other as they cook. Yum! Here’s the annoying thing – they get stuck to the grilling surface too, or when you flip them, they flip back. If that wasn’t annoying enough, the metal skewer gets too hot to touch. How about this little folding metal set? It comes with 6 skewers, and holds them above your cooking grid so they can cook without getting stuck. The skewers sit in grooves so you can flip them and they stay put! When you’re done grilling, just fold the set up and put it away. It’s made of stainless steel and will be another piece that will last long into your grilling career.

So what is your favorite pick on this list? Do you have any of these items currently? I’d love to hear your feedback.

As always, Happy Grilling from the Grill Girl!

Manufacturer Highlight: Charbroil

Posted on February 3, 2014 by Grill Girl

Charbroil Grills – The Highs, The Lows and how to keep yours running

: Looks yummy right?

Char-broil is one of the oldest grill companies that is still in business today. The grills they build range from cheap to expensive, basic to fancy. They sell grills in big box stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s. This makes the grills very accessible and popular. However, because of their contracts with these huge retailers, Charbroil has to get a grill available to the public at a very low price point. Stainless steel is very expensive and still going up in price. To combat the high price of stainless, manufacturers will use thinner stainless steel and/or a lower quality of stainless steel. This is why many parts rust out in 1-3 years of use and need replacing.

What does that mean for all of us? Basically that there are a lot of different models numbers and a lot of different replacement parts available. When you know that you might need Char-Broil burners, cooking grids, heat plates, briquette grates, carry-over tubes, or knobs, it can seem very overwhelming. The good news is that we are dedicated to making your search for replacement Charbroil gas grill parts as easy as throwing a steak on the grill!

This is how we do it; every year we get new parts for Char Broil grills, like burners, cooking grids, heat shields, and carryover tubes. Then, we do research on your grill model numbers using the online manuals, grill sizes, and information from Charbroil directly. This allows us to show the exact parts for your model number. We have a drop down list that includes every Char-Broil gas grill model number we know and list those parts we sell for each. We also include our phone number so if you don’t easily find the parts or model number, you can call us and we’ll do our best to dig up the dirt on your grill and the Char-Broil replacement parts you need.

There is a great selection of high quality parts for Charbroil gas grills available on our website, including new stainless steel burners, carry-over tubes, and cooking grids that were added to our line this year!

We list parts for Char-Broil Advantage Series, Commercial Series, Performance Series, Designer Series, Front Avenue, Masterflame, Precision Flame, Powerhouse and Big Easy burners and heat plates too!

We even have parts for the Infrared and Quantum Infrared Grills. The Quantum Infrared Series grills made it into the number 4 spot of a top 10 list for 2013. We have parts for all three Quantum models sold by Charbroil: 463270610, 463270909, and 463271310.

Click CHAR-BROIL to get started, or give us a call at 877-244-0737.

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Repair Your Gas Grill or Replace It?

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Grill Girl

Are you trying to decide if you should repair your gas grill or replace it all together?

As a grill part guru, I tend to lean toward replacing everything in your grill as long as possible. This keeps the grill you love in your backyard and out of a landfill.

However, there are times when even the best grill needs the ol’ heave-ho. (If you have to replace your beloved grill, do it a favor and get something worthy to fill the empty spot on your patio)

Here are a few things to keep in mind.

**If you open the hood of your grill and it looks gross, REPAIR!! (or even, just clean!)

**If your cooking grids, heat plates, or burners are rusted, REPAIR!

**Knobs, ignition parts, regulators, handles are all easy fixes: REPAIR!

**If your valve system is bent or broken, you will need to find a replacement valve to REPAIR your grill. However, sometimes valves are no longer available. You cannot use the wrong valve for your grill, so I recommend at that point: REPLACE.

**Major damage to the main body of your grill requires you to REPLACE it. This includes the hood of your grill.

**If you have a grill mounted in the ground with a post that requires a new post, REPAIR!! You can buy a new post and save your grill!

Checklist if you should repair your gas grill or replace it

If you have any specific questions, feel free to leave me a comment and I’ll answer as quickly as possible!

You can also call 678-272-2451 for friendly help to repair your gas grill and all things grills!

-GG

(Is it warm yet!? Gracious!!)

Refurbish Your Grill – Get Ready for Spring Grilling!

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Grill Girl

This Refurbish Your grill Article was updated june 2021

Hello Fellow Grillers!! It’s January and freezing temperatures even down south here in Georgia. Still, I can’t stop thinking about getting out the grill for the spring. (True true, we never really “put it away”). The very best time in the whole entire year to refurbish your grill is early spring. There are a few reasons for this.

Why Refurbish Your Grill in Early Spring?

Even though you haven’t used your grill much over the cold months, the moisture and cold temperatures have still affected your grill parts.

Most people only replace their grill parts when they try to use their grill and can’t for some reason. That creates a lot more volume in the spring and summer months for grill part companies. In other words, buy now and you’ll get more in depth service, better stocked parts inventory, and faster processing/shipping times.

Don’t put yourself in a situation where you have 1 or 2 days to get the replacement parts you need. If you run out of propane during a party, at least you can run to the nearest gas station and replace it. Not so with most grill part replacements.

And let’s be honest, it’s very satisfying to get into your grill, determine the problems, get the parts needed, and then refurbish your grill yourself. If it seems like a daunting task, I can promise you there’s no better ally than the customer service dept at GrillPartsSearch.com. I know because I worked with them for years. They want to help you keep your grill out of a landfill and get back to grilling again!!

(Here are some tips on finding your model number)

So what are you waiting for!? Go get rusty!!!

Then, get in touch!

Have fun you! -GG