What If The Grill Doesn’t Light?

What to do if your gas grill doesn’t light but it’s time to party!

Is your gas grill ignition button not working? Is the grill igniter clicking but not lighting? No worries and no need to cancel that party or BBQ dinner– you can safely light your grill even if the ignition system in your grill isn’t working!  Use a long-stemmed lighter to light each burner one by one. Just be sure to do it safely by following these steps.

If your ignition is not working, you can still light your gas grill using a lighter. A gas grill ignition malfunction is no reason why you shouldn’t be barbecuing burgers, hot dogs, shish kabobs, or whatever you and your family and friends enjoy today!

If you’re looking to repair or replace your gas grill ignition system, check out our vast list of ignitor parts or get in contact with one of our grill experts to help troubleshoot your problem!

What To Do If The Grill Doesn't Light

1. A Long Stemmed Lighter Is Safer to Light A Gas Grill

You don’t have to be a hero to be a hero. 

For safety’s sake use a long stemmed lighter for candles, fireplaces, and grills, like a BIC Multi-Purpose Classic Edition Candle Lighter with the long metal wand. That way you don’t have to put your hand and half your arm into the grill to light the flammable gas from your grill’s tank.

The great thing about this solution is how accessible it is. If you’ve got a suitable lighter on hand, then use that, but if not, you won’t have to wait around for a new grill part to get dinner ready. A quick run to the convenience store will save the day. 

2. Turn The Burners on One at A Time to Light Them

If the ignition for one burner isn’t working, in most cases grillers find that they aren’t working for the other ones either.

Always begin by opening your gas grill lid. This will help to allow gas from the tank to dissipate in the air. If gas builds up in the grill chamber before you go to light it, there is a risk of injury from a flare up.

Turn the first burner on and put the tip of the lighter next to the burner keeping your hand. Additionally, keep the rest of your person and anything flammable away. Be careful as you use the lighter to let them, and be sure to turn on and light each burner one-at-a-time to avoid gas buildup in your grill.

3. If The Gas Grill Burner Doesn’t Light on Your First Try…

There might be something more than the gas igniter that’s off. It may be that your fuel tank is low or the hose or some connection in your setup is failing. Before you look for the issue and go to replace any of your grill parts, you may want to try again and see if you can get it to light.

If you try to light your grill again, just be sure to leave the grill lid open and let the chamber air out some before making another attempt with your long-stemmed candle lighter.

Safety Note to Grillers: Your safety is your responsibility. Never use a gas grill indoors. Always light your grill with the hood open. If you smell gas, or have trouble lighting your grill, turn off all gas sources and wait 15 minutes before trying again.

Watch Grill Parts Girl explain it instead on our youtube channel!

If you have more questions, leave us a comment! Or, take a minute to go visit our Youtube channel and learn more about your grill. We would love to connect with you there!

Happy Grilling!
-The Grill Parts Girl

Wolf Outdoor Gas Grills – Models and Grill Parts

You might have heard of Wolf ovens and stoves, but they are a newer player in the outdoor gas grill industry.Wolf Outdoor Gas Grill Freestanding

They’ve been making Wolf outdoor gas grills since the early 2010s but promise that their previous experience and quality is in every inch of their grill line. Prior to 2000, the Wolf name was independently-owned and offered mostly commercial cooking appliance solutions. In 2000, the company Sub-Zero acquired Wolf.

Over the past 2 decades, the Sub-Zero group, previously famous for high-quality refrigerators, expanded the line of Wolf cooking appliances in the kitchen.

Wolf Outdoor Gas Grill Built InIn 2013, the company rolled out the newest line of appliances, over 70 in all, and it included – you guessed it – their outdoor cooking appliances: Wolf Outdoor Gas Grills.

Wolf Outdoor Grills line is simple and easy to understand. They offer multiple widths options for your outdoor kitchen or freestanding needs.

Wolf grills are available in 30″, 36″, 42″, and 54″ widths.

The model numbers are simple, the first two letters: OG stand for Outdoor Grill and the numbers are the length. The current models are: OG30, OG36, OG42, and OG54.

Wolf Outdoor Gas grills are available drop-in or freestanding.

You also have the option of natural gas (NG) or liquid propane (LP) in all models. They are 18-gauge stainless steel construction and include an infrared rear rotisserie burner with rotisserie.

Wolf Gas Grills Parts

If you’re familiar with the brand Twin Eagles, these specifications might look familiar to you. Twin Eagles is the manufacturer for Wolf Brand gas grills.

We love the recipes and videos they out together on their “Reclaim The Kitchen” site.

The catch is the price range.

The smallest model begins at $5000 and the larger models with extra add-ons could go over $10,000. If that’s the kind of price range you’re looking at, or if you find one of these grills in a home you purchase, it will be well worth proper upkeep.

An outdoor gas grill like this is an investment.

You can still expect to replace the burners, cooking grids, and heat plates every 3-5 years. We’ve added the brand Wolf to our line of available gas grill parts replacements. We currently carry the burners, heat plates, briquette trays, and flash ignitor. Our parts are high quality stainless steel and modeled exactly from the original parts.

With our large order discount system, we believe you’ll find the best price for Wolf gas grill replacement parts on our website.

As always, if you have any questions about your Wolf outdoor gas grill, or any gas grill, give us a call!

We’re your gas grill experts, ready at the phone or on email to get your questions answered and get you back to grillin’!

-Grill Girl

Can You Smoke Meat On A Gas Grill?

You can still get the flavor and cook of a smoker even if you only have a gas grill on your deck!

To smoke meat on a gas grill, use the different heat zones in your grill. Heat zones are formed by the multiple burners in your grill. An easy way to know how many heat zones you have in your grill is to count the knobs that control the gas flow. This method is call Indirect Cooking. You will also need smoking chips and a high quality external thermometer.

How Can You Smoke Meat On A Gas Grill Shown on a Grill

Simply follow the steps below to smoke on your gas grill!

  1. Determine the Heat Zones on You Grill
    1. Count the number of knobs on your grill that turn on or off your burners.
    2. Use ONLY ONE knob in the “on” position.
    3. Remove the cooking grid directly over the burner that is on.
    4. All the other heat zones (knobs) will remain in the off position.
  2. Prepare Smoking Chips
    1. There are many varieties of wood chips you can use to add flavor to the smoke in your grill!
    2. You will want to soak the chips before using.
    3. Wrap them in aluminum foil and poke holes in the top.
    4. Place the foil packet of chips in the heat zone that is ON.
    5. There is heat dispersal covering your burner; this is usually a stainless steel heat plate, lava rocks or briquettes.
    6. Place the packet of smoking chips ON TOP of your heat dispersal.
    7. Keep an eye on the packet. If all the chips inside burn up, replace the packet with a new one.
    8. Check out this video I made showing the prep of wood chips: See Video
  3. Prepare the Meat (or other protein)
    1. Salt and season the protein.
    2. There are many seasoning rub mixtures you can purchase.
    3. You can easily find a recipe to make your own seasoning rub!
  4. Use Thermometer to Hone Grill Temperature
    1. It’s best not to trust the grill thermometer when you want to smoke meat on a gas grill.
    2. The probe of the thermometer should be in the airspace of your grill and not touching anything.
    3. Adjust the burner that is on to get your grill to the smoking zone, usually around 180- 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
  5. Smoke Meat!
    1. Place the cut of meat on the grids that are not above the “on” burner.
    2. Follow usual smoking instructions depending on your cut of meat or protein.
    3. Enjoy your dinner!
    4. If you’re a smoked meats connoisseur, check out these meat forks. They will change your life!

That’s all! If you’re wondering ‘can you smoke meat on a gas grill,’ hopefully now you know you can! It’s not even that difficult.

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions or share your favorite recipe!
-Grill Girl

How to Clean a Gas Grill Video Tutorial

Hey Y’all, Grill Girl Here. I’m right in the middle of fixing up this Barbecues Galore Turbo grill that’s about 15 or 20 years old and I wanted to give you a note about how to clean a gas grill.

Now, everyone has their own ideas *and of course you’re entitled to yours* but this is how I feel about gas grills; you should be able to leave them outside. They are outdoor cooking appliances and you shouldn’t have to thoroughly clean them every single time you use them.

When to Clean a Gas Grill

Think about your oven. Most people don’t scrub out their oven every single time they use it. Preheat your grill (get it really hot) each time you cook, before you put the food on it. This will sanitize the cooking space. It’s good to use a grid brush to remove food particles and debris from your cooking grid. However, you don’t have to constantly clean everything else to keep your grill in shape. In fact, grease drippings on the heat dispersal (the level that goes right above the burner) give you a better flavor.

That being said, once or twice a year, go through and clean all parts of your grill.

We recommend cleaning your grill at the end of your busiest grilling season, sometime in the fall, before you put it away for the winter. Remove the food and grease debris from your grill and avoid it being a magnet for rodents or insects. Also, it helps keep your grill parts in better shape while not in use.

It’s a good idea to clean it again when you take it back out in the spring. Sometimes spiders can build webs that impact the gas flow in burners and valves. Turn on each burner to make sure they light up all the way. Take this opportunity to check to see if there are any parts you need to replace.

If you cook all throughout the year, choose two times each year to clean your grill. We still think Fall and Spring work!

How to Clean a Gas Grill

You don’t want to get too much debris stuck down into the bottom of the grill body. It can be a cooking hazard and give you some burned flavor. For the twice-yearly cleaning, make sure your grill is completely cool. Remove the cooking grids and heat dispersal system (heat plates, briquettes, etc). Get on your gloves if you don’t want to your hands to get dirty. Use a firm-bristle plastic brush (as shown in the video) to brush out the debris in the body of the grill. Use a shop-vac or small dustpan to remove it.

It’s amazing how much nicer your grill looks after that simple task.

While your cooking grids are out you can scrub them more thoroughly than your everyday cleaning. If you have a porcelain-coated grid, you’ll want to be careful not to chip it off. Use a brass-bristled brush or a sturdy non-scratch scrub pad for the job.

Use the plastic brush you used in your grill on your heat dispersal to clean it off a little bit. Remember that heat dispersal gives your grill a smokey flavor so don’t spend too much time on it.

If you have a cast burner (iron, stainless steel or brass), clean out the holes of the burner with a toothpick or straightened-out paper clip. Remove the burner to do this well. If you’re having trouble lifting it up and out of the grill, it’s probably anchored in by a hitch pin at the back of the grill.

Put the parts all back in and your grill should be good to cook again.

Sometimes my customers tell me that they spend 20 or 30 minutes after every time they cook to clean their grill. To me, it’s just not the point of a gas grill. You know? It’s going to get a little dirty and that’s ok.

Alright y’all, Until next time! -Grill Girl

Nexgrill Grillmaster Before & After

Grill Girl Here! Today we have a special post inspired by one of our customers!

He purchased a Grill Master grill made by Nexgrill off a craigslist ad for just $30! It needed almost all new parts and so he came to us. He purchased brand-new burners, heat plates, and cooking grids and is cooking with an essentially new system! That is an awesome way to save some money and get a great grill on your back porch – not to mention the fact he kept this grill out of a land fill.

Burners, heat plates, cooking grids   Used Grill Master Burners Heat Plates Cooking Grids Nexgrill

In the pictures above you can see the old parts. There are rusted burners, heat plates and the old cooking grids. One of the burners had a big hole in it, so our customer decided to replace all three at the same time. You can also see that the heat plates were very rusty and the holes were starting to get bigger. These heat plates probably weren’t protecting the burners very well. Whenever one of our customers buys a used grill, I always suggest getting a brand new cooking grid. Who wants to cook on top of someone else’s old food? Yuck.

Grillmaster by Nexgrill Tube Burner BMGKTB1  Grillmaster by Nexgrill Heat plate GMNGHP1

Here are the new burners and heat plates. Don’t they look so great? Both of these parts are stainless steel and when they heat up for the first time, they will get some discoloration from the heat. Still, the both parts are an exact fit, plus the heat plates are fully stainless instead of the original porcelain coated steel plates that were in the grill. This is an example of how you really can upgrade your grill by purchasing new parts from us!

Grillmaster by Nexgrill new parts fixed

Here is the final shot of the grill before it was used for the first time. Lookin’ Good!

Congratulations on your rebuilt grill! We love helping customers do projects like this. Thanks for sending us the pics!

-GrillGirl

Hot Names in the Grill World

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 GRILLOutdoor Backyard Grill with Stainless Steel Head and Black Cabinet Doors. Grill has 5 Main Control Knobs and 1 Side Burner Knob.

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

Stainless Steel Member's Mark Stand Alone Grill with 8 Knobs, 2 Side Burners and Cabinet Doors.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 BG179A Gas Grill Main Piece of Modular Outdoor System. Stainless Steel Grill with Six Knobs and a Side Table.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 Gas Grill Front PanelCharbroil 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

Late Summer Grilling

Try a fresh piece of fish for your next grill meal!

Try a fresh piece of fish for your next grill meal!

Let’s admit – by the time we all get to August, we’re kind of done with the burgers and hot dogs. Even if you’re not totally sick of them, you should give it a break for just a few weeks because they will certainly become your staple again once football season starts back up.

For an alternative grilled dish, give a nice fresh fish a try! One of my favorites to throw on the grill is salmon. It has a pretty sturdy flesh which makes it much easier to maneuver on the grill.

The absolutely easiest way to cook fish on the grill is by putting it in an aluminum foil tray, smothering it with a garlic-herb butter and then just putting the tray directly onto the grill grids. You won’t get that pretty grill sear, but you are guaranteed that the fish won’t stick!

You can also use a cedar plank, just a sheet of aluminum, or put it directly on the cooking grid. Just make sure that if you do choose to put it on the grid, you oil it properly before placing the fish on it.  The safest way to oil a cooking grid is to put some oil on a paper towel and rub that thoroughly on the grid. Also, try to put your fish where the grid is the smoothest and the cleanest.

For even more tips, check out this video I made to answer a question from a customer!

That’s it for now! Do you have any tips on grilling fish? What’s your favorite thing to grill at the end of summer?

As Always- Happy Grilling!!
-Grill Girl

Happy Fourth of July

2016 is halfway gone…

Fourth of July Independence Day

Happy Fourth of July!

…and wow, what a year it has been.

Over here at GrillPartsSearch.com, we’ve been working very hard to keep up with all your orders and also a new project we’re very excited about! Soon you’ll start to notice some changes on our website.

Our hope is that these changes will make it easier than ever to find the perfect parts for your gas grill. After all, we’re here to get you back to grillin’!

Once our new site is up and functioning, you’ll see even more of this blog and GrillGirl videos to help you be the grillmaster yourself!

Happy Fourth of July Y’all! We hope you have a wonderful day with people that mean the most to you and a grill full of delicious food!

-GrillGirl

 

July Fourth Gas Grill Checklist

Are you grilling on a gas grill for the Fourth of July this weekend? Do this checklist TODAY:
1 – Remove and inspect the cooking grids and heat shields. Excessive rust or holes in these parts warrants replacing them!

Rust on the surface of your cooking grids, the area where you place your food, is gross at best. If you have a lot of rust or deterioration, get a new set! It’s amazing how a new cooking surface can affect your grilled food. Additionally, holes or excessive rust on the heat plates (heat shields, vap-o-riser bars, flavorizer bars, etc) can impact how the heat in your grill cooks your food. If you want an evenly heated grill, you need to have this system in good working order!

2 – Check the level of propane in your tank. Nothing dampens a party like running out of fuel.

You know you don’t want to have to leave your party to search for a new gas tank so you can finish cooking everyone’s food! If you have your grill hooked up to natural gas, of course this doesn’t apply to you. It’s easy to check the level of gas in your LP tank. Get some warm water and pour it over one side of the tank. The fuel inside will absorb the heat from the water, so when you run your hand down the side of the tank, it will feel warm and then cool. Wherever the tank starts feeling cool, that’s where your fuel level is. If it’s close to the bottom, go ahead and pick up an extra tank before your party!

3  – Before you put the other parts back in, visually inspect your burners (without removing them). Light them up using your ignition system. Are they burning evenly? Is the flame blue at the base?

You’ll want to make sure you don’t have any large holes or ares of flame coming out of your burners. If that is apparent, it is definitely time to replace the gas burners. More commonly, you will notice low areas of flame. If a visual inspection does not reveal any damage to the burners themselves, you may need to replace the regulator and hose that bring gas from the liquid propane tank to your grill. The regulator usually closes down over time so you will notice your grill heating up less and less. The good news is it’s an easy fix and definitely something we can get to you in a few days!

 

And if you have any questions at all, give us a call! We want to make sure your party is a success (but there is very little we can do the day before to help).
877-244-0737

Happy Fourth! -Grill Girl

Top 5 Grilling Gadgets for 2015

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!