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!

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

Hello fellow grill fanatics and welcome to the first warm breath of air in 2015! Was this weekend not beautiful!?

I cannot wait to get our grill back into working order for the Spring and Summer seasons! Did you know that right now is the best time to pull out your grill and check it for working parts?

Keep the grill you love in your backyard and out of the landfill this year by replacing the old parts instead of the whole grill! You will save money and, in many cases, end up with a grill that works better than ever!

Here’s your checklist for Grill Spring Cleaning:

Remove cover (carefully) and make sure there are no bugs who used it as their cover over the winter! Don’t have a cover for your grill? You should definitely get one! Covering your grill will help it cook better for longer!

Look on the back of the grill for a model number. This will help immensely as you look for replacement parts on the internet.

Take the cooking grids off your grill and inspect them. Your grid could be cast iron, steel bar, or stainless steel and coated in a variety of things. It might be hard to determine any of that if you have rusting or other corrosion. Clean the grids with a Brass Bristled Brush. If you notice a large amount of rusting or any breakage, put them on your list to replace!

Under the grids you’ll see some system that covers the actual flame of the grill burners. This could be metal heat plates, shields, angles, or another grate that holds briquettes. Drippings and the heat of normal grilling will cause these to discolor and corrode. Since your food doesn’t go on these directly, you don’t need to worry about rust. However, if your heat plates have large holes, are breaking or if your grates don’t hold up the briquettes, it’s time to replace those as well.

Remove the heat plates or briquettes and you should be looking down on the burner system in your grill. With the hood open, light your grill. The burners should each light up and produce a consistent blue flame all along the outside of the burner. If you have any extra large flames, yellow flames, or burners that don’t light fully, you should may need to replace the burners. Any large holes or major corrosion is cause to replace these pieces. If the burners look great, but you’re not getting enough flame, it could be your gas source, valve or regulator.

Tag Archives: lighter

What If The Grill Doesn’t Light?