Category Archives: Heat Dispersal

Why Don’t Gas Grills Use Lava Rock Anymore?

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If you’ve heard of lava rocks for gas grills or gas grill rocks, you may be wondering why don’t gas grills use lava rock anymore?

Lava rock for grills and fire pits. why don't gas grills use lava rock anymore

These naturally occurring volcanic rocks are perfect at withstanding and holding large amounts of heat. Because they’re porous and made of volcanic material, they also diffuse the heat evenly. Lava rock creates a perfect heat trap for the flame of a gas grill and radiates the heat as infrared energy to cook your food. So why don’t gas grills use lava rock anymore?

Why Don’t Gas Grills Use Lava Rock Anymore?

In every single gas grill there’s a gas burner. The burner produces a flame that produces heat to cook your food. However, heat rises and dissipates in the air too easily to cook your food if it isn’t trapped. An uncovered flame results in uneven or inadequate heat for effective cooking.

This is why grill manufacturers cover the burners in gas grills, but before they started using little metal plates, gas grills used to cover the burners with natural lava rock. 

Original gas grills used lava rock with the gas supplying the combustion for heat beneath a layer of lava rocks. The lava rocks themselves sat on grates, called lava rock grates or briquette grates.

The Advantages of Lava Rocks for Gas Grills

Lava rock naturally radiates infrared heat into your food when heated by the flame from your gas grill burner. That radiated heat cooks your food more evenly and leaves it simmering delightfully in the even glow of the lava rock bed.

Lava rock also retains heat on cold and windy days. It stays warmer for longer than metal plates for your gas grill do, instead of losing heat each time the grill cabin is opened.

Grillers who use lava rock lay them out on a metal grate fitted to their grill for lava rock, placing all the largest rocks in neat rows over the burners first and around the outside of the grill, then filling in the spaces between them with an even scattering of the smaller lava rocks for gas grills. See this video for a visual!

The Big Box Retailers Import Cheap Mentality

So why don’t gas grills use lava rock anymore?

Many years back, the gas grill segment bought into big box retailer mentality of marketing. We saw the cheapest mass-produced assemblies imported from foreign manufacturers. 

Shipping 3 to 5 pieces of bent sheet metal in neatly standardized packaging from an overseas assembly line for the grill saved the grill manufacturers time, hassle, and money over sourcing volcanic lava rock. Not all lava rock is the same. For gas grills you need suitable size and quality for cooking. Additionally, the manufacturers no longer needed to provide the grate where the lava rock sat. They exchanged a higher quality product and experience for a cheaper solution on their end. 

So the metal burner covers won out in the industry, and slick ad copy campaigns touting the superiority of metal plates got the consumer to go along with the change.

But these are lower quality burner covers for gas grills. They’re not nearly as nice as lava rock. They don’t hold and distribute the heat from your gas burner as well as lava and the rocks look good and are more fun to barbecue over.

So why doesn’t your gas grill use lava rock?

You can get lava rock for your grill!

At this time, we have an exact-fit kit for some Weber Models. Check for availability for your grill! We are working to develop more exact fit solutions. In the meantime, browse our selection of grates that can hold up lava rock in your grill.

Questions? Let us know in the comments or send us an email [email protected]

What’s the Deal with Stainless Steel?

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Original Publish Date 02-15-2013

stainless steel

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

Photo by Yender Fonseca from Pexels

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Nexgrill Grillmaster Before & After

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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

July Fourth Gas Grill Checklist

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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

It’s Warm(ER)! Go Grill Something!

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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:

  1. 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!
  2. Look on the back of the grill for a model number. This will help immensely as you look for replacement parts on the internet.
  3. 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!
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

Call our customer service to help you today! If you can’t find your gas grill model number, measure the parts you need to replace. Our phone number is 877-244-0737.

 

And as always – Happy Grilling! –GG

Is That a Set?

Quote

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One of our most frequently asked questions is whether we sell products in sets or individually. Most of our products we sell individually. You can always look at the picture though, if you’re not sure. If there’s one in the picture, they are sold individually. If there’s more than one in the picture, it’s a set.

Here’s one of our sales reps, Cadarius, on the how he explains it to customers:

Customer: I’m looking to buy some heat plates for my grill. Is the price on your website for a package of 3?
Cadarius: The price on our website is per piece, we sell those heat plates individually.
Customer: Well that’s a little much for one.
Cadarius: The price of our products might be a little higher than the prices you see from competitors or on Amazon. The reason is because the majority of our heat plates are stainless steel and made is the USA. This means they will last longer and perform better than the porcelain coated heat plates or lower quality steel plates you might find elsewhere.

quality, parts, grill parts

The main take-away here? You get what you pay for – and also, you get what’s pictured.

As always, if you have any questions, just call!!

-GG

Why Do I Have Flare-Ups?

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Flare-ups in your grill are not always a sign something bad is happening.

Sometimes a bit of grease hits a flame and – poof – you see the flame because it was fueled for a moment and jumped up into your line of sight.

However, if you have a lot of flare-ups, or one spot that seems to flare a lot, that’s probably going to be a problem you can easily fix.

The first thing to check if your “heat dispersal.” What’s covering your burner? Is it protected properly from the drippings of your food? If there are large holes, your plate is falling apart, or missing entirely, that’s why you have the flare-ups!

Here’s a little video to show how easy it is to fix that problem:

Easily find your heat dispersal replacement now!

If you have brand new heat plates, heat tents, vapor bars, flavor bars (or whatever you call them!), and you still have flare-ups, give us a call. We’re always happy to help! 877-244-0737

-GG

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Replacing the Heat Shield – with Video

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Hey Y’all! Grill Girl here!


Today we’re going to be replacing the heat shields on Charbroil 463268606 grill.

You will notice it’s time to replace the heat shields (or heat plates, vaporiser bars, flavorizer bars) when they are rusting excessively or have areas that have rusted through, leaving holes. In this case, we could bend the heat shield in half, it was so rusted.

This is a very simple job and usually all you have to do is lift out the old heat shield and set in the new heat shield.

Notice there used to be a peg in the casting of the grill that has rusted away to nothing. You can just rest the heat shield on the casting of the grill. It is still far enough away from the burner that no flames will touch it.

We used a stainless steel plate to replace the original porcelain coated plate. The stainless steel will long outlast the original.

Look at that pretty, shiny new stainless steel part!

Thanks for watching! -GG

Thanks to RutgerMuller for our beats

What’s Covering My Burner?

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There are a lot of different ways to cover the burner in your grill. Some manufacturers cover it completely, some with metal, ceramic, or a combination of each!

While you want the part made exactly for your grill, the most important thing is to cover the burner itself. That’s why getting the measurements of the original piece in your grill is helpful when searching for a replacement. If the part will stay up in your grill, and it protects your burner, then it will work.

Here are the three main objectives of covering your gas grill burner:

protect the burner and prolong its life – by catching grease drippings

distribute the heat and reduce flare-ups- by dispersing the heat as it rises from the flame

add flavor – by vaporising those drippings and adding smoky grill flavor

Don’t slack on those three things! There are a few different systems available:

Briquette / Lava Rock Grates

are the original design to protect the burner from grease and distribute the heat from the flames. The grate sits on a ledge or tabs directly over the burner and holds briquettes or lava rock. They are listed on our website using the width (left to right dimension) and the depth (front to back dimension). You’ll need to replace the briquette grate when it is breaking apart and can no longer hold up briquettes or lava rock.

Briquettes / Lava Rock

is the material held by a grate that actually covers the burner. Briquettes are formed round, square or pyramid pieces of porcelain or ceramic. The porcelain briquettes are the most expensive and longest lasting; 5+ years. The ceramic briquettes are about half the price of porcelain and will break apart in 3-5 years. Lava rock is actual rock from volcanoes and is the most porous. It will add a lot of flavor but break apart in about 3 years.

Heat Angles/Heat Plates

This is the newer design to protect the burner, distribute the heat and add flavor to the cooking in a gas grill. In many grills, there is one heat plate per burner. However, there are also some grills that use two heat plates to span more than two burners. There are even a few grills that use only one plate for the entire grill. Heat plates are made to replace the need for briquettes or lava rock and a grate. There are some grills that are made with a heat plate that also hold up some kind of ceramic briquette as well. You will need to replace your heat plate if the original has holes or is falling apart.

Troubleshooting

If there is no heat plate or heat angle listed using your model number, get the dimensions of your original piece and call customer service. They will be happy to see if they have anything that is close. In many cases, a heat plate or angle will work in a grill even if it is not made specifically for that grill. The most important thing is that the heat plate covers the burner. If you don’t have any heat plate in your grill, look and see if there are ledges just above the burner. That’s where the plate or grate will sit. Measure the distance between ledges, front to back and left to right. We can find something that will work! If you want to change the system style in your grill, that is also possible. Just get dimensions and as much information about what your currently have.

If you have any other questions, just let us know!!

Happy Summer! It’s finally here!

-GG

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Repair Your Gas Grill or Replace It?

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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!!)