What If The Grill Doesn’t Light?

Posted on March 27, 2023 by Grill Girl

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

July Fourth Gas Grill Checklist

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Grill Girl

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

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!!)