Propane Grill Infrared Burner Question

[Rick Blaine]

I bought a Charbroil grill from Lowes a few months ago. It has 3 main burners, a side burner, a ceramic rotisserie burner and a ceramic infrared searing burner. The thre main burners work great as does the side burner.

However, for the life of me I can't get the two ceramic burners to work. Using the spark lighter or a grill lighter, I can occasionally see a small wave of blue flame moving across the burner plate, but it doesn't take. Yes - know those types of burners aren't supposed to have a visible flame. There's no burning going on at all - no heat.

I've checked the jets and there's definitely gas coming out of the valve. There's no adjustible air valve as far as I can see. Any ideas as to what I can try?

-- "Tell me what I should do, Annie." "Stay. Here. Forever." - Life On Mars

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Are you saying that blue flame goes out? The way these things work is the blue flame heats the ceramic and the ceramic radiates the infrared. It takes a few minutes to start feeling the heat from the infra red, but the flame should be thee all the time.

You may also want to ask this on alt.food.barbecue Just ignore the replies that will tell you to scrap the gas and get charcoal.

[gfretwell]

Take it back to Lowes. They will probably just give you a new one

[Rick Blaine]

I bought a Charbroil grill from Lowes a few months ago. It has 3 main burners, a side burner, a ceramic rotisserie burner and a ceramic infrared searing burner. The thre main burners work great as does the side burner.

However, for the life of me I can't get the two ceramic burners to work. Using the spark lighter or a grill lighter, I can occasionally see a small wave of blue flame moving across the burner plate, but it doesn't take. Yes - know those types of burners aren't supposed to have a visible flame. There's no burning going on at all - no heat.

I've checked the jets and there's definitely gas coming out of the valve. There's no adjustible air valve as far as I can see. Any ideas as to what I can try?

Yep - the blue flame rolls across the ceramic plate but immedately goes out.

Good Idea!

:)

-- "Tell me what I should do, Annie." "Stay. Here. Forever." - Life On Mars

[Nonnymus]

Have you checked for spider webs in the air intake area, around the jet?

Nonny

[Rick Blaine]

Yep... Ran my finger across the jet and felt the gas coming out.

-- "Tell me what I should do, Annie." "Stay. Here. Forever." - Life On Mars

[Nonnymus]

No, it would be the big tube that the jet is shooting the gas into. Spiders somehow love the smell of the gas or odorant, and tend to build webs there. Use a test tube brush or bottle brush and clean out the big tube.

Nonny

[Rick Blaine]

Thanks, but the infrared burners don't have those kind of tubes. The jet sprays into a large pan like structure and the gas percolates up through the ceramic plate. In any case, as unboxed the grill and the burners never worked, I think the problem lies elsewhere.

-- "Tell me what I should do, Annie." "Stay. Here. Forever." - Life On Mars

[Nick Cramer]

Also, he said the flame was blue. If the air intake was blocked, the flame would be yellow, eh.

[hrbricker]

Fire requires just three ingredients; fuel, air and an ignition source. As you have already stated you have start-up fuel, air and and ignition source. You just don't have sustaining fuel.

[hallerb]

I blow compressed air thru my grill burners occasionaly, to clean them.

just last week right burner refused to stay lit.

compressor blew out a good bit of white dusty substance no doubt a spiderweb.

[Rick Blaine]

Makes sense. Now I just need to figure out _why_. And what to adjust.

-- "Tell me what I should do, Annie." "Stay. Here. Forever." - Life On Mars

[Nonnymus]

The ones he has must be different than mine. If it was broken out of the box, I'm probably doubly wrong and not just singly wrong.

[Shawn]

Take it back to the store.

[Rick Blaine]

Sigh. For anyone Googling this in the future, a definite case of not RTFM.

The ceramic burners will not hold a flame until they get hot. Basically, you have to hold the ignitor until the ceramic gets red hot. That's easily a full two minutes. They are also sensitive to gas flow, so having other burners running may starve them of the gas they need to stay lit.

-- "Tell me what I should do, Annie." "Stay. Here. Forever." - Life On Mars

[Rick Blaine]

-- "Tell me what I should do, Annie." "Stay. Here. Forever." - Life On Mars