Cleaning propane burners is essential for the proper operation and longevity of your grill. This allows heat to be transferred evenly and protects against possible dangers due to blockages or rusting. Proper upkeep on propane burners, particularly the burner tubes, ensures your grill will serve you through many barbecue seasons. Here is a guide on how to clean your propane burners with tips on how to use them properly.
Propane burners are the lifeblood of your grill. Metal tubes with evenly-spaced gas ports emit flames that’ll cook your food. All of the grease, marinades, and food debris that builds up over time with all of those grilling sessions coats the burners on the outside, and even more so, on the inside. That can clog the gas ports, little imbalance in them can create uneven heat distribution and reduce the efficiency of a burner. Blocked ports may eventually put pressure imbalances on the burner tubes and cause cracks or holes to appear, reducing the lifespan of your grill.
You should clean the propane burners at least every year, but more often depending on use; clean every three or four months if you frequently grill. Cleaning the burners will help maintain a stabilized and efficient flame: the final result will be tastier food and a safer grilling time.
Before you start, ensure that you have all of the following tools at hand:
Now that you’ve got all your tools aligned, here’s how to clean propane burners step by step.
Safety first when handling propane. Ensure that you turn the gas supply valve off from the propane tank, and unplug the propane from the grill so that there is no gas flow at any time while cleaning the burners.
Turn off the burners: Stand the grates holding the grates on which you cook. If your grill uses flame tamers or heat tents (those metal pieces sitting on top of the burners), pull those down as well. You are going to brush off any debris from the grates and from the flame tamers to set aside when you put everything back together.
There may be times when you need to remove propane burners for cleaning. To know exactly how to take your grills apart, refer to the user’s manual for your grill. Removing a few screws or detaching a couple of parts should give you access to the propane burners. Once these burners have been removed, look over them for debris and visible damage.
The gas ports-the little holes along the length of the burner affect evenly distributed flames. These will, over time, probably become clogged with grease and grime from cooking. Clear each port with a drill bit, paperclip, or toothpick-not pushing any debris further down the tube. Never use water, as moisture inside the burner tubes causes rust. For infrared burners, burn off all residue at high. Once cool, gently vacuum or brush off with a soft brush.
Sweep across the exterior of the burner tubes with a stainless steel bristle brush, cleaning off the grease and grunge here. Be very gentle while brushing across the gas ports so you are not bending or breaking the ends of the gas ports and clogging them up. On grills having electrodes soldered on the burners themselves for ignition, be careful not to damage the electrodes in this process. These too can be Degreased, the heavily greased burners. Spray it on, let it sit for a few minutes, and brush off the grime.
Air shutter screens are placed at the ends of the burners and regulate the air-to-gas ratio for proper combustion. Once these screens get clogged, your grill won’t burn properly, and you will observe a yellow flame instead of a blue one. To clean the air shutters you may be able to pull the control panel from under your grill, sometimes this is all you need to do before you can get to them. Take a soft-bristled brush like a toothbrush and gently rub it over the screens. You want to take a little care so you don’t bend or break the screens.
After you are done cleaning the burners, inspect for any obvious damage or wear that may be occurring such as cracks, holes, or soft spots. If you have apparent damage, the burners may be near the end and can experience a heating failure or even leakage that is dangerous.
Now that you’ve cleaned your burners and inspected them for damage, it’s time to reassemble. You will install your burners, making sure they’re tightened up well, and reinstall your flame tamers, cooking grates, and anything else you removed during the earlier stages.
In advance of grilling, connect the propane tank and light the grill to check the burners. The color of the flame should be an even blue up across the burner tubes. If it’s not or is mostly yellow, you’ll need to adjust your air shutters to get the proper air-to-gas mixture. You’ll find information in your grill manual on how this is done on your specific grill.
Clean out the rest of the grill- inside the lid, as well as the heat distribution system, if separate, before you go any further. Use a degreaser if you have to; let it sit, scrape off the grease with a putty knife, and then clean the surfaces down with a damp cloth or paper towel.
Even with appropriate care on your end, you will likely still experience some problems with propane burners. A sign of orifice hole clogs would be unevenly burning flames, or even yellow-colored flames after cleaning. Sometimes this happens due to the small holes at the ends of the burner tubes becoming clogged with grease, dirt, or even spider webs. Clean these up by using a brush or the vacuum cleaner, and inspect the clogging status.
If your burners are not producing an evenly lit flame, you will have to replace them. Replace with the correct size and type of burners designed for your grill model. Always refer to your owner’s manual while installing them.
Cleaning of propane burners is extremely essential for the efficiency and safety of your grill in order to ensure even heat distribution and longer life for the grill. The following guide will help you through the steps with proper use of the right tools in keeping your propane grill burners well-shaped for many more barbecue sessions ahead.
That is, you can avoid having to pay for the repair of your burners and get better cooking results by taking just a few extra minutes every few months to clean your burners. Remember that the heart of your grill is the propane burners-and just a little bit of maintenance can go a long way in keeping them healthy and functional for years to come.
Also Read: 8 Common Problems of Propane Tanks
