Getting Your Grill Ready for Summer

Safety checks first

1. 1

   Look at the gas supply

   For propane, check the tank for dents, heavy rust or a damaged valve, and look at the date stamped on the collar. Standard 20 lb cylinders need to be requalified 12 years after manufacture, and most exchange programs won't take them after that. For natural gas, find the shutoff valve and make sure it turns.

2. 2

   Inspect the hose and regulator

   Bend the hose gently along its length. Cracks, stiffness, blisters or chew marks mean replace it. Look for corrosion on the regulator and fittings.

3. 3

   Soap-test the connections

   With the burner knobs off, open the gas and brush soapy water on every connection from the tank or supply to the grill's manifold. Bubbles mean a leak. Our step-by-step soap test guide explains it in detail.

4. 4

   Check for spiders and nests

   Pull the grates and heat plates and look at the burners. Shine a flashlight into the burner inlets at the front if you can. Webs, egg sacs or nesting material need to be cleared before lighting.

Cleaning before the season

If the grill hasn't had a deep clean in six months or more, now is the time.

• Grates scraped, soaked and scrubbed
• Heat plates or flavorizer bars cleaned and checked for holes
• Firebox scraped down, with old grease removed from the bottom
• Burners removed, ports cleared, venturi tubes brushed out
• Grease tray and drip pan emptied, cleaned and relined
• Inside of the hood scraped so carbon flakes don't fall into food
• Exterior stainless degreased and polished
• Cabinet and drawers below a built-in checked for droppings and spills

Test that everything works

1. 1

   Igniters

   Try each burner's igniter. You want a sharp spark and a light within a couple of seconds. If it clicks but won't catch, try a fresh battery in the ignition module first, then check that the electrode is clean and close to the burner.

2. 2

   Flame check

   Light every burner on high and look. Flames should be blue, steady and even along the whole burner, with at most small yellow tips. Large yellow, lazy or gapped flames mean blocked ports, a spider in the tube, or a worn burner.

3. 3

   Heat-up test

   Close the hood with everything on high and time how long it takes to reach 500 to 600 degrees. If it's much slower than you remember, something is restricting gas flow or heat.

4. 4

   Accessories

   Run the rotisserie motor and burner, the sear or infrared burner, side burners, and interior lights. These get used less and fail quietly.

Quick troubleshooting

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