On my gas burner, a Napoleon Prestige 500, the ss sear grate looks aweful, rusting.... the ss grates in the grill still look great (no pun intended) after 5 years. Does the high temp of the sear burner change the properties of the stainless steel? This is the 3rd time I have replaced it in 5 years
I did not think to ask about warranty in the past, when I called Napoleon this week I got the message they are on reduced support so I just ordered another grate on amazon, think ot was about $36 so not a huge deal
heating stainless steel over 450° causes the carbon and chromium to bond, lowering the chromium percentage, making it difficult to create the layer of chromium oxide that keeps stainless from rusting. In other words, it's going to keep happening. It's normal.
thanks texastweeter I was thinking about this some more last night. I often put a cast iron pan on the sear grate and never on the grill grates. The grill grates are in very good shape. Could the cast iron pan be adding iron to the the ss sear grate and be causing this? just thinking out loud....
if so, I’ll save the rusty grate for searing the cast iron pan
Last edited by smokenoob; April 11, 2020, 07:15 AM.
You can probably passivate it by removing the rust, either mechanically or with a nitric or phosphoric acid solution for a few minutes and letting it air dry. Oxalic acid should work too, so Bar Keepers Friend is an option, both the powdered cleanser and the spray cleaner they make. Citric acid also works, and it's cheap and available at the grocery store (probably in the baking aisle). Vinegar might work, but I'm not sure of the chemistry there, it won't do anything to stainless normally, but once it's corroded I don't know.
I'd just go to town on that with a green scrubby pad, a brass brush, and the BKF spray until all the loose rust is gone and then soak it down with the BKF and let it dry. That should rebuild the chromium oxide layer. Repeat when it looks like it's starting to corrode.
That sucks. I rotate mine so the same grate isn't always getting hammered. I also have not had my blaze for a long time. Not long enough to see damage. Blaze cooking grids come with a lifetime warranty so if mine rust I will be cashing in on that.
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