Since it's finally a bright sunny day in the upper left corner, near Seattle, I decided it was time to clean up the gasser for another season of grilling. Now, this is an ancient Brinkmann gasser, 4 burners and a side burner, and a sink/cooler on one side that I removed a long time ago, it just became a catchall for "stuff" . It has to be at least 25+ years old, very heavy and solid cart construction, and stainless doors, operator panel and covers. It's heavy!! I pledged when I bought it it would be my last gas grill, I wanted something durable and long lasting.
Over the years, it has been treated to a new set of cast iron burners, and a few cooking grate replacements. I think I got the last two sets of burners for this thing about 15 years ago, and I have one full set of replacements NIB. The only upgrades have been a set of Grill Grates to cover half the width, and they just sit on top of the ceramic coated grates.
I pulled the cover off (it lives outdoors on my deck, and has its whole life) to persuade the spiders to leave, and burn off what was left of last year's residue on the grates. Well, the spark ignition didn't work, and its seen better days.The rubber surrounding the push button has disintegrated. Well, I never gave these things much thought, they just seem to work. I imagined they were some sort of piezo device, like the smaller ones on my Weber tabletop grills. I suspected they were a commodity type of item, so I jumped on Amazon to see if I could find a replacement. Lots to choose from. But - and this is the part that amazed me - they all use a AA battery! I had no clue!! I'm flabbergasted - the original AA battery is still in mine, and it worked last season! It must have been the best OEM AA battery ever made. I unscrewed the button and pulled it out, it has visually failed in the leaking mode, and I suspect the internals of the spark generator have now rotted away.
Well, $12 and I can have a new one on my doorstep tomorrow. Good for another 25 years!
Over the years, it has been treated to a new set of cast iron burners, and a few cooking grate replacements. I think I got the last two sets of burners for this thing about 15 years ago, and I have one full set of replacements NIB. The only upgrades have been a set of Grill Grates to cover half the width, and they just sit on top of the ceramic coated grates.
I pulled the cover off (it lives outdoors on my deck, and has its whole life) to persuade the spiders to leave, and burn off what was left of last year's residue on the grates. Well, the spark ignition didn't work, and its seen better days.The rubber surrounding the push button has disintegrated. Well, I never gave these things much thought, they just seem to work. I imagined they were some sort of piezo device, like the smaller ones on my Weber tabletop grills. I suspected they were a commodity type of item, so I jumped on Amazon to see if I could find a replacement. Lots to choose from. But - and this is the part that amazed me - they all use a AA battery! I had no clue!! I'm flabbergasted - the original AA battery is still in mine, and it worked last season! It must have been the best OEM AA battery ever made. I unscrewed the button and pulled it out, it has visually failed in the leaking mode, and I suspect the internals of the spark generator have now rotted away.
Well, $12 and I can have a new one on my doorstep tomorrow. Good for another 25 years!
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