Low Flame Problems on Your Gas Grill or Griddle? Possible Easy Fix…

[Panhead John]

I just ran across this video and thought I’d share it with y’all. While the video is referring to a gas grill, the same would apply to all of us gas griddle owners as well. I wonder how many of us have experienced this without knowing the reason why?….and then blamed it on a faulty regulator. Very informative for anyone using a propane tank. The only miscue he makes is calling his pair of channel locks “wrenches”. I also recommend using actual wrenches if you do replace the regulator.

[captainlee]

I just replaced my 15 year old grill regulator last week. It was the regulator ! According to my RV tech bad regulators are pretty common, especially the ones that are connected to two LP tanks and switch the tanks automatically when one is low. On my brand-new truck camper years ago I had a bad regulator from the start. Interesting and informative video though and a good procedure before you go out and purchase a new one.

[GolfGeezer]

In case you all missed it from a year ago, a tidbit I posted. It’s shorter than the video.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...lighting-issue. Post #4

[jfmorris]

Here is the direct link to post #4

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/gas-grills-and-smokers/napoleon/1404930-napoleon-prestige-gas-grill-lighting-issue?p=1404993#post1404993

[GolfGeezer]

Thxs! I couldn’t figure out how to do that on my iPad. Another demerit against my tech weenie card….

[Donw]

This use to be a common problem with the Smoke.Vaults in the past. This was our standard solution. However it is good to remind folks about this issue as it comes up less frequently now and the search function doesn’t seem to go back very far so people can find all the old questions and answers. One thing I would add is look for insect blockages in the hose too.

[Michael_in_TX]

When I saw Panhead John 's name and then read the post title, my first thought was "oh dear, this is going to involve an interesting, novel, but perhaps slightly unsafe use of a flamethrower."

[jfmorris]

I've posted this before, back as far as 2018 I think, but as someone else mentioned, it's not always easy to find stuff in the search. Weber has a great explanation for WHY LP regulators get stuck, and how to reset them. If reset doesn't work, then the regulator usually needs to be replaced.

https://www.weber.com/US/en/blog/burning-questions/why-wont-your-gas-grill-get-hot-its-probably-in-bypass-mode/weber-29816.html

[Mosca]

My belief is that you should always shut the gas off at the tank when not in use. When turning on the gas, turn it on in the order it flows: tank, then burners. When shutting down, it’s the opposite: burners, then tank. That keeps the bypass valve untriggered.

And, sometimes regulators do go bad. Just do the reset first to make sure!

[jfmorris]

This is EXACTLY the order to do it in. If you turn off the tank, but leave even one burner knob open, the next time you turn on the tank, that regulator goes into bypass mode, and you have the low flame issue, because the safety valve thinks there is a leak.

[Panhead John]

Ok, it looks like I’ve been doing one thing wrong. When done cooking, I’ve been turning off the gas at the tank FIRST, then turning off the burners. So I should turn off the burners first, then the tank?

[jfmorris]

Panhead John yes. Turn off burners, then tank. It won't hurt to leave a little pressure in the line.

[Oak Smoke]

I bought a hose to go from my propane bottle to my table top Blackstone. The flame was terrible so I ordered a new regulator. That had no beneficial effect either. I took the hose to my propane dealer where I had bought it to see if something was wrong with it. There was a small spring operated valve in the hose just above where it hooked on the tank. It’s a cheap flimsy thing whose purpose is to regulate flow rate not pressure. The propane guys said if that falls out your grill will work like it’s supposed to. So when I got it home I used a little hand pick much like a dental pick to pop it out. It came out so easy it’s apparent it was designed to be removed. The flame on the small Blackstone went from about a quarter inch high to one inch high. It made the difference between a 210 F Chuds press sitting on top of it to a 600F press. It is a safety device that is so safe that your cooker is useless with it installed.

[barelfly]

My dad had this happen but he returned the hose he bought because he couldn’t get a flame, or even keep the flame going. I think he ended up buying the Blackstone extension for his 2 burner table top…I think. I’ll have to ask him when he gets back from his 2 month long travel trip. He connects directly to the travel trailer propane but at the lake house we were using the longer hose, so maybe this will help.

[captainlee]

I had one of them but when the gas was flowing it whistled a very high pitched sound. Did what you mentioned and that was the end of the noise.

[Jerod Broussard]

I had a fairly cheap regulator kit for the vertical I built and the temps kept dropping. I replaced with a regulator kit that was 2-3x more $$ and immediately felt the difference. Problem solved.

[Hulagn1971]

Switched my regulator and hose from my turkey fryer to the Blackstone. You can crank it as hot as you'd want, just be careful not to warp the griddle lol.