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Replacing Regulator on Propane Grill

1K views 6 replies 7 participants last post by  FlintMich 
#1 ·
After a few cooking sessions where my Lowe's Char-Broil grill never got up to searing temperature, I began to investigate the issue. Since the problem has happened on more than one tank, I'll say malfunctioning tank valves are not the culprit. Since the grill temp has reached 500 degrees a few times during the period I have been experiencing the problem, I'm thinking it's not a burner issue either, so I'm looking at the regulator.

I've heard people comment in the past about the suspect quality of the regulators on lower-priced grills, so I am willing to source it from someone besides the grill parts rack at the big box stores. So, what brands or product lines would you propane grill-masters recommend I look for to make the replacement?

Thanks,

Steve
 
#3 · (Edited)
this was the problem with mine specially if it sat and was hot out till I learned about it ( the valve in question causing the problems is in the regulator ) , my wife would always have the problems lighting it if she used it last as she made the mistake of opening the tank valve up fast and shut the grill off by shutting the gas off at the bottle first and letting it burn out of the lines which also screws it up ( upsets the pressure when you reopen it ) .
 
#4 ·
A safety point about that video.

The valve on fuel gas bottles (propane, acetylene, etc) should not be opened more than 1/4 turn.

Should something go wrong and a fire ensues, a flick of the wrist will cut off the fuel supply. This procedure was emphasized when I took my industrial fuel gas cutting and welding course, and again when I took the gas fitting course to get my ticket.

Opening the bottle valve fully does not push any more propane through the regulator, but it can result in a surprisingly large jet of flame if a fire melts the hose before it can be closed.

The reason for a valve that can be opened more than 1/4 turn on fuel gas bottles is to fill them in a reasonable amount of time. It takes about a minute to fill a 20 lb propane bottle. It takes about 4 hours for a 125,000 BTU barbecue to run the tank dry.
 
#5 ·
I've had to purchase a few of this type of regulators for my outdoor cookers due to dirt dobbers clogging the the inlet side of the regulator ( I now keep the unconnected regulators in plastic bags), also had a couple just fail due to age is my guess.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KRP46W0?psc=1

I like to have the adjustable regulators on my cookers so I can control the gas flow / heat that I want more than a preset regulator.

:thThumbsU ***NOTE: Be safe and do not put to much pressure to a burner that isn't designed to handle it!!! :thThumbsU
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#6 ·
I bought a few year old Ducane grill for $10 from a yard sale maybe three years ago. Looked nice. Grilled with it once, decided it was cheap because it didn't get very hot. Tried adjusting the regulator to no avail. Ended up swapping out the regulator off my old grill before scrapping it out, and it's been fine ever since.
 
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