NoClueQ
MemberGot rid of the matchlight.
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2015
- Location
- Colorado...
Hello,
Search "short version" to get to the meat.
I have read the forum for a while, so I figured this would be the place to ask my question. I actually started with the ugly drum smoker.
I have a 3 burner Infrared Grill. It is the one with inserts that look like shallow pans with raised lines and holes in the bottom. I have had it for approx. 3 years.
I had an old Weber gas grill. It had 3 burners but the burners ran across the grill as opposed to front to back. It was at least 15 years old and still worked OK. I say OK because it never worked good. In the cold you could barely cook. Forget searing. This started the first winter I used it. I got the tip about purging the regulator to reset the safety valve, still too cold in the winter. I was not a fan of Weber gas grills but recently I was loaned a new Spirit 3 burner stainless grill. Very nice....
Anyway the Char broil was bought cheap (1/2 price). It worked great. It would max out the attached thermometers very quickly. Even on the coldest day I had to use lower heat to not burn the food. I grill when it's 20 or 30 outside. The heat was fairly consistent from one end, to the other. The only complaint I had/have is that a whisper blows the flame out. In the daylight you can't see the flame is out. I am also NOT fond of cleaning these insert plates. It has virtually no rust at all.
Recently it has started getting a hotspot on the grill. I took it apart and cleaned it up. I switched the grill inserts, and the flavor bars around. I could move the hotspot to the other seam by switching parts. The hotspot is on either seam of the center insert, not on the ends.
I pulled the tops and checked out the flames. They all looked the same size and color, mostly blue. I checked the flavor bars and grill tops, they all appeared the same.
Tonight I lit the grill and I could see the flames through the holes in the grill inserts. And yes, this is the first time I have grilled with this unit in the dark. I noticed that there were no flames on either end of the grill. And the flames in the center looked more yellow. I know that's an air adjustment. I even looked in the holes in the ends of the firebox, and neither end had any flames at all.
I picked up the end grill insert. Almost instantly, a fairly large ball of fire worked it's way up the inside of grill. I pulled back and the burner was lit. All of the burners were lit.
Here's the short version.
I pull the grill inserts and all of the burners lite normally, with a mostly blue flame. Put all of the inserts on top of the grill and both end burners will only light on the inside, flames very yellow. The middle burner lites and goes from blue to yellow.
There is a small, approx 1" hole in each end of the grill. There is a hole, approx 2.5", in the bottom for the drip pan, there is a rectangular hole approx 2"x3" in the back. All of these should provide for airflow when the inserts are on the grill.
This grill has a fairly new regulator as the original one started leaking. It was two years old at the time. I have cleaned out the small holes in the inserts to see if that helped. It didn't seem to.
I don't see how putting the inserts on can change the air ratio that much. There are several nice sized holes for air to flow through. I have no clue why the end burners don't stay lit on the outside edge. Just the fact that the outside edges go out may be enough to change the flame color to yellow.
I am hoping some of the pros here can give me a clue as to what is wrong.
Thank you very much for your help.
Steve
Search "short version" to get to the meat.
I have read the forum for a while, so I figured this would be the place to ask my question. I actually started with the ugly drum smoker.
I have a 3 burner Infrared Grill. It is the one with inserts that look like shallow pans with raised lines and holes in the bottom. I have had it for approx. 3 years.
I had an old Weber gas grill. It had 3 burners but the burners ran across the grill as opposed to front to back. It was at least 15 years old and still worked OK. I say OK because it never worked good. In the cold you could barely cook. Forget searing. This started the first winter I used it. I got the tip about purging the regulator to reset the safety valve, still too cold in the winter. I was not a fan of Weber gas grills but recently I was loaned a new Spirit 3 burner stainless grill. Very nice....
Anyway the Char broil was bought cheap (1/2 price). It worked great. It would max out the attached thermometers very quickly. Even on the coldest day I had to use lower heat to not burn the food. I grill when it's 20 or 30 outside. The heat was fairly consistent from one end, to the other. The only complaint I had/have is that a whisper blows the flame out. In the daylight you can't see the flame is out. I am also NOT fond of cleaning these insert plates. It has virtually no rust at all.
Recently it has started getting a hotspot on the grill. I took it apart and cleaned it up. I switched the grill inserts, and the flavor bars around. I could move the hotspot to the other seam by switching parts. The hotspot is on either seam of the center insert, not on the ends.
I pulled the tops and checked out the flames. They all looked the same size and color, mostly blue. I checked the flavor bars and grill tops, they all appeared the same.
Tonight I lit the grill and I could see the flames through the holes in the grill inserts. And yes, this is the first time I have grilled with this unit in the dark. I noticed that there were no flames on either end of the grill. And the flames in the center looked more yellow. I know that's an air adjustment. I even looked in the holes in the ends of the firebox, and neither end had any flames at all.
I picked up the end grill insert. Almost instantly, a fairly large ball of fire worked it's way up the inside of grill. I pulled back and the burner was lit. All of the burners were lit.
Here's the short version.
I pull the grill inserts and all of the burners lite normally, with a mostly blue flame. Put all of the inserts on top of the grill and both end burners will only light on the inside, flames very yellow. The middle burner lites and goes from blue to yellow.
There is a small, approx 1" hole in each end of the grill. There is a hole, approx 2.5", in the bottom for the drip pan, there is a rectangular hole approx 2"x3" in the back. All of these should provide for airflow when the inserts are on the grill.
This grill has a fairly new regulator as the original one started leaking. It was two years old at the time. I have cleaned out the small holes in the inserts to see if that helped. It didn't seem to.
I don't see how putting the inserts on can change the air ratio that much. There are several nice sized holes for air to flow through. I have no clue why the end burners don't stay lit on the outside edge. Just the fact that the outside edges go out may be enough to change the flame color to yellow.
I am hoping some of the pros here can give me a clue as to what is wrong.
Thank you very much for your help.
Steve
