Does my Genesis need a new manifold??

[cindersnj]

My Weber Genesis Manual says 1100LP. I got it from Home Depot in 2000. It still works and looks OK. I have replaced the flavorizer bars once and the crossover burner. I don't remember if I replaced the original burners. The burners look ok, the flavorizer bars are good enough. The ORIGINAL ignitor still works. We only grill once a week, if that. The outside is OK except for the top which is blotchy, but I can live with it. I do need a new tank, but can easily just swap it out instead of getting it refilled next time. I bought an adaptor for the quick connect. I love the quick connect. The frame seems to be pretty rust free, maybe some I don't really see. The brackets holding the durawood shelves are very blistered from rust..

Considered a new one, but after some reading I realized there is no real point...We don't entertain a lot.

My concern is my manifold. It looks very rusty. The grill operates fine and I don't smell gas. I tried to clean the valves but could only get the screws out of one valve (the one near the ignitor). I could only get one screw out of the other two valves. One does seem to sort of stop at the setting points, the other doesn't click into place.

Given it's age, is there any point to replacing the manifold? I'm afraid I'd need a new regulator if I do because I don't know if the old one will screw in and out properly to a new manifold.I did clean the whole thing up pretty good, without touching the manifold other than the valves.

Any advice? My budget for a new one would limit be to the 3 burner Spirit or maybe a BroilKing since they are still made in USA!! I want my net grill to last a log time too, but this one still has life in it and I'm willing to invest a little. Main concern is the manifold safety. I have more pics if you want. Thanks for the help!

 

[Capt]

It is hard to say just by looking at it. But if you do not smell gas then I imagine it is holding just fine. I would just make sure to turn off the gas at the tank when not using it. As you know Webers last a long time and you have sure gotten some miles off of yours!

 

[Demosthenes9]

Yep. If it's not leaking and the valves are functioning, I wouldn't replace it. Remove it, coat it with some rust encapusulator, and reinstall.

The rust encapusulator will seal the metal so no air can get to it, effectively halting the rust

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

 

[Happy Hapgood]

I would take a wire brush to the burner ports and loose paint. Knock it off and then empty the the catch pan. Do you get any salt sea air? Looks like some type of corrosion on those pipes. Nothing but oxidation on the burners though.


Just my .02. Good Luck!

 

[cindersnj]

Thanks for the tip, I didn't know there was such a thing as rust encapsulator! I'll give it a try as long as it can't hurt. I cleaned out the whole grill and did wire brush the burners. The pics were before I did that.

I could only clean the one valve and it turns properly now, clicking where it should. I couldn't get the other 2 out. I did spray wd40 but it didn't help. The screw heads seem soft like they will strip. The other 2 turn , but without clicking. I had thought they were "variable" and that I could set it for medium-high...I realize now that I should be stopping at the marks for lo, med, or high and not in between. Does stopping in between work????

 

[Demosthenes9]

Thanks for the tip, I didn't know there was such a thing as rust encapsulator! I'll give it a try as long as it can't hurt. I cleaned out the whole grill and did wire brush the burners. The pics were before I did that.

I could only clean the one valve and it turns properly now, clicking where it should. I couldn't get the other 2 out. I did spray wd40 but it didn't help. The screw heads seem soft like they will strip. The other 2 turn , but without clicking. I had thought they were "variable" and that I could set it for medium-high...I realize now that I should be stopping at the marks for lo, med, or high and not in between. Does stopping in between work????

You're welcome. Yeah, encapsulator is nice stuff. Eastwood makes a great product, but I believe you can get Rustoleum encapsulator from HD or your hardware store for less.

As to the valve, honestly, I never really paid attention to that on Webers. I did almost all my grilling on high, low, or indirect What I'd do is pull off the grates and the FBs, wait till early evening when it's getting a bit darker outside, fire up the grill and just watch the burner tubes as you adjust the knobs. You should be able to tell if you just have three settings, as the flames will be low, medium and high, or if it's "variable" as the flames would slightly increase as you turn the valve.

 

[jpbsarris]

I'd wire brush it off as much as possible and then fire it up and test it with some dish washing soap mixed with a little water to see if you have any pinholes. You will see a lot of bubbles if you do. You should also soap around the valves to see if the o rings or seals are leaking. If no leaks then coat the manifold with the rust converter. It only has about a half pound of pressure from the regulator so any leak will be minimal. You might try PB Blaster to see if you can free up the stuck screws. It's good stuff, spray it several times and let it soak for a couple of days.

 

[SonnyE]

It's 19 years old Cindy.
If you want to take it apart, clean it up, and paint the rusted steel, you could.
But from what I can see, I think I would be shopping around for your next BBQ.
And since you are use to a gas BBQ, I'd be looking at those.

My next (if ever) is going to be a combo. Gas for fast, with a seperate for Charcoal/Wood. My eye is full of this one:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Char-Gr...uel-Grill-with-Smoker-in-Black-3070/302624342

Or maybe this one:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Oklahoma-Joe-s-Black-Dual-function-Combo-Grill/1000576203

But ultimately, it has to be able to do Natural Gas. (Jetting change)