Hello everyone. My name is kal and I am new to this forum. I have a Weber Q 300. It is about 4 years old. I read recently in the local news about a gas BBQ explosion. It did not say if it was a Weber Q and why it exploded but it makes me wonder if that can happen to a Weber Q. I live in northern California and I grill on the average 1 – 2 times per week if it is not raining. I clean the cooking grates, the drip tray and the top of the burners periodically. I check for gas leaks every time I change propane tanks with soapy water. When I googled the subject matter, I found that gas BBQ’s explode more often than I thought. Does anyone here worry about this besides me? Thanks.
Gas BBQ explosion
- Thread starter Kal C.
- Start date
Brett Grant
TVWBB Fan
I am not a fire fighter, but my dad was. He told me long ago (shattering the imagination of a 10 year old), that most things don't actually explode. A fireball is not uncommon, but things don't actually go flying apart that often.
That is not to say that you shouldn't worry about gas leaks and such, but it sounds like you use your grill enough to notice is something is amiss.
I don't have a Q, does it use a rubber hose to connect to the propane? If so, that can deteriorate especially in the sun. If something rubber is cracked, like a hose or a gasket, that is something to be concerned about.
Be sure to start your grill with the lid up/open and I think that you will be fine if you up your useage it 3-5 times per week
Brett
That is not to say that you shouldn't worry about gas leaks and such, but it sounds like you use your grill enough to notice is something is amiss.
I don't have a Q, does it use a rubber hose to connect to the propane? If so, that can deteriorate especially in the sun. If something rubber is cracked, like a hose or a gasket, that is something to be concerned about.
Be sure to start your grill with the lid up/open and I think that you will be fine if you up your useage it 3-5 times per week
Brett
John Bridgman
TVWBB Super Fan
I took a quick look around the ol' internet and the incidents seem to fall into 3 main categories :
- leaky / broken hose or burner falls apart making big fire, owner doesn't turn off at tank ASAP, fire spreads, other things catch fire, heat explodes propane cylinder
- lid closed, bbq turned on, light bbq, big bang / small explosion... I used to have to pick the bbq lid up from the end of the yard sometimes when other "adults" lit the grill with the lid closed
- propane cylinder really old & rusty, starts leaking gas directly, not much you can do about that except replace really old rusty tanks (required by law in most places AFAIK)
I also found what seems to be an outlier case where some kind of food explosion sent burning fat everywhere, landing on the deck of a fiberglass boat which apparently burned more easily than I expected...
The worst case scenarios seem to be where the gas leak is either in the gas cylinder itself or close enough to the cylinder that the fire stops you from reaching the valve at the cylinder.
Everything else is just a fire you can probably stop by turning off a valve before the leak.
- leaky / broken hose or burner falls apart making big fire, owner doesn't turn off at tank ASAP, fire spreads, other things catch fire, heat explodes propane cylinder
- lid closed, bbq turned on, light bbq, big bang / small explosion... I used to have to pick the bbq lid up from the end of the yard sometimes when other "adults" lit the grill with the lid closed
- propane cylinder really old & rusty, starts leaking gas directly, not much you can do about that except replace really old rusty tanks (required by law in most places AFAIK)
I also found what seems to be an outlier case where some kind of food explosion sent burning fat everywhere, landing on the deck of a fiberglass boat which apparently burned more easily than I expected...
The worst case scenarios seem to be where the gas leak is either in the gas cylinder itself or close enough to the cylinder that the fire stops you from reaching the valve at the cylinder.
Everything else is just a fire you can probably stop by turning off a valve before the leak.
Geir Widar
TVWBB Wizard
Here in Europe it is impossible for a gas tank to explode in a large fireball. There is a security valve that goes off when exposed to heat long before the tank blows, so that the propane is released over a period of time, several minutes. It will be dramatic, yes, with a very long flame and lots of energy released, but no "kaboom".
I'm sure you have the same gadget on your tanks?
I'm sure you have the same gadget on your tanks?
Thanks everyone for your responses. I guess I can relax a little now. I think the propane tank has a security valve that will prevent it from overheating from what I read. I normally just trade it in for another one when it is empty since we have 2 tanks. The Weber Q sits out in the sun under a BBQ cover for a few hours a day because I want to keep it at least 10 feet away from the house just in case. I am not good in maintaining the Weber Q like checking the spider screens, etc. How often do you guys do that? How often do you replace the hose that connects the BBQ to the propane tank? Sounds like the hose can cause a fire or explosion it if is damaged or too old?
John Bridgman
TVWBB Super Fan
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I am not good in maintaining the Weber Q like checking the spider screens, etc. How often do you guys do that? How often do you replace the hose that connects the BBQ to the propane tank? Sounds like the hose can cause a fire or explosion it if is damaged or too old? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I'll start with an example of what *not* to do. Everyone I know (including me when I had a gas bbq) checks for spiders, cracked hoses etc.. when flames start coming out of places they shouldn't.
I'll start with an example of what *not* to do. Everyone I know (including me when I had a gas bbq) checks for spiders, cracked hoses etc.. when flames start coming out of places they shouldn't.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Geir Widar:
Here in Europe it is impossible for a gas tank to explode in a large fireball... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>How well will that relief valve work if the tank is sitting in a fire? I'm pretty sure there is a relief required in the US as well, but put a full tank in a burning building and between the heat and pressure the tank will rupture.
Also... The valve is designed to relieve gaseous propane. Lay the tank on its side and it may not work as well and could result in an explosion.
Very little is impossible. It just requires the right conditions.
For the situations for gas grills, I suspect the most common "explosion" is when someone lights the grill with the lid closed and causes an RDL. (Rapid Displacement of the Lid.
)
Here in Europe it is impossible for a gas tank to explode in a large fireball... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>How well will that relief valve work if the tank is sitting in a fire? I'm pretty sure there is a relief required in the US as well, but put a full tank in a burning building and between the heat and pressure the tank will rupture.
Also... The valve is designed to relieve gaseous propane. Lay the tank on its side and it may not work as well and could result in an explosion.
Very little is impossible. It just requires the right conditions.
For the situations for gas grills, I suspect the most common "explosion" is when someone lights the grill with the lid closed and causes an RDL. (Rapid Displacement of the Lid.
From what I could read online, some of those explosions happened after the grilling was over. In one case, the people were just sitting down to eat when it happened. They were lucky that no one was at the grill except part of the house caught on fire. The other explosion happened when he was done grilling and he turned to shut off the tank (or something like that). What I am trying to figure out is what caused those grills to explode after the grilling. I suppose it can happen while grilling too. Very scary.
The following is a link to a recent explosion. The Fire Department recommends checking the hoses, etc. every time before grilling. Do you guys do that? Another news article recommends not letting the grill sit in the sun and I have mine sitting in the sun under a grill cover.
http://explorernews.com/news/a...ed-001cc4c002e0.html
As the summer season of barbecue use heats up, Northwest Fire District wants to remind users to follow these very important safety tips when grilling:
• Always keep the barbecue unit a safe distance from the house. A 20-foot minimum is recommended and never under a porch or overhang.
• Always inspect hoses, fittings, and connections for leaks before use. Use soapy water to check for bubbles when the gas is flowing. If you see any soapy bubbles, do not use the grill.
• Check on the barbecue often when in use.
• Have a fire extinguisher available in your home at all times.
http://explorernews.com/news/a...ed-001cc4c002e0.html
As the summer season of barbecue use heats up, Northwest Fire District wants to remind users to follow these very important safety tips when grilling:
• Always keep the barbecue unit a safe distance from the house. A 20-foot minimum is recommended and never under a porch or overhang.
• Always inspect hoses, fittings, and connections for leaks before use. Use soapy water to check for bubbles when the gas is flowing. If you see any soapy bubbles, do not use the grill.
• Check on the barbecue often when in use.
• Have a fire extinguisher available in your home at all times.
John Bridgman
TVWBB Super Fan
I'm still a bit dubious about these "explosions". Seems like all the articles with detailed explanations of what went wrong end up basically saying "owner did something really stupid" and talk about "fires", but all of the "explosion" stories have no details at all.
My current theory is that "fires" become "explosions" on slow news days.
Actually my slow internet connection just coughed up the article in the link - if you read the details this was a fire, period. No explosion, except in the headline.
Looks like the barbeque was left unattended close to the house, under a wooden porch roof, so any fire would have been a big problem. I'm not real big on maintenance, but I would never leave an unattended gas bbq burning inside a wooden structure.
On a positive note, I like the way the context sensitive ad software puts up pictures of smokers all down the left hand side
My current theory is that "fires" become "explosions" on slow news days.
Actually my slow internet connection just coughed up the article in the link - if you read the details this was a fire, period. No explosion, except in the headline.
Looks like the barbeque was left unattended close to the house, under a wooden porch roof, so any fire would have been a big problem. I'm not real big on maintenance, but I would never leave an unattended gas bbq burning inside a wooden structure.
On a positive note, I like the way the context sensitive ad software puts up pictures of smokers all down the left hand side
Greg Brohman
New member
While I did not have a grill explosion (KaBoom) i did have a large WhooooF last week. I lost some arm hair
It was a rainy day and I wasn't planning on grilling until family stopped over changed plans. I started my Q and when i checked it the flam had gone out. Grill was cool so i re-lite it and checked it again 5 min later and it was out again, however this time it was not hot but warm. I gave it another try, and had been having problems with the igniter so i have a stove lighter handy and of course a warm/hot grill is dangerous lighting because of the rising fuel and got my large fireball that some might refer to as an explosion.
Now the reason i had this trouble was my drip pan had filled with water and although i am not positive if the full tray restricted air flow enough to cause the grill to fail or if it was the steam action that did it, but after I drained the pan the grill worked fine.
And after a good cleaning the igniter works good also.
It was a rainy day and I wasn't planning on grilling until family stopped over changed plans. I started my Q and when i checked it the flam had gone out. Grill was cool so i re-lite it and checked it again 5 min later and it was out again, however this time it was not hot but warm. I gave it another try, and had been having problems with the igniter so i have a stove lighter handy and of course a warm/hot grill is dangerous lighting because of the rising fuel and got my large fireball that some might refer to as an explosion.
Now the reason i had this trouble was my drip pan had filled with water and although i am not positive if the full tray restricted air flow enough to cause the grill to fail or if it was the steam action that did it, but after I drained the pan the grill worked fine.
And after a good cleaning the igniter works good also.
What happened to you is one of those situations that I was afraid of. You are lucky that it did not turn into something more serious and you did not get hurt. The news information that I read online was a lot more involved. They never mentioned the brand names of the grills but when the grills exploded, fire spreaded to the house, people got severely burnt, etc. The fire departments who did comment on the fires just said the gas grills exploded probably due to gas leaks or old worn out hoses. There were never any follow ups on what they subsequently found were the causes of those fires.