What tool can I use to clean out holes in burner?


 
W

W_Stewart

TVWBB Fan
About 25% of my burner holes have a little bit of rust or gunk restricting them down, which reduces the heat output. I have tried to use a tiny nail but it is hard to get adequate pressure on it to break the rust (hurts my poor little fingers). Is there a larger item I can use which will let me get adequate leverage on it? I tried an ice pick (good handle) but the tip wasn't small enough to get through the hole!
 
I have used a drill and a bit the size of the opening to clear the gas pipe openings on my Genesis grill... worked well & i did not break the bit.
 
I've used a fine piece of wire to open up my Q burners - put it in the hole and then go round and round to clear out the gunk.

Wonder if you could soak the burner in some vinegar to soften up the vinegar to make it easier to get the gunk out?

Or, you could do what I did and pick up an extra burner for the Q and just swap out the burner - it wasn't very expensive if I recall. Mid $20's off of Ebay maybe.

Pat
 
I've used an eyeglasses screwdriver to punch out the gunk in Genesis and Summit rectangular burner holes. Not sure if the Q uses similarly shaped burner holes.

Regards,
Chris
 
This question has come up often on the BBQ Source. One of the contributors is a Weber dealer (ACE) whose constant comment is to NOT use a metal tool on those holes due to the danger of enlarging them and knocking the gas distribution out of kilter. He says to use a toothpick instead.

Since these burners are apparently beyond the use of a toothpick, another alternative suggested is a wire rotary tool along the surface to break the rust "lock" and then punch out. Blow the burner tubes out with compressed air if possible. (I don't have an air compressor, but the exhaust vent of my shop vac is pretty strong.)

Another common problem (for any exterior gas line) is spider webs in the tube ends. Remove them and clean with a cotton swab.

Rich
 
Can you hammer the nail through a small piece of wood and use that as a handle ? I am thinking a small block maybe 1x1"
 
If you go to a welders supply you can buy torch tip cleaners. They come in a small set that has many sizes.
Kirk
 
Believe it or not a sewing needle held with a pair of pressure pliers work for me. Smaller than a toothpick, but sharp and hard enough to clear the vents with out messing up the predrilled holes (and I had lots of blockage on mine)
 
Does anyone take the burner off and soak it in anything. I've been meaning to give my Q and good spring cleaning because my burner holes are pretty clogged.
 
I've taken my burner off and let it soak in hot water and soap for a while. Its SS so it won't rust. I've never used anything stronger than dishwashing soap, but that's just me.
 
I was going to say that I used a toothpick today and it worked well..I was only getting a flame on about 1/2 the burner and I took off the burner, cleaned it in soap and water and used the toothpick and now the flame goes all the way around.
 
I have soaked my burner in de-greaser for a few hours and used tooth picks to open up the holes. When I was finished I put the garden hose on the end of the burner and shot water through it at high volume and all the holes were shooting water out. Seemed to help. I bought a bio-degadeable grease cleaner at Walmart and a container large enough for the burner to be totally submerged. Seems the BabyQ needs this quite often to get the heat we want.

Simple Green would suffice I suppose.
 
After being constantly annoyed that the rear right area of my Q200 stopped lighting I decided to work on it today. I pulled the burner out this morning and cleaned it in the sink with a stainless scrubbie and some Bar Keepers Friend. I was amazed how easily it pops out with one bolt and a bit ****ed at myself for not doing this sooner. In about 5 minutes the charred greasy mess was all shiny stainless again. I blasted all the holes with compressed air and everything looked to be clear. I reinstalled and poof! -perfect light, all the way around.
 
Thanks to all for the tips here - I just brought my Q200 back to life yesterday. I'd also forgotten that I could remove the burner, but when I finally cleared all the grease off the bolt/nut holding it in place, I took the burner off and used an SOS pad to scrub most of the gunk off. After that, I used some citrus cleaner on the more stubborn gunk. At this point the burner looked clean (albeit discoloured). but the holes were still clogged, so I tried spraying oven cleaner and letting that sit for 20 minutes. It didn't really work, so I found a thick paper clip and used vise-grips to jam the paper clip into all the gunked up holes. I was amazed at how much carbonized stuff was actually INSIDE the burner!

The end result is that the burner is still discoloured along most of the surface, but it looks clean, and best of all it lights all the way around on the first click!
 
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