A few issues with my Genesis Ep-320NG


 
J

JonClayton

New member
I love my Weber 320, it's been a wonderful tool and up until now I have had no issues at all with the product. I called Weber CS this morning and the call did not go well. I have a 320ng purchased in July 2010 so I understand that the 2 year warranty is up, but I would like to hear from you all before I start ordering parts.

There are a few separate issues that I don't think are related, but the first most bothersome issue is that recently it seems that turning the burners to the off position via the control knobs does not stop the gas flow to the grill. I have noticed lately that if i turn the gas on at the quick connect on my patio and then wait some time before going to my grill, once i open the lid the smell of natural gas is over whelming. This is before any burner has been turned on or any attempt at lighting as been made. At the end of the grilling day I always shut off the NG via the valve at the quick connect that my plumber installed but sometimes I do turn the gas on to the grill a while before I am ready to go light up. There has also been a few times that I've had a patio party with guest over and turned off the grill post cooking but not turned off the main gas supply at the quick connect, only to have people complain shortly there after of a bad gas smell. The person that I spoke with at webber this morning did not seem to understand my concern and kept insisting that this is normal, but it does not seem normal to me and it's not something i've noticed in the past few years of operation. Do you have any suggestions for me? I hate to buy a new manifold it it might be something else.


Secondly, as of lately the grill has had a real issue with the let side cooking much hotter than the right. Saturday night we had quest over and I ended up with well done burgers on the left and rare from the right side. It's been real noticeable on steaks and veggies lately as well. The flavor bars seem to be in good shape and I've brushed the burners with my grill brush to make sure that they are clean. Any suggestions?


I am new to the forum but have spent today reading some very informative post. Thank you all for running a quality, educational forum.
 
I have the same grill except it's a 2009 and have no problems with the smell of gas even if I do a dummy and forget to shut the gas off at the QC. One thought would be to check the gas line where it goes into the manifold, make sure it's tight. Other then that it could be a bad valve on the manifold. Turn the gas on and get some soapy water and a brush and put some soapy water on the burners and see if you get any bubbles. I imagine if you did Weber doesn’t sell replacement parts you would have to buy a complete manifold.
Good luck and welcome to the forum.
 
I would say you have a bad valve in there. Now not knowing how well/poorly the grill is maintained I will throw some ideas. First start with a good cleaning of the interior and inspection of the burners. You're looking for a burner that may look "cracked". Pay attention to the crossover burner too. Once you have that down, look at the underside of the valves. On some there is a little pressed in "check ball" on the underside of the brass body. I have seen them leak/fall out. I believe Weber will warranty it. On the time(s) I have seen it I simply repaired it with a small SS self tapping screw and pipe dope. It's been fine ever since.
 
Jon, those do appear to be separate issues.

Issue #1 is a malfunction in one or more of the valves of the manifold. Weber doesn't sell parts to service the valves, so the manifold would have to be replaced.

Issue #2 *could* be normal. On that generation Genesis, the burners run left-to-right. They can run up to 50F hotter on the left than the right naturally, and if the wind is blowing at the right side of the grill that can drive up the left side temps more.
 
Thanks all! It looks like i have a weekend of troubleshooting ahead of me.

Another clue could be that even before I started having the gas leak issue, I was having some trouble getting burners 2 and 3 to light. I could light #1 with the igniter, but once it's going #2 would not light by simply turning it on. I would have to fluctuate the control knob for #2 up and down a few times before it would ignite. Sometimes #3 would require the same. Perhaps this is manifold related as well?
 
Other than rust there is nothing to go wrong on the manifold. If I could ever figure out how to post a photo directly to this site I would upload a photo of what I am sure is causing your trouble. But I cannot, and I don't want to have to have an account from another provider, post to that than post here. Dumb idea IMO
 
LMicheals, I sent you a private message with my email address in case you would like to email the photo.

I really appreciate the input from everyone. I hope to have a chance to check it out in depth this weekend.
 
Jon
Wondering how you came out with that issue? Did my photos give you any help in the diagnosis?
 
LMichaels said:
Jon
Wondering how you came out with that issue? Did my photos give you any help in the diagnosis?
Click to expand...

LMicheals, your pictures were very helpful! On my particular grill that did not turn out to be the issue but it certainly helped me to know where to start looking. I took some soapy water out in a spray bottle and hosed everything down, but I still cannot find the source of my leak. It's not bad, but enough that I smell natural gas when the grill is off. While i was in there i cleaned the burners really well and the flame tamers and bottom of the firebox. I cooked a little last weekend the heat seems to have possibly evened out but I still can't track down the gas.

Thanks everyone for the input. I will keep working with it on my next day off.
 
Jon, Did you check your hose for a possible pin hole leak or where the fitting is attched to the hose at the grill end.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top