Accidentally turning knobs on my Genesis E-330

[Pete Z]

I've noticed that the knobs on my 1.5-year-old genesis E-330 (green) are way too easy to engage. I've tried to remember to close off the gas tank after each use, but sometimes I forget. A couple of weeks ago I didn't turn off the gas at the tank and I must have nudged one of the knobs into the on position when putting on the cover. I now have an empty tank and a fear of a gas grill explosion. What makes me kind of upset is that I nudged the knob because I was fighting to get my Weber brand cover over the grill. The darned thing has not weathered well and has shrunk so that it is a pain to get on and off. Two questions:

1) Has anybody else had this problem or am I a particularly dumb consumer?
2) What covers are you guys using for these grills? My next cover won't be a Weber, I think.

Other than this one design flaw, the grill is really great.

 

[Don Fry]

I don't have a Genesis, but the challenge of not losing gas faces all of us no matter the make or model. The only sure way is to shut the gas off at the tank. I have gotten in the habit of when I take the last things off the grill, I crank it up to high on all burners, and brush the grates. I then set a five minute timer on my phone as a reminder to come back out and turn off the burners and turn the gas off at the bottle. That is my routine and it works for me. Only time I have screwed this up is if I am busy in last minute food prep and don't immediately go turn things off when my phone alarm goes off and forget and let it burn too long. I personally like the Weber covers because they fit tight and stay in place during bad weather. But that is my opinion FWIW.

 

[Van]

No, you are not dumb and I'll tell you why. You are learning what you need, to be safe. The fact that you are concerned is a good thing here. It shows a good amount of common sense. You should turn off the gas at the tank when you are done for the day.

This is why you are not dumb.
A long time ago, I was in the house while my wife (ex wife now) was out side trying to start the gas grill (apparently while the lid was down). I heard a boom a scream and the lid slamming to side of the house and then slamming shut.
She ran inside and she was very upset. I looked at her (she was OK just scared) went out side, moved the grill away from the house and started the grill. It was hard not to laugh.
She never touched the grill again.

 

[Wolgast]

I know nothing about the Genesis cover. But i can tell you that the performer cover is a snug fit. I have used mine once. Dont really know why they dont add some elastic future to the covers.

 

[Garth C]

Always shut off gas at tank. Even if knobs were hard to turn you shoud still turn off tank prior to storage.

 

[Jeff Brown (KY)]

When I had an LP grill(have NG now) I shut the valve to the tank before I turn the burner knobs off. This made it less likely for me to forget shutting off at the tank.
The Vernada grill cover from Amazon has become fairly popular with former Weber cover owners that were not satisfied. I can't personally speak to the quality but you might do a search on this sight to get more information and also look it up on Amazon.

 

[Kim H.]

I had a coleman gas grill for 15 years and never turned off the propane tank and never had a problem. 3 months after getting my Genesis E-330 I must have accidently turned a knob putting the cover on. I lost about half a tank of propane. Now I turn the tank off after every usage.

 

[JohnX]

Dear Pete,

Thanks for posting your valuable concerns regarding accidentally turning on the gas. While I respect the opinions of the Weber apologists who responded to declare that the responsibility is all yours, let me just say that after 22 years of teaching occupational safety, you will not find a safety professional out there that won't agree that this is an engineering problem, not a behavioral problem. I do agree that the gas should be turned off after every use, but people do get distracted and sometimes forget. Additionally, those knobs will get turned even if the gas is off and if you don't notice it immediately when you uncover the grill for use, you can wind up filling the unit with gas before you even lift the lid. I agree that the cover is tight -- I have a Genesis three-burner with a sear station -- but the knobs simply do not have enough of a safety depression function to keep them from turning even with a light swipe of the cover. It is my understanding that Weber pros review this blog to learn what the concerns might be. Rest assured, this is a big one and a liability suit just waiting to happen.

Regards,
Johnx

 

[Rick Body]

Wow, I just realized the original post was from 2012.

Don't know why it was brought back up in this fashion. Pete Z doesn't even belong to this board anymore from what I can tell

 

[Rita Y]

I have a Genesis 330 that I bought in January. I must say that the burner knobs turn quite freely and I'm concerned about children turning the knobs (in spite of warnings), especially when I'm cooking on low heat and come outside to see the knobs at a different setting, which happened once. I'm connected to natural gas so don't have the turn-off-at-the-tank problem.

Rita

 

[AlanG]

Dear Pete,

Thanks for posting your valuable concerns regarding accidentally turning on the gas. While I respect the opinions of the Weber apologists who responded to declare that the responsibility is all yours, let me just say that after 22 years of teaching occupational safety, you will not find a safety professional out there that won't agree that this is an engineering problem, not a behavioral problem. I do agree that the gas should be turned off after every use, but people do get distracted and sometimes forget. Additionally, those knobs will get turned even if the gas is off and if you don't notice it immediately when you uncover the grill for use, you can wind up filling the unit with gas before you even lift the lid. I agree that the cover is tight -- I have a Genesis three-burner with a sear station -- but the knobs simply do not have enough of a safety depression function to keep them from turning even with a light swipe of the cover. It is my understanding that Weber pros review this blog to learn what the concerns might be. Rest assured, this is a big one and a liability suit just waiting to happen.

Regards,
Johnx

I have two grills and my son has one and on all three we have accidentally turned the gas on while covering or uncovering - even while knowing of the problem and believing we were careful. This has the potential for an explosion.

 

[Rita Y]

I also have a Genesis which I love but have been concerned about the almost free-wheeling knobs. I too have accidentally turned one on when trying to cover my grill during the winter when the cover, which is bulky, stiffens up. I only discovered it when I smelled gas (I'm connected to our natural gas line) as I was walking by the grill the next day. And it has happened at least two or three other times.