Grill Not Reaching Full Heat


 

Mike Kaye

New member
Hello, all. Looking for suggestions to help get my Weber Genesis E-330 (purchased new in 2013) grill back up and running. Recently, it began heating to no higher than 250 degrees. I took all of the removable parts out and gave them and the grill interior a good cleaning, including the burner tubes. I brushed the tubes vertically instead of horizontally, which I later learned was the wrong way. None of this helped, so I purchased new replacement burner tubes and an ignition kit, since I'd long ago lost my battery spark button cap. I'm still waiting on the new sear tube, but after the other replacements, the grill heated up to over 400 straight away. Next day, I tried it again and was back down to 250. Did some research and learned about the regulator bypass issue. So, I followed the steps to ensure the burner knobs (including side burner) were all off, lid open, then turn on propane tank. Then, turning burners on from left to right. Back to 400 degrees. So, later that day, ready to cook dinner, back down to 250. Tried swapping through three different propane tanks. Used the soapy water to look for a leak, but found none. Can't see how how high the flames go during daylight, so I took a photo (below) after dark. It did seem like the times the grill rose to 400, the initial "whoosh" ignition sound was more pronounced. At 250, turning the burner knob does not change the flame level much at all. From all I've read, this does seem to be a bypass problem, but following the recommended lighting sequence has only worked twice. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.IMG_6692.jpeg
 
Thank you both for the suggestion. I purchased a universal fit regulator yesterday. First light after installation reached 400. Tried again a few hours later and struggled to reach just 380. First attempt this morning was 325. I then swapped propane tanks just to try something different and increased back to to 380. So, the frustration of not consistently reaching the high temps desired continues, as well as inexplicably seeing the highest attainable temp vary so much below 400. Also repeated the soapy water test with no indication of a leak at either end of the new regulator hose. I'm 100+ degrees better than I was a couple days ago, but not there yet.
 
Something you're doing is tripping the OPV in the tank or the regulator then. Disconnect the tank from the regulator (MAKE SURE IT"S OFF). Now turn on all the valves on the grill to purge it. Hook the tank back up (BE SURE ALL VALVES ON THE GRILL ARE CLOSED). Now open the tank S L O W L Y VERY S L O W L Y. Allow the line(s) to fill with gas. Now light the grill normally. If it still does not work right then perhaps something is loose in the manifold causing a blockage
 
I followed your directions. The burners lit noticeably more robustly, so that was a good sign right there. I let the grill do its thing and it hit 500 degrees in little time. Purging the lines never occurred to me, but I can see how it makes perfect sense. I've only lit my grill once so far this afternoon, but I'm hopeful that this will fix my problem. Thank you very much for your assistance. I'm new to this forum and this has been a great first experience.
 
I went through this same thing with an "off brand" grill after changing the burners. The critical thing is to SLOWLY open the tank valve with all of the burners closed, as LM stated.

Some years ago, the propane companies changed the regulator to a new "safety" regulator. It a hose has failed, then the regulator "sees" no back pressure and limits the gas output. If you start with the knobs off, the regulator reads the back pressure and works normally. Then, just slowly open one burner at a time and all is good.

FWIW
Dale53
 
Forgot to mention. When shutting down. If you're one of those folks who insist on turning off the gas (I am not) ALWAYS turn the burners off first then the gas tank. Never shut the gas tank off first. It will surely trip the safety valve the next time around
 

 

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