safety warning

[George Curtis]

I never in my life thought I would do such a thing. But somehow I did. I went outside to turn on my tank and brush off the grate.
after wiping the grate with oil I was just ready to close the lid. As I leaned over, I'm in a wheelchair, I smelled gas. Or I thought I did. I sniffed around, but nothing. So checked connections, all tight. So I lowered my ear to the grate and sure enough, I could hear the hiss of gas. I looked at the gas knob and it was on. I don't think I ever left a gas knob on, ever. I was absolutely stunned.
so be carefull. If you smell gas at all, please check till you find the reason. Do not ignore that !

 

[Tim K]

Great tip George, thanks for sharing!! Glad you trusted you played on the side of caution and made a very thorough inspection before hitting the igniter.
Tim

 

[RichPB (richlife)]

Chiming in a little late, but congrats on your caution, George! Even a small leak can lead to a big explosion -- let alone and open valve! On our 1200, I find that the burners light immediately after setting the valve to ON and pressing the igniter. No way will I ever ignite it with the lid closed or if I know the valve was ON for a while. I've had some "interesting" experiences with my Genny which is a little balky in cold weather. Fortunately I've learned 1) never ignite with the lid closed and 2) if the gas is ON for a bit, DUCK before igniting.