When do you replace burner tubes?


 
M

Mikey B.

TVWBB Member
I guess if they're physically broken but other than that, what's the life of a burner tube? Is there are any maintenance you can do to prolong the life of burner tubes? How do you know when it's time to replace the burner tubes?

Thanks!
 
To maintain burner tubes, you can use a wire scraper brush. Weber makes one designed for that purpose. It has a two long parallel parts barely separated that loop at the end. It wraps well over the top of each burner letting you scrape off stuff that starts clogging them.

In a more severe situation you can remove and blow out with an air hose or flush out the inside of the burner. Often when it gets to that point you will need to unclog holes. Some use a safety pin, and some use a very small drill bit. Wire brushing with an electric wire brush willoften remove most accumulated crud and surface rust.

Taking the time to clean and maintain your burners can definitely extend their life, but eventually corrosion will make it time to replace. I give up if I see any broken openings or the metal is becoming brittle and ready to break.
 
On all my rehabs, I take them out and clean them up with the angle grinder and wire cup brush. That will remove any gunk and rust. As long as their are not any holes other than the designed row of holes and those holes are still the same size and shape, the burners are good. They will work as good as brand new ones as long as you clean the venturi screens and make sure there is no debris inside them. I don't have to replace too many sets of them on my rehab grills. More often than not, it is the cross over tube that rots out first.
 
Jon Tofte said:
To maintain burner tubes, you can use a wire scraper brush. Weber makes one designed for that purpose. It has a two long parallel parts barely separated that loop at the end. It wraps well over the top of each burner letting you scrape off stuff that starts clogging them.
Click to expand...

Weber makes a brush for burner tubes? Can you provide a link?


Jon Tofte said:
Often when it gets to that point you will need to unclog holes. Some use a safety pin, and some use a very small drill bit. Wire brushing with an electric wire brush willoften remove most accumulated crud and surface rust.
Click to expand...

I think I used an Emory cloth for the tubes and then my Dremel to clean out the slots. Worked well.
 
Thanks to all for that great information.

I'm not really planning any flips but it seems to me the key to actually making a few bucks on a flip is reusing as many original parts as possible.

One more question. I can see you can buy replacement Weber stainless steel burner tubes but does/did Weber ever make burner tubes from any other material besides stainless steel? I would think plated regular steel burner tubes would not last long at all.
 
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No, with the direct heat involved, only stainless steel would be feasible. Any regular carbon steel would rot out in less than one summer. You can buy replacement tubes for under $20. I bought a set off amazon three years ago for my Genesis 1000 and they are still in great shape. You don't need Weber brand ones by any means.
 
I've found that a straight blade eyeglasses screwdriver (those *little tiny* screwdrivers) is the perfect tool for punching out clogged rectangular openings in burner tubes like those in my Summit 450.

Jon mentioned flushing out burners. That's often done with a solvent like spray brake cleaner.
 
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