Preparing smoked meats on BBQ grills is one of the most popular ways of cooking in the summertime. If you are a BBQ-enthusiast, you surely would have a good quality grilling machine in your home. As per your flavor preference and budget, it could be an electric grill, gas smoker, charcoal grill, or pellet smoker.

No matter what type of grill you have at home, it does represent one thing that you have made a great investment for enjoyed smoked food. It is also logical to take good care of your grill machine for making it provide maximum utility and last longer.

But despite the good care and maintenance of the grilling machine, it’s pretty normal for you to have troubleshooting with them at some point in time. And, let us tell you that BBQ repairing is quite expensive. While the design of BBQ grilling machines may vary as per different models and types of grilling machines, their basic function remains the same. So, it’s very helpful for you to understand the basic functioning and working process of the grill machine. This may help you save your time and money.

Understanding Different Parts and Functions of a Gas Grill

A gas grill runs on a gas that runs either in a gas line or gas tank. When the gas passes through a regulator via a manifold for dividing it between the burners, the control valves need to be adjusted to maintain the flow rate of the gas and to control the temperature.

Further, it passes via the venturi tubes for mixing with oxygen for ignition. Lastly, it gets into the burners and through burner ports, the flames are visible. Over the burners, you need to have some sort of a barrier to protect the burner while letting heat distribute evenly. The barrier also catches food drippings so that those are burned off by the heat of the grill.

Safety Before Troubleshooting

When you are troubleshooting a grill, always ensure that the tank valve is turned off and disconnected from the fuel source. If you were cooking on the grill before, let it cool down completely before check it. If the gas was on, give it at least five minutes to let the gas dissipate before starting the troubleshooting process.

Various Sorts of Offset Smokers

In many grills, the meat must be placed directly on the heat source. However, in pellet and offset grills, there is a firebox next to the cooking grate for channeling heat. Therefore, the cooking process is quite slow compared to other grilling machines. However, the pellet smoker ensured perfectly smoked meat.

When you depend on a grill machine type or model, there are various accessories and parts attached to a smoker to make the cooking process easier. For instance, air pockets, thermostats, etc. are some important grilling tools.

Common BBQ Grill Problems & Ways to Fix Them

Now that you have understood how a BBQ grill works, it’s going to be easier for you to find the problem occurring in your grill machine. Certain grill issues occur very often especially if you use a gas grill.

Here are some common BBQ grill problems and ways to fix them:

1. Problem: Low Flame = Low Temperature

When there’s a low flame on a grill, there will be an issue of low temperature. The fuel line regulators are the real culprits in causing the low flame issue. Regulators often get sticky when they begin to wear out gradually, this issue may arise. A sticky regulator hinders proper gas flow and further hampers the flames up to the desired temperature that’s needed for perfect grilling.

For solving the low flame issue of gas grills, you need to follow these steps:

* Open the grilling life and turn the gas off from the tank.
* Now detach the fuel line from the major gas tank.
* Turn the dial to maximum level from the control valve and leave it for around one to two minutes for releasing gas into the smoker and gas line.
* After that, reconnect the fuel line to the gas tank.
* Slowly turn on the gas line and ignite the grill.
* The grill will heat up normally after these steps. If not, you need to check the venturi tubes or replace the fuel line regulator.

2. Problem: Yellow or Orange Flame

This is a very common issue in gas grill models. If you notice yellow or orange flames, it is an indicator of a problem in the control valve and the venturi tubes. This issue can arise from obstruction or misalignment between the tubes and the shutters. It is important to clear out any grime or clogs from the venturi tubes or adjust the air shutter to get the perfect blue flame to grill meat.
If the gas grill is producing yellow or orange flame, you need to adjust or check the burner and the venturi tube of your grill by following the given steps:

* Find the adjustment screw, which is usually attached to the burner. This screw is majorly responsible for mixing air with propane gas. If the screw is tighter, then the burner would cause a nasty-looking yellow or orange flame. If the screw is loose, the burner might not burn properly.
* Turn the grill on by igniting and make it low.
* After that, loosen the air shutter by adjusting and rotating the screw counterclockwise. Loosen it until the flame gets blue.
* Then, turn off the flame and tighten the adjustment screw.
* Also, clean any clog from the burner using a snake brush, if needed.

3. Problem: Uneven Hot/Heating Spots

Another major issue with the grill is uneven hot spots or heat, which occurs due to any blockage in the burner. You have to clean the burner to get rid of this issue. As per the level of the blockage in the burner, you may even have to detach the burner from your grill. After cleaning it as much as possible, you can ignite the grill on full flame for 15 minutes.

4. Problem: Gas Grill Just Won’t Ignite

If you face this issue, it is most likely due to the igniter. Some gas grills come with push-button igniters or piezo-electric igniters and certain are powered by a battery. It is common to wear out those ignition batteries after some time. You need to check if the igniter is generating any spark.

You can get to an igniter by pulling off the cooking grates and the barrier. Hence, you can expose the burners. You need to find the exact position of the igniter and push the ignition button. You must see a slight spark or hear a click sound if your machine has piezo-electric or push-button igniters. In case the igniter is jammed, you need to clean it carefully and recheck it. You must change the batteries if these are deemed unnecessarily.

5. Problem: Grill Releases a Lot of Smoke

If your gas grill is producing a lot of smoke, there may be chances of excessive grease formation in your grill. To prevent this issue, you need to regularly clean your grill machine. You may even preheat the grill machine for at least 10 to 15 minutes before grilling.

6. Problem: Flame Coming Out From Under the Grill, Behind its Control Panel

You need to look for any blockage in the air shutter or venturi tubes. It may also occur due to any misalignments between the tubes and the burners. Don’t forget to cool down the grill machine before the inspection.

So, these are some very common grill troubleshooting issues that grill users may face with their BBQ machines. Before trying to solve any of these issues yourself, you need to take proper safety measures. Moreover, don’t hesitate to call the experts for help, if needed.