I agree with GrillMeister. I bought my first Genesis 3000 when Weber first started making them in the 80s. I had a traditional Charbroil, and the aluminum castings corroded to where the whole thing turned white. Also, the "H" shaped pressed-steel burner corroded to where I had very little heat control. And the chrome wire grills lasted maybe a year. The engineer in me really liked the Genesis design with the pipes for burners, the flavorizer bars and the porcelain coated parts. I did the math, and if the Genesis only lasted up to its warranty, it was cheaper to own the Genesis than to buy Charbroils like the one I had. That Genesis lasted over 10 years. I'm now on my second Genesis; a 1000, which is about 8 years old or so. (I found I didn't use the external burner) I've replaced the bars and grates with stainless parts. And this past weekend, I replaced the rails that the bottom tray slides on. Weber sent those to me at no charge. If I were buying a new grill now, it would be a Silver C. I wouldn't spring for the Gold, cause the SS lid is not that big of a deal to me. I can replace the bars and grates in stainless if I need to down the line. I wouldn't spring for the Summit series, 'cause it's a lot more money for something that is not much more functional. It does look cool, though... The Silver Weber is a great cooking machine.

If it has a roaring kind of noise, it's probably flashback. Normally gas is injected in a jet of gas through an orifice into the burner, and the jet of gas sucks air in with the gas through an air shutter. The gas goes through the burner and burns on the surface of the burner. If the gas and air are improperly adjusted, the gas/air combination burns too slowly to get to the top of the burner, and the flame flashes back to burn inside the burner, typically causing a roaring noise. You should have it inspected by a competent repairman who can identify and correct the problem.

No. Shutting it off with the shutoff won't do anything different than turning off the gas at the burners. Only thing to watch is that the shutoff is mounted securely enough to take the abuse of repeated use. Some I've seen are pretty flimsily installed.

Thanks for all your comments! I'm a single woman who has always been courageous in doing many "guy" things myself -- I've restored several vintage homes, for example -- but for some reason I'm paralyzed at the moment thinking about hauling a propane tank home and lighting a gas grill I assembled myself. Plus now I have to worry about snakes in the grill! :) I actually bought this grill -- it is, by the way, really cute and small -- to use on my condo balcony. We don't have condo rules that forbid it, but it is also a condo of only three people, a big old house converted into units. I realized after I got it, however, that there is no way I'm going to use it on my second floor balcony -- far too close to the house for comfort. I may end up returning it, but I'll probably (briefly) feel like a wimp doing so. I'll just go back to the old familiar charcoal. . .