Need advice on a new small outdoor grill that won't blow us up

3 years ago

We’re shopping for a new small outdoor propane grill (we have a household of 2). We probably grill on average about twice a month. We’ve had to replace both our last 2 grills in the last 5 years because, in both cases, the igniter switch failed. In both cases we would eventually have to turn on the propane, light the grill with a lighter gun and run and hope the flames don’t burn us or blow us up (this was obviously not an ideal situation). These two grills were both Kenmores and in one case we assembled it ourselves and in the other the store put it together for us. Since all of our grill misfortunes, we have heard that igniter switches are prone to fail over time, but neither of these grills were very old when it happened.

For our new grill, is there a brand or style you recommend based on your experience that we can expect to have last for a long time and not have the igniter switch fail? We found a couple at Home Depot that we liked mostly because they were the right sized and were preassembled (we are not handy people). And/or do you have any other advice on how to preserve the igniter switch in our future grill?

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Comments (11)

roccouple
3 years ago
We buy new igniters from time to time rather than replacing out grill, which husban inherited from his grandmother. Thing is 30 years old. We replace stuff of it from time to time

maybe look for a grill which makes it easy to replace the igniter
blubird
3 years ago
Also note that some of the newer igniters use a battery. A friend of mine asked for an exchange of her grill under her extended warranty. She was told to check and replace her battery. She was dumbfounded and said she never knew it used a battery.
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Louise Smith
3 years ago
I bought an electric Weber.
morz8 - Washington Coast
3 years ago
Our last grill is KitchenAid, stainless. It's been great. Does not take up a ton of space and the igniter so far is fine (about 2 years). I do expect to either replace the igniter or begin using the long necked lighter at some point though and I'm OK with that. The grill lives in the garage and DH wheels it in and out as needed, we don't leave it exposed to weather and it looks brand new. We grill at least twice a week or more, all year around.
Fori
3 years ago
We just replaced a 20 year old Kenmore only because a forklift took the knobs off. The battery did have to be replaced every so often.

The almost blowing up while manually lighting thing should not happen. Ever use a camp stove? Same deal.

If igniter is out, let the gas dissipate before you try again and use a long lighter. (Testing the igniter before starting is easy, too--see if it clicks.)

1. Turn on propane at tank

2. Get lighter ready and turn on gas at one burner

3. light it

4. don't run! :)
M
3 years ago
Weber is generally not a bad choice. They on average tend to use better materials that won't fail quite as quickly. And they keep their product lines around for so long, that even years later, you can buy replacement parts.

Having said that, parts do fail over time. That's the nature of the beast. High heat, open flames, and constant exposure to the elements does take its toll.

You can spend a lot more money and buy super-premium brands that maybe won't need service quite that regularly, but it doesn't sound as if that's what you are looking for. Those brands target more of a professional market segment and/or large community outdoor kitchens.
chispa
3 years ago
A few years back DH thought that if we spent more money for a grill we would get a better, longer lasting, product. Not so! The the 36" $5K fancy grill did not perform any better, or last any longer, than the $500 ones we had owned before. The igniter goes bad on all of them.
eam44
3 years ago
I can wholeheartedly recommend the Weber Q series portable grills. I had one on my deck at the beach cottage for almost a decade. Never brought it in. The parts are largely guaranteed for life, it cooks evenly and beautifully, it is truly portable as is the stand you can buy for it. I never had an issue with the igniter. They even come in colors now...
lucky998877
3 years ago
Love my Weber, the ignitor has a battery...I haven't even replaced it yet after 3 years of year around use!
eld6161
3 years ago
We just bought the same as eam. We have the WeberQ 2000. We bought the cart that is more open than pictured.

I’ve used it a few times. What I like it that it is easy to keep on our lanai but the wheel it outside to grill.

The grill is easily lifted from the cart so you can even bring it to an outdoor event.
M
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
@chispa, yes things like the igniters are essentially consumable items. That will fail at some point. There are a couple of different technologies though. You can have completely manual igniters, you can have piezo igniters, you can have battery-powered igniters, and you can have hot surface igniters. You also can have a combination of these. Some of them will presumably have a longer time between maintenance; but ultimately they all need some.

Which brand did you buy? How do you like it overall? I would expect for an extra $4500 you got more than just new igniters...

Need advice on a new small outdoor grill that won't blow us up

Comments (11)

roccouple

blubird

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