More BBQ Repairs

Our barbecue is now at least 11 years old. Last year we invested >$200 refurbishing it, so when it ran into trouble again recently we still wanted to repair rather than replace.

This time around, there were multiple problems:

1. The control knob for the right burner broke off.
2. One of the igniter electrodes was dangling down inside the BBQ (not visible in the picture – I’d already put it back into place).
3. The rightmost burner wasn’t working properly. There was a roaring flame right near the front of the barbecue, and nothing further down the tube.

It turns out the last two problems were related. There’s something called a collector box, which is a metal frame that holds the burner tubes in the right place. This ensures that the end of the burner tube lines up with the gas valve. The collector box is supported by two ceramic posts, which are also the igniter electrodes!

At first when I removed the collector box and saw the ceramic posts that had been supporting it, I wasn’t sure if they were really the igniter electrodes. Well, I was pretty sure, given they have wires feeding into them and I remember those wires from when I replaced the igniter switch a couple years ago. So I took a set of metal tongs, touched them to the tip of the electrode, and hit the igniter switch. Yow! Suffice to say, I was shocked by how powerful the igniter is!

The holes that the electrodes pass through are sufficiently corroded that the electrodes can just fall out. When this happens, the collector box drops out of place, and the burner tubes are no longer lined up with the valves. In that state, the gas just shoots all over the place, instead of travelling down the tube.

So, how to repair it? The electrodes need to be fixed in the correct position, using something that’ll withstand the heat inside the BBQ (say max 500F usually, up to 600F when we’re burning crud off the grills). Well, let’s see what’s in the glue box 🙂

There are a few likely candidates in there:

• Lepage Epoxy Steel. A quick check online confirms the maximum service temperature of cured epoxy is 49C – that’s not going to cut it inside a BBQ!
• Oatey Fix it Stick. I think this is really cool, I’m dying for an excuse to use this stuff. I was initially excited, but then I checked the fine print. Maximum temperature 250F sustained. Oh well, Fix it Stick – not today!
• J-B Weld Original Cold-Weld steel reinforced epoxy. Maximum temperature 500F sustained, 600F short-term. We’re in business!

OK, now, what about that broken knob?

I could probably glue it (or more correctly, bond it), using the excellent Tech-Bond I bought recently to reattach the silicone rubber outer shell to LLK’s Bose SoundSport earbuds. Unfortunately, I already threw out the piece of the knob that broke off, and I think it’s in a garbage bag shared with the remains of a well-rotted mouse (which was ALSO in the BBQ, but I didn’t take photos of that, lucky for you!). So, we’ll buy a replacement from GrillSpot. It’s only $7… but shipping is $10. While I’m at it I’ll get a replacement thermometer too; it’s $17 so I’m hoping it’ll last longer than the cheaper replacement we tried from Reliable Parts 2 years ago. Failing that, we’ll continue using our most excellent ThermoPro wireless meat thermometer to monitor the BBQ temperature.

Total cost incl. shipping and tax: $38.39.