5 Tips for Troubleshooting Low Flame Output on your BBQ Grill

Several questions have been asked on my Weber Technical Support Experience blog post regarding low flame output or yellow flame output on a BBQ Grill burner, so I thought I would post some ideas to resolve the problem.

This post is for the detective in each of us to figure out why the family barbeque is being delayed because the dang hot dogs won’t cook. The neighbors are getting impatient, the kids are getting restless and your wife keeps giving you the look like I should have just cooked everything in the kitchen.

So here it is, a list of 5 tips to help you troubleshoot low flame output on your Barbecue grill:

Low flame output or yellow flame can be caused by several things.

1. Regulator problems

The most common factor is your regulator is stuck. That is the assembly on the hose before it screws into the propane tank. This might need to be reset.

To reset the regulator, follow these steps (or check with your manufacturer)

1. Turn off the gas at the propane tank
2. Disconnect the hose from the propane tank
3. Open the lid of your BBQ Grill
4. Turn all the burner valves to high
5. Wait for 2 minutes (just time enough for a soda)
6. Turn off all the burner valves
7. Connect the gas line back up to the propane tank
8. Turn the gas on slowly on the propane tank
9. Light the grill using your normal lighting procedures

If the regulator was stuck, it should have been reset using these steps.

If you always turn off your burner valves first before turning off the gas at the tank, you will keep the regulator from sticking again.

If you still have low flame or yellow flame, give it a second try, although you might have a faulty regulator that is causing the low flame or yellow flame. That will need to be replaced if it is bad.

2. Leak in the Fuel Supply

This is the most common problem that impacts low or yellow flame output. To troubleshoot, apply soapy water to the propane tank valve, connector, hose, all the way up to where the hose connects to the burner assembly on your grill. Look for bubbles to indicate small leaks of the gas source. If you have any leaks, for safety reasons, get them repaired or replaced immediately.

3. OPD Safety Valve shutting down due to a leak in the gas supply

This can be caused by the OPD safety valve in the Propane tank being tripped. A reason why the safety valve might have tripped could be that it detected a leak somewhere between the propane tank and the burner (including a burner not being turned off all the way).

The leak would cause a small amount of propane to leak from the tank which would trip the safety valve much like a circuit breaker in a breaker box. After the safety valve is tripped, only a small amount of propane is allowed out of the tank, causing a small flame.

Steps to reset the OPD safety valve:

- Use soapy water (not a match) to check the hose and the connections within the grill for leaks
- Turn the propane tank valve off
- Open and shut a grill burner valve on the Barbeque grill
- Make sure all the grill burners and the propane tank valve is off.
- Disconnect the hose from the propane tank
- Reconnect the hose back to the propane tank

Those steps should reset the OPD Safety valve on the propane tank.

Now it is time to test the tank. Open the valve on the propane tank 2 turns slowly (not all the way on).

Light the grill as normal.

4. Blockage in the Venturis

Unhook the hose from the tank and check the grill burner assembly and venturis for obstructions. I have had spiders crawl into the pipes and build a spider web which restricted the amount of gas that could flow from the tank to the grill burners. Follow your manufacturers instructions for doing this check.

The Venturi shutters also might need to be adjusted. Find the venturi tube adjustment screw. This screw releases the shutters. Light the grill and set to low heat. Loosen the venturi screw and open the shutters until the flame is mostly blue. Turn off gas and tighten the adjustment screw. Let the grill cool.

5. Propane tank might be bad

Try hooking up a different tank to the grill to see if the problem goes away. I wasted a whole 5 gallons of propane with a tank that went bad. A new tank fixed my problem.

One other hint:

Always open your propane tank valve slowly to keep the pressure in the tank from overwhelming your OPD valve or the regulator. Wait a few moments after turning the gas on before lighting the grill. This will allow time for the pressure to even out before lighting the grill.

I hope these tips will help you to get your grill working for the summer barbeque season.

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