I Love Grilling Out On My Weber...but 'Houston, we've got a problem.'
'Help! My Weber gas grill has fallen and it can't get up!' 
Pardon the slight adaptation of that old commercial slogan but I've got a slight dilemma on my hands here. OK...so it's not quite on a level anywhere near what the astronauts on Apollo 13 went through but's it's a problem, nonetheless. I bought my smokin' red Weber Genesis 1000 back in the early 90's and, unfortunately, it has seen better days.
It has been the best (well...the only) gas grill I've ever owned. Nearly every homeowner owns a grill these days. I love mine so much that I've bought quite a few replacement parts and accessories for it over the years to keep it up and running. But now rust has reared its' ugly head and limited my options on prolonging the life of my friend...ol' Red.
If I can resuscitate ol' Red, I will, but I might need to face facts and send him to that big grilling party in the sky.
Why would I want to toss out a grill that's given me 15 years of nearly flawless service and delicious meals?
I don't want to toss out my old gas grill. The replacement part that I've ordered for it are the guide rails for the drip catch tray under the cooking box.
I didn't find this particular part in Home Depot or Lowe's or Weber's online replacement parts store so I contacted customer support online at Weber. I explained what I needed and what model I had.
I received an email back the following day stating that they had the part(s) I needed and that if I supplied my mailing address and phone number, they would send the parts to me. Of course I emailed him back asking for the cost of the parts and the shipping fee. Would you believe that they offered the parts at no charge and free shipping!!! In addition, my grill had far exceeded the warranty period. These emails that we were sending back and forth were being answered within hours, not days or weeks, mind you.
That's what I call customer service!
I figured it would take about 4-5 days to arrive and I was right. I grabbed the box off of my front porch to see if I had received the correct parts. (There are so many models from over the years that I wasn't sure if I had correctly communicated the exact part I needed.) The parts were the correct ones to get ol' Red back up and running.
Fact:
Did you know that there were 17 million grills sold in the US and Canada in 2006 and that 81 percent of US households own a barbecue grill and the number of grill owners steadily increases year-after-year.
So yesterday I get out my tools to remove and replace the guide rails. Problem. The old screws were slightly rusted (understatement). What now?! WD-40 to the rescue! I sprayed all four screws and gave the WD-40 time to penetrate to loosen things up a little. I end up being able to remove only 1 of the screws. The others will have to wait until I gather more patience and give it another shot.
Here's a list of what I've replaced over the years:
- Porcelain-enameled Flavorizer bars (twice)
- Porcelain-enameled cooking grates
- Lid handle: The original handle was wood.
- Catch pan and holder
- I originally had wood work tables but I replaced them with Durawood tables when the originals rotted.
I also purchased a couple of grill covers and a very handy rotisserie years ago that provided excellent service and still does on occasion.
My first grill after becoming a homeowner was a large Weber kettle grill. I later decided to purchase the LP gas grill for ease of use and quick, outdoor meals. Once I had the gas grill, the charcoal kettle was pushed to the side in favor of the quick and easy gas model. It wasn't until a couple of years ago when we were at a friends' house having a cookout and they were serving up charcoal-grilled hamburgers. I had almost forgotten how great the unmistakable flavor that charcoal lent to burgers. It wasn't long after that cookout that I went out and got another (smaller) charcoal kettle grill. It now shares the outdoor cooking duties with the gas grill.
If all of the items mentioned above had needed to be replaced all at once, I would have said 'screw it!' and bought another grill. But that's not the way it played out.
Another reason why I've kept it all of these years is because the burner tubes and electronic spark igniter have never needed to be replaced, although the igniter has just begun to require several clicks to start the flame. I've noticed over the years that the igniter on lesser-quality grills quits working not long after the first season, or two, so I've been pleased with my Weber, to say the least.
I've also discovered that the cooking box itself has begun to rust out near the bottom corner. That's not a problem that will prevent me from using the grill if I can replace the tray guides, though.
If I do need to replace my grill, you can bet that it will be none other than a Weber. But for now, I'll just cover it and stoke up the briquets of my Weber One-Touch kettle grill.
Related
Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association (HPBA)
Gary,
Great to hear about your Weber. Wish you the best of luck with your wife. Maybe if you gave her as much TLC as you do your grill you might get your desired results.
Angie,
Give the fine folks at Weber a call. Give them the model number of your grill and tell them what part you need. I'm sure they can get your grill back in tip-top shape again.
A real nice story and quite similar to my experiance. I have owned two gas grills in my life. The first was one of those crappy lava rock deals that the in-laws could not figure out how to put together as there were missing parts and it had holes drilled that did not line up. A drill and my own hardware put it into service. It lasted two years! Next I bought a mans grill. My Weber G2 is 17 years old and is a Michigan resident. I covered it after use for the first year, but as I use it all year and never my oven I tossed out the cover for the hassle it is. My Weber has been expossed to the elements for all this time. The wood handle and slats rotted off years ago. I bought a park trash can with oak slats in a city auction for $1.00 and replaced all the wood. I too picked up one of those flash light plastic handles. The flaver bars rusted and were replaced with stainless steel. Purchased the new tank conversion hose. There is no rust at all! The grill is so grease fire blacked (think blackened pan), it cannot rust. I found this article as my old red is in need of a face lift. It is time to replace a locked up valve and I think I will replace the burners for the first time. I am still on the original ingniter, but will replace just for s**** & giggles. These are great grills. I wish my wife still performed as well as this grill!
Our newer Weber gas grill (prob about 4 years old) fell over in a rain/wind storm and the lid cracked right where it secures to the main part of the grill. This means I have only one "hinge" when I open it. Will Weber sell me a new lid?? Does anyone know? I hate to have to replace the whole thing but if I keep using it like this, the other side is going to snap off too.
Dan...I'm impressed at the ingenuity going on over in you and your friends backyard bbq's. Great stuff. Thanks for sharing.
Well, All I can say is After 10 years, I'm Very Happy with my G1. Recently replaced flavor bars and grill w/stainless steel parts. Replaced lid handle for the one with built in lights.(runs on 6 C batteries) Only complaint is the stationary rack at the back. Gets in the way. As luck would have it my friend happened to agree, whom also has the same grill. He added a home designed fold away lid rack with off the shelf grill replacement parts. A couple of drilled holes in the Weber lid and a little bit of cutting on the replacement parts to fit,PRESTO!!! Puts veggies and baked potatoes on top rack, chicken and sausages on the second rack and steak on the main grill all without affecting its overall performance. Needless to say he is making one for me as we speak.
Can't beat a Weber:)
Fred...
Now that's an incredible Weber "G"1 grill story!!! I think the old Timex commercials come to mind..."Take a lickin' and keep on ticking!
I wish I had taken care of mine as well as you have.
Send a photo of your grill, with or without you, and I'd be glad to post it.
Thanks Fred
Randy
We bought our "G"1 back in 89. Two sets of flavor bars, one set of burners, 12 years sitting outdoors cooking 12 months a year in Alaska a 6000 mile road trip and she's still getting'r done in NH.
We give her sides a coat of spray high temp black every year and wax up the red every fall. No rust, no drips, no errors.
We added a front shelf and a lower side shelf to make crowd fees easier.
If they make a better grill than the "G"1, they can have the next 18 year to prove it to me.
Old Webers, like old men...RULE!
Wow, that's quite a recommendation for Weber products!
My aunt had a similar customer service experience with her aging Weber grill.
You might want to send an e-mail to Weber for the great publicity for these grills. Who knows? They might send you a "gift certificate" for another one. They ought to!