How to Buy New Barbecue Grill Burners

A worn barbecue grill burner can ruin your outdoor dinner. If your barbecue grill burner produces a yellow or orange flame, causes too much smoke or just cooks unevenly, you can probably solve the problem with a new burner. An inexpensive burner will only last about three years, so if your barbecue grill burner is ready for the trash, here's how to buy a new one.

Instructions

1. Decide if you want to buy a new barbecue grill burner or try cleaning your old one. Disconnect the propane or natural gas, and take a good look at the burner. If it's rusted and split or the gas holes are damaged and different sizes, you should plan on shopping for a new burner.

2. Remove the old burner. You can usually pull the old burner off just by wiggling it a little.

3. Examine the shape of the burner. The most common is the H-burner. When you look at the burner from the top, it looks like the letter H.

4. Take the old barbecue grill burner with you to the hardware store, especially if it is not the common H-burner. The replacement has to be the same configuration and shape of the old one.

5. Choose a new burner for the type of fuel your barbecue grill uses. While most grills are propane, some are meant to be used with natural gas. This type of burner may be more difficult to find.

6. Place the new barbecue grill burner over the grill fittings. It should slide right into place, but refer to the owner's manual for your grill for instructions if necessary.

7. Reconnect the propane or natural gas, and you're ready to cook.

Tips & Warnings

• Even a burner made of low cost aluminized steel will last longer if you clean it occasionally. You can do this by scrubbing it with a wire brush and opening clogged gas holes with a paper clip.

• A high-end barbecue grill burner is made of solid cast iron and will probably have a warranty of several years. For a low-end burner made of aluminized steel, you can expect to pay about $15.