U
uproar90
Guest
Never owned a Char-Broil before, and pending the outcome of my current service ticket, I may never own one again.
Get a beverage, and have a seat... this might take a while.
I never learned to cook outdoors on anything but LP. My father left when I was 8, and LP was the only thing we had after that. I've recently begun teaching myself to cook and even do some smoking (firebricks) on a Weber 22.5 OTG, but in the meantime, I still wanted to have the old standby LP for those evenings when I got home late, or after a little league game for my son... I prefer cooking outdoors, and I love the charm of charcoal, but LP is sometimes a necessity due to our work and family schedules.
In the past, I've always bought the Sears 'Rust-O-Matic' for $129 or so, and they were fine, but they never lasted more than 18-24 months before the cost of the repair parts got close to the cost of a new ROM.
About 18 months ago, a friend upgraded to a new full stainless beauty, and he offered me his old trusty Brinkmann Pro (partial SS, part paint) and since it was in better shape (even after 5-6 years) than my ROM, I gladly accepted.
It was like my backyard grilling eyes had been opened. I never had this much fun before. I could do things that weren't possible before with all that extra space available now, and it would get to temps that my old grills couldn't dream of.
Sadly, in the last 3-4 months it began to fall apart internally. Literally. When I put her to rest there was just a pile of rusted metal under the cooking grates where the propane would leak out wherever it pleased and I'd have a huge flame in the left rear corner, a ridge of fire in the middle, and cold spots throughout where I could keep food warm, or cook 'sorta' indirect, but not really.
It served well though, and I knew my next purchase would be another Brinkmann Pro. No more ROM for me! I'm gonna get a SS Brinkmann!
...
About 3 weeks ago, the wife was perusing the Sunday paper for deals on pork butts, chicken wings, whole NY strips, etc. and she came across an ad @ Wally World and asked "Is this a good deal?" ... It was a Char-Broil grill with SS cooktop and control surface w/ Charcoal grey panels & Black paint frame for $148.00.
It looked pretty similar to the Brinkmann Pro 5440 we just put to sleep, and I know the SS isn't True SS, but I figured if I kept it covered and clean, it might last as long as the 5440 did. The cooking surface was ceramic covered cast iron, and I thought that was a plus, so we started calling the local stores.
1st three were a strike-out. Every W-mart local to me was sold-out as they had only gotten 3 per store, and this was in fact a pretty decent price for this grill.
I called two more stores that were a bit out of the way, but within reasonable driving distance and found that a store just 30 minutes away had one in stock, and a friend of mine who lives out that way happened to be leaving his house, and would be driving near there shortly.
So I show up to the garden center, and there he is, literally sitting on the grill box arguing with what he said was the 3rd person to come and try to buy it 'literally' from under him.
I was ecstatic. I got a deal, my new grill was coming home with me, and I'd be cooking on a rust-free cook surface with even heat for the first time in years.
Loaded it into the back of the wife's SUV and headed home.
An hour later, it is assembled, and the wife starts marinading some NY strips for dinner. We'd planned to grill, eat on the patio, and take a swim in the pool for an afternoon in the yard. Good times, right?
Not so much... I hook up the tank that had been on the 5440 b/c it was still 90% full and I turn the valve. I could hear a slight hissing noise, and thought, well maybe that's just the LP filling the lines... (in denial), and it kept hissing and I thought... Maybe one of the valves is open up top, went around to the front and verified all valves are off. Turned them on and then off again just to make sure... Go back around to the back and now I can smell the LP, so I shut the valve.
Maybe I put the coupler on crooked, or maybe the o-ring inside was malformed from being hooked up to the 5440
Removed the coupler and did a visual inspection of the brass fitting inside, and checked the o-ring as well. Both looked to be perfectly round with no deformities, no scratches/gouges/dirt/grease or any problems that I could see with either mating surface.
Tried to connect it again, and again, and again... Still leaking. At this point, the wife has that eyebrow raised, and even though she found the deal in the paper, there is that unspoken 'I told ya so' look on her face. Maybe it was the 'well... what now?' look, but in my head, I was still hearing 'I told ya so!'.
No worries though... I grab the 2nd LP tank we keep around (empty), and head to the LP tank exchange (Blue Rhino). Get it traded out, and visually inspect that o-ring before I leave the store. Looks brand new and I'm thinking this will solve the issue.
Got it home, and that one leaks too. Now I'm frustrated and I'm not sure what to think. The soap/water test shows bubbles coming from inside of the black coupler, but since it is inside, I can't really see if the problem is on the coupler, the tank... etc. So I give up for the evening and the wife decides to just cook the steaks inside :tsk:.
A few days later I try again. Both tanks are leaking still, and I thought "maybe I'm just unlucky... Maybe I got two bad tanks in a row". Called up the Blue-Rhino CS and they were awesome. Told me by no means should I try to use a tank if I suspect it could be leaking. They told me to write 'Return' on the label, and bring it to the closest exchange location and they'd give me two new tanks right there for free. :thumb:
Good folks them Blue Rhino's...
...
Get the tanks home, and you guessed it... Both of those leak too. 4 separate tanks, all leak. At this point it's obvious that something is faulty in the regulator assembly so I called the Char-Broil CS line and we went through all the 'is it plugged in, did you press the power button IT-esque troubleshooting'.
The guy seemed helpful though. He acknowledged the problem, and stated that he'd have a new hose/regulator/valve assembly shipped out to me, and that it'd take 7-10 days to get to me. Wasn't happy about that, but I figured I'd use the time off from LP to further learn the glory of the Weber Kettle.
5 days after talking to him, I called CS again to see the status of my parts and they informed me that the order was never placed. It was on hold, but there were no notes to tell why. They apologized and told me they'd get the parts on order that day. I explained that we cook outdoors 4-5 days per week (sometimes more), and was there any way that they could expedite the shipping. They would be happy to expedite it, and it would only cost me $15.00-20.00
I told them don't bother... I'll continue using the charcoal grill and just wait the 7-10 days.
Then I get an email 2 days later telling me that the parts I need are back-ordered, and won't be in for 4-6 weeks.
I've been without an LP grill for going on 3 weeks now. It'll be another 4-6 weeks until the parts are available, and then another 7-10 days before they get to me. They consoled me with 'Maybe it won't take that long!'
I talked to the CS group again this morning and their solution was "we'll just have to wait for the parts to come in". I asked to speak to a supervisor, and she also had no resolution for me, but promised to 'look into it' and call me back.
Now normally I'd have just put the grill back into the truck and returned it to the store, but I've recently (in the last two weeks) been diagnosed with a hernia, and my doctor has advised me to not lift anything over 10-20 lbs.
I also thought it might turn out OK as I'd keep learning to cook over charcoal, and I'd just work through it, but last night was the kicker... We didn't get home from the ballpark until 7:45pm, and by the time I'd finished the steaks/corn/stuffed jalapenos on the Weber OTG, it was nearly 9:30.
There are times for charcoal, and I'm sure it'll get easier as I better learn the characteristics of cooking that way, but there are other times when I just need an LP grill that gets hot in minutes, and is ready to go in the evenings after work/little league/cub scouts, etc.
Never even got to light the fires on the Char-Broil... Wondering if I ever will.
Get a beverage, and have a seat... this might take a while.
I never learned to cook outdoors on anything but LP. My father left when I was 8, and LP was the only thing we had after that. I've recently begun teaching myself to cook and even do some smoking (firebricks) on a Weber 22.5 OTG, but in the meantime, I still wanted to have the old standby LP for those evenings when I got home late, or after a little league game for my son... I prefer cooking outdoors, and I love the charm of charcoal, but LP is sometimes a necessity due to our work and family schedules.
In the past, I've always bought the Sears 'Rust-O-Matic' for $129 or so, and they were fine, but they never lasted more than 18-24 months before the cost of the repair parts got close to the cost of a new ROM.
About 18 months ago, a friend upgraded to a new full stainless beauty, and he offered me his old trusty Brinkmann Pro (partial SS, part paint) and since it was in better shape (even after 5-6 years) than my ROM, I gladly accepted.
It was like my backyard grilling eyes had been opened. I never had this much fun before. I could do things that weren't possible before with all that extra space available now, and it would get to temps that my old grills couldn't dream of.
Sadly, in the last 3-4 months it began to fall apart internally. Literally. When I put her to rest there was just a pile of rusted metal under the cooking grates where the propane would leak out wherever it pleased and I'd have a huge flame in the left rear corner, a ridge of fire in the middle, and cold spots throughout where I could keep food warm, or cook 'sorta' indirect, but not really.
It served well though, and I knew my next purchase would be another Brinkmann Pro. No more ROM for me! I'm gonna get a SS Brinkmann!
...
About 3 weeks ago, the wife was perusing the Sunday paper for deals on pork butts, chicken wings, whole NY strips, etc. and she came across an ad @ Wally World and asked "Is this a good deal?" ... It was a Char-Broil grill with SS cooktop and control surface w/ Charcoal grey panels & Black paint frame for $148.00.
It looked pretty similar to the Brinkmann Pro 5440 we just put to sleep, and I know the SS isn't True SS, but I figured if I kept it covered and clean, it might last as long as the 5440 did. The cooking surface was ceramic covered cast iron, and I thought that was a plus, so we started calling the local stores.
1st three were a strike-out. Every W-mart local to me was sold-out as they had only gotten 3 per store, and this was in fact a pretty decent price for this grill.
I called two more stores that were a bit out of the way, but within reasonable driving distance and found that a store just 30 minutes away had one in stock, and a friend of mine who lives out that way happened to be leaving his house, and would be driving near there shortly.
So I show up to the garden center, and there he is, literally sitting on the grill box arguing with what he said was the 3rd person to come and try to buy it 'literally' from under him.
I was ecstatic. I got a deal, my new grill was coming home with me, and I'd be cooking on a rust-free cook surface with even heat for the first time in years.
Loaded it into the back of the wife's SUV and headed home.
An hour later, it is assembled, and the wife starts marinading some NY strips for dinner. We'd planned to grill, eat on the patio, and take a swim in the pool for an afternoon in the yard. Good times, right?
Not so much... I hook up the tank that had been on the 5440 b/c it was still 90% full and I turn the valve. I could hear a slight hissing noise, and thought, well maybe that's just the LP filling the lines... (in denial), and it kept hissing and I thought... Maybe one of the valves is open up top, went around to the front and verified all valves are off. Turned them on and then off again just to make sure... Go back around to the back and now I can smell the LP, so I shut the valve.
Maybe I put the coupler on crooked, or maybe the o-ring inside was malformed from being hooked up to the 5440
Removed the coupler and did a visual inspection of the brass fitting inside, and checked the o-ring as well. Both looked to be perfectly round with no deformities, no scratches/gouges/dirt/grease or any problems that I could see with either mating surface.
Tried to connect it again, and again, and again... Still leaking. At this point, the wife has that eyebrow raised, and even though she found the deal in the paper, there is that unspoken 'I told ya so' look on her face. Maybe it was the 'well... what now?' look, but in my head, I was still hearing 'I told ya so!'.
No worries though... I grab the 2nd LP tank we keep around (empty), and head to the LP tank exchange (Blue Rhino). Get it traded out, and visually inspect that o-ring before I leave the store. Looks brand new and I'm thinking this will solve the issue.
Got it home, and that one leaks too. Now I'm frustrated and I'm not sure what to think. The soap/water test shows bubbles coming from inside of the black coupler, but since it is inside, I can't really see if the problem is on the coupler, the tank... etc. So I give up for the evening and the wife decides to just cook the steaks inside :tsk:.
A few days later I try again. Both tanks are leaking still, and I thought "maybe I'm just unlucky... Maybe I got two bad tanks in a row". Called up the Blue-Rhino CS and they were awesome. Told me by no means should I try to use a tank if I suspect it could be leaking. They told me to write 'Return' on the label, and bring it to the closest exchange location and they'd give me two new tanks right there for free. :thumb:
Good folks them Blue Rhino's...
...
Get the tanks home, and you guessed it... Both of those leak too. 4 separate tanks, all leak. At this point it's obvious that something is faulty in the regulator assembly so I called the Char-Broil CS line and we went through all the 'is it plugged in, did you press the power button IT-esque troubleshooting'.
The guy seemed helpful though. He acknowledged the problem, and stated that he'd have a new hose/regulator/valve assembly shipped out to me, and that it'd take 7-10 days to get to me. Wasn't happy about that, but I figured I'd use the time off from LP to further learn the glory of the Weber Kettle.
5 days after talking to him, I called CS again to see the status of my parts and they informed me that the order was never placed. It was on hold, but there were no notes to tell why. They apologized and told me they'd get the parts on order that day. I explained that we cook outdoors 4-5 days per week (sometimes more), and was there any way that they could expedite the shipping. They would be happy to expedite it, and it would only cost me $15.00-20.00
I told them don't bother... I'll continue using the charcoal grill and just wait the 7-10 days.
Then I get an email 2 days later telling me that the parts I need are back-ordered, and won't be in for 4-6 weeks.
I've been without an LP grill for going on 3 weeks now. It'll be another 4-6 weeks until the parts are available, and then another 7-10 days before they get to me. They consoled me with 'Maybe it won't take that long!'
I talked to the CS group again this morning and their solution was "we'll just have to wait for the parts to come in". I asked to speak to a supervisor, and she also had no resolution for me, but promised to 'look into it' and call me back.
Now normally I'd have just put the grill back into the truck and returned it to the store, but I've recently (in the last two weeks) been diagnosed with a hernia, and my doctor has advised me to not lift anything over 10-20 lbs.
I also thought it might turn out OK as I'd keep learning to cook over charcoal, and I'd just work through it, but last night was the kicker... We didn't get home from the ballpark until 7:45pm, and by the time I'd finished the steaks/corn/stuffed jalapenos on the Weber OTG, it was nearly 9:30.
There are times for charcoal, and I'm sure it'll get easier as I better learn the characteristics of cooking that way, but there are other times when I just need an LP grill that gets hot in minutes, and is ready to go in the evenings after work/little league/cub scouts, etc.
Never even got to light the fires on the Char-Broil... Wondering if I ever will.
