Winterize your grill
1 of 2Photo 1: Coat metal parts
Spray the burners and other metal parts with cooking oil.
Wrap the burner unit in a plastic bag.
2 of 2Photo 2: Cover the gas line
Tape a plastic bag over the grill's gas line opening to keep
out spiders and insects.
If you live in a cold climate and you're not a winter griller,
now's the time to pack away your grill before it's covered
with a foot of snow. In addition to giving your grill a thorough
cleaning to remove grease and food scraps, take
these steps to help prevent any unpleasant surprises when
you fire up your grill again next spring.
Shut off the gas at the LP tank and unfasten the burner
and slip the gas tubes off the gas lines (check your
owner's manual for how to do this on your model) and
lift out the unit as a whole. Coat the burners and other
metal parts with cooking oil to repel moisture that can
build up over the winter and to prevent rust. Then wrap
the burner unit in a plastic bag to keep spiders and
insects from nesting in the gas tubes during the winter
(Photo 1). This is a common problem that can make for
balky starts, uneven flames or even a one-alarm fire the
next time you light your grill.
If you're storing your grill outside during the winter,
just keep the propane tank connected (but shut off) and
put a protective cover over the entire grill when you're
done cleaning it. If you're storing the grill indoors, don't
bring the tank inside, even into the garage or a storage
shed. A small gas leak can cause a huge explosion if the
tank is stored in an enclosed space. Instead, disconnect
the tank and store it outside in an upright position away
from dryer and furnace vents and children's play areas.
Tape a plastic bag over the grill's gas line opening (Photo
2) to prevent insects from nesting.
