--- title: "Maintenance and prevention — Grill Guides" description: "The routines that keep a grill off our schedule, from brushing burner ports and clearing venturi tubes to changing flavorizer bars, emptying the grease tray and…" url: "https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/maintenance-and-prevention/" --- Habits that keep a grill lighting clean # Maintenance and prevention guides. The routines that keep a grill off our schedule, from brushing burner ports and clearing venturi tubes to changing flavorizer bars, emptying the grease tray and keeping pellets dry. ## Maintenance and prevention, guide by guide. This section gathers the care that keeps a grill lighting cleanly and heating evenly: burners and venturi tubes, the bars, tamers and briquettes above them, the drip tray below, and the pellets, firepot and cooldown of a pellet grill. It is meant for owners who would rather spend an hour with a brush each season than lose a summer weekend to a grill that will not cooperate. [All 18 guides](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/) 5-minute read ### [Cleaning Grill Burners and Venturi Tubes with the Gas Off and the Grill Cold](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/cleaning-burners-and-venturi-tubes/) How Lynx, Blaze and Weber have owners lift burners, clear ports and spider screens and seat each burner back on its orifice, and where the job passes to a technician. 5-minute read ### [Heat Shields, Flavorizer Bars and Briquettes: Cleaning Them and Knowing When They Are Done](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/heat-shields-flavorizer-bars-and-briquettes/) What sits between the flame and the grate on each kind of grill, how Weber, Blaze, Lynx and Coyote say to clean it, why foil stays out, and the signs a part is worn through. 5-minute read ### [Caring for a Pellet Grill: Dry Pellets, a Clear Firepot and a Full Cooldown](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/caring-for-a-pellet-grill/) Keeping hardwood pellets dry, clearing ash from the firepot before each start, letting the shutdown cycle finish, and the drip tray, rain and foil rules from the maker's manual. ## Habits that keep a grill lighting clean. Every routine here comes from the makers' own use-and-care manuals, Lynx, Blaze, Weber, Coyote, TEC and others, with the manual cited beside the section it supports. Where two makers disagree on a detail, such as whether a paper clip belongs in a burner port, both are shown and the advice is to follow the manual for your own grill. The guides are just as clear about limits. Owners clean burners and venturis with the gas off and the grill cold, lift out shields and trays, and scoop ash out of a firepot that has gone cold. Orifices, valves, manifolds and gas fittings stay closed, no one hunts for leaks with a lighter, and no hand goes into a warm firepot or a jammed auger; those jobs are a visit. Read them when the grilling season opens and again when it closes, after a grill has sat unused for a few weeks, or when the flame starts to look yellow, low or uneven. Many repair calls we answer began as a small buildup that one of these routines would have cleared. [Not sure where to start?](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/#start-here) ### The short answer Cleaning Grill Burners and Venturi Tubes with the Gas Off and the Grill Cold To clean gas grill burners, close the gas, wait until the grill is cold, lift out the grates and the layer above the burners, then brush the ports, clear any blocked ones, look through each venturi tube and seat every burner squarely on its orifice again. ### The short answer Heat Shields, Flavorizer Bars and Briquettes: Cleaning Them and Knowing When They Are Done Grill heat shields, flavorizer bars, flame tamers and ceramic briquette trays sit over the burners to spread heat and turn drippings into smoke. ### The short answer Caring for a Pellet Grill: Dry Pellets, a Clear Firepot and a Full Cooldown Pellet grill maintenance comes down to four habits: keep pellets dry in a sealed container, clear ash and unburned pellets from the firepot before every start, let the shutdown cycle run until the fan stops, and empty the drip tray after each cook. ## When reading is not enough. If the checks in these guides did not settle it, the visit picks up from there, stop by stop. [What repairs cost](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 The gas and the grill, checked first 2. 02 What failed, and what it costs 3. 03 Parts on the truck 4. 04 Lit before we leave ## The problems these answer. Each has a page of its own, with the causes in the order worth checking. [All 17 problems](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/) Problem ### Grill Yellow Flame and Soot on the Grates 5 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Grill Low Flame: Burners Stuck at a Weak Blue Line 6 causes, cheapest first Problem ### Grill Uneven Heat: Hot Spots and Cold Corners on the Grates 6 causes, cheapest first Gas or fire at the grill ### Grill Flashback: Flames Behind the Knobs or Under the Panel 6 causes, cheapest first For the heart of your home. ## Questions about maintenance and prevention. ### How often should a gas grill get a full cleaning? The CPSC asks for a venturi check at least once a year, and makers such as Blaze ask for a look at the burners before each use. For most households a full clean in spring and another in fall is enough. ### What should I never do while cleaning a grill? Leave every gas fitting, the orifice and the valves alone, never test for leaks with a flame, and never start while the grill or firepot is still warm. Close the gas first and let the metal go cold. ### May oven cleaner go on grill parts? Only where your manual allows it. Lynx permits an oven-style cleaner on its drip tray with care, while Weber lists oven cleaner among the products not to use on its grills. ### Can you do the seasonal cleaning for me? Yes. A cleaning and safety inspection covers burners, venturis, shields, the drip tray and the gas connections, and ends with a list of any parts that are close to the end. ## The other sections. Split by what you are trying to find out rather than by which part of the appliance it concerns. [All guides](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/) What the flame is telling you ### [Common problems](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/common-problems/) - [Grill won't light? Silent igniter, dry burner or a tank that never opened](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/why-a-grill-will-not-light/) - [Yellow flames on a gas grill, and low ones: air, webs and a throttled regulator](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/why-the-flame-burns-low-or-yellow/) - [A grill heating unevenly: one cold stripe, a weak burner or a tilted cart](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/why-one-side-runs-cold/) Safe checks with the gas closed ### [Troubleshooting](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/troubleshooting/) - [Grill troubleshooting in fifteen minutes, with every knob at off](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/grill-checks-before-booking/) - [How to reset the propane regulator when the grill stays lukewarm](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/resetting-the-propane-regulator/) - [The grill rating label: under the drip tray, inside the cart or behind the knobs](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/find-the-grill-rating-label/) Gas, flame, grease and safe temperatures ### [Gas, fire and food at the grill](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/safety-and-food/) - [A Grease Fire in the Grill: Burners Off, Gas Closed, Lid Down If It Is Safe, Never Water](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/a-grease-fire-in-the-grill/) - [Flashback Behind the Grill Knobs: Flame at the Wrong End of the Burner](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/flashback-behind-the-knobs/) - [Safe Temperatures for Grilled Food: 145°F, 160°F, 165°F and a Food Thermometer](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/safe-temperatures-for-grilled-food/) Built-in or cart, infrared or tube, fix or retire ### [Choosing and comparing](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/choosing-and-comparing/) - [Built-In or Cart Grill: The Island, the Patio and the Day It Needs Service](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/built-in-or-cart-grill/) - [Infrared or Standard Grill Burners: Searing Heat, Preheat and Care](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/infrared-or-standard-burners/) - [Repair or Replace a Grill: Firebox, Manifold and the Parts Still Worth Buying](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/repair-or-replace-a-grill/) Clearances, gas type and where it may stand ### [Installation and setup](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/installation-and-setup/) - [Clearances Around a Grill: Siding, Eaves, Railings and the Built-In Cutout](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/clearances-around-a-grill/) - [Converting a Grill From Propane to Natural Gas: The Maker's Kit and the Gas Technician](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/converting-propane-to-natural-gas/) - [Grills on Balconies and Decks: Fire Codes, Building Rules and Clearances](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/grills-on-balconies-and-decks/) Not sure which section? ### Start from your question The four questions most visits start with, each with the guide that answers it. 18 guides Where to start Where to start --- **[Read on the site: Maintenance and prevention — Grill Guides](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/guides/maintenance-and-prevention/)** **[Book a visit with BBQGrillRepair.center](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/schedule/)**