--- title: "Grill Gas Smell at the Burners or the Tank: What to Do Now: Causes and Fixes" description: "A gas smell from grill burners, the hose or the propane tank is the sharp added odor of propane or natural gas, noticed with the lid up, while lighting, or with…" url: "https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/grill-gas-smell/" --- # Grill Gas Smell at the Burners or the Tank: What to Do Now A gas smell from grill burners, the hose or the propane tank is the sharp added odor of propane or natural gas, noticed with the lid up, while lighting, or with every knob already off. ## Gas smell? Knobs off, tank shut, lid up, step back Open air does not make a leak harmless. Knobs off, gas closed, lid open, no flame, step away, and call the utility or 911 from a distance if the odor holds. After it clears, keep the grill unlit until the hose, the regulator and the valves have been checked on a visit. ## What it usually means. A grill gets its gas one of two ways. A freestanding cart grill usually hangs a propane tank under the firebox, with a regulator and hose screwed onto the tank valve; a built-in grill head is more often piped to the house supply through a shutoff and a flexible connector, or fed by a tank in a vented cabinet below. From there a manifold carries gas across the front of the grill to one valve per burner. The odor is added on purpose so that a leak is noticed early, and on a patio it can thin out in a breeze, which tempts people to shrug it off. Do not. A burner turned on that never caught can fill the closed firebox, and raising the lid onto a spark or a lit neighbor burner sets it off at once. Other sources are a tank coupling cross-threaded at the last exchange, a hose baked brittle by the firebox, a hose gnawed by a mouse sheltering under the cart, a knob nudged open when the cover went on, or a valve worn loose on its stem. The order is fixed: knobs off, gas closed at the tank or the shutoff, lid open, no flame or spark, step away. If the smell remains, the gas utility or 911 is called from a distance. The 6 causes, cheapest first Answer these first 01 Where is the odor sharpest: down by the tank, along the knobs, or in the rush of air as the lid lifts? 02 Were all the knobs off, or was a burner turned on that never lit? 03 Does a tank under the grill feed it, or a pipe from the house? 04 Was the tank just swapped or refilled, or was the grill moved, covered or bumped? 05 Once the tank or shutoff is closed, is the patio clear of odor after a few minutes? ## Check these before you book. Gas smell from grill: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything. 01 Turn every grill knob to off, then close the propane tank valve clockwise or the natural gas shutoff, only if you can reach it without standing in the smell. 02 Leave the lid up, and keep lighters, cigarettes, the igniter button and any plug or switch near the grill untouched. 03 Get people and pets clear of the grill and the tank, upwind if possible. ### Also worth checking - Should the odor hang on with the gas shut, phone the utility or 911 once you are well clear of the patio. - Never hunt for the leak with a flame; use soapy water on the tank connection only if your manual calls for it, and leave every other fitting and valve for the technician. ## The causes, cheapest first. 6 things grill gas smell at the burners or the tank: what to do now turns out to be, from a burner turned on that never lit to connector strained where the line enters the island. [The cost guide](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 no repair ### A burner turned on that never lit A click or two with no flame, then a distraction, and the firebox slowly fills. Knob off, lid up, gas closed and a quiet wait clear it; the manual gives how long to wait before any relight. No repair: check it yourself 2. 02 lowest ### Tank coupling not seated after an exchange The large plastic nut that joins regulator and tank is turned by hand at every swap, and a crossed thread or a half turn lets gas escape right at the tank valve. It is threaded back on true and every joint to the burners is leak-tested. [Fixed by grill valve and regulator repair](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/services/grill-valve-and-regulator-repair/) 3. 03 low to moderate ### Regulator vent plugged or regulator failing A wasp nest or grime in the small vent on the regulator, or a diaphragm aged by years of sun, can let gas out at the regulator body. The whole regulator is swapped; its spring is never tinkered with. [Fixed by grill valve and regulator repair](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/services/grill-valve-and-regulator-repair/) 4. 04 low to moderate ### Hose cracked by heat or bitten by a rodent The hose runs close to the firebox and the grease tray, and a cart's lower shelf is a favorite nest. Brittle or chewed rubber is changed together with the regulator. [Fixed by grill valve and regulator repair](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/services/grill-valve-and-regulator-repair/) [On a freestanding gas grill](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/types/freestanding-gas-grill-repair/) 5. 05 moderate ### A burner valve seeping at its stem Heat, grease and salt air work a valve seal loose until it passes gas at the panel with the knob closed. The valve is pressure-tested and swapped by the technician, never pulled at home. [Fixed by grill valve and regulator repair](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/services/grill-valve-and-regulator-repair/) 6. 06 moderate ### Connector strained where the line enters the island Resetting a built-in grill head, laying new pavers or a slip of a shovel can stress the flexible connector behind the shutoff. The leak is traced from the shutoff toward the grill. [Fixed by grill valve and regulator repair](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/services/grill-valve-and-regulator-repair/) [On a built-in gas grill](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/types/built-in-gas-grill-repair/) ## What else it could be. Most often confused with grill flashback: flames behind the knobs or under the panel, then grill knob won't turn off: burner still lit at off. [All problems](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/) Codes that come with it - [`Dial light orange` DCS · Flame and gas flow](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/dcs-dial-light-orange/) - [`Gas flow indicator red` Fire Magic · Flame and gas flow](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/error-codes/fire-magic-gas-flow-indicator/) Also related - [**Grill Low Flame: Burners Stuck at a Weak Blue Line** 6 causes](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/grill-low-flame/) Gas or fire at the grill ### Grill Flashback: Flames Behind the Knobs or Under the Panel 6 causes Gas or fire at the grill ### Grill Knob Won't Turn Off: Burner Still Lit at Off 6 causes ### Gas Grill Won't Light: Knob On, Clicking, No Flame 7 causes ## The makes it happens on. 23 makes on this site; grill gas smell at the burners or the tank: what to do now can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. 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It may be gas from a burner that did not catch, trapped under the lid. Knobs off, tank closed, lid open for several minutes; if the smell comes back with the gas off, book a visit before the next cookout. ### Can we hook up the spare propane tank to see if the smell goes away? Not while there is a smell. Close the tank that is on, step away and let the air clear; a leak in the hose or the valves would simply follow the new tank. ### Is the soapy water test on the tank connection safe to do? Only where your manual describes it, only on the tank connection, only once the smell has cleared and with no flame anywhere near. Bubbles that grow mean close the tank again and book. ### Does natural gas behave differently from propane at a BBQ? Natural gas is lighter than air and drifts upward; propane is heavier and pools under the cart, in an island cabinet and along the ground. With either one closed at the source, the odor should be gone within minutes. --- **[Read on the site: Grill Gas Smell at the Burners or the Tank: What to Do Now: Causes and Fixes](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/problems/grill-gas-smell/)** **[Book a visit with BBQGrillRepair.center](https://bbqgrillrepair.center/schedule/)**