It can happen to anyone using propane in their grill. You just changed the tank and you’re grilling up a storm, the next time you open the valve and turn up the knobs, you get these pathetic and guttering flames and next to no heat. What happened?! Low heat and low flames on a gas grill are usually the effects of a safety feature built into your propane regulator and in this blog article; we’ll show you how to fix it.

Your Napoleon in a Nutshell

How does the gas get from the tank and into your burners? When you open the valve on the tank from the top, gas flows up and out of the tank into the gas line, and up to the grill’s manifold where it is divided between the burners, and out the control valves managed by the awesome light-up knobs on your grill. From the control valves, gas is mixed with oxygen for optimal burn (learn more about that in our BTU Blog) the JETFIRE™ ignition system lights the gas and oxygen mixture which has flowed into the burners and flames come out the burner ports to heat your grill.

Why Does Low Flow Happen?

It can seem like an arbitrary and frustrating thing to happen when there may be nothing wrong at all, however, it is a necessary safety precaution. In case there is a leak, you don’t want excess amounts of gas hovering in your grill when you go to light it. Your eyebrows wouldn’t be very happy, to say the least. When your regulator detects excess flow of propane, abnormal to usual flow, it will reduce the amount of gas released. This leads to weak flames and low heat.

Reasons for Low Flow:

• This sometimes happens when the valve is opened too quickly.

• This sometimes happens when the burners are on before the propane tank is opened.

• This sometimes happens when the propane is shut off before the knobs are turned off.

• This sometimes happens when the control knobs are left on after grilling.

How to Fix Low Flame/Heat on a Gas Grill

You can fix low heat and low flame on your propane grill easily by performing a regulator reset. Follow the easy steps below to reset your regulator.

1. Start by turning everything off, including your gas flow at the tank.

2. Disconnect the regulator from the tank and allow everything to sit for about 5 minutes.

3. Reconnect the regulator to the tank and slowly open the valve all the way.

4. Wait for 30 seconds before trying to light the grill again.

Further Troubleshooting

If you’re still experiencing trouble with your flame height and heat output after performing a regulator reset or two, try these troubleshooting tricks.

• Cleaning out your burner ports and the burner tubes with a venturi brush and the cleaning kit that came with your grill?

• Checked for a leak in your fuel supply? Use soapy water and a brush to check your fuel lines for a gas leak that may not be tripping the sensor in the tank.

• Checking your fuel levels. Is your tank empty?

• Checking your propane tank for the expiration date, dents, and rust, it may be time to replace it. See how here.

To avoid tripping the safety on the regulator of your propane tank, remember to turn off the grill’s burners before the propane when you’re done grilling, and when you’re turning on your propane to begin your cook, to turn the gas on slowly, all the way, then back it off about half a turn so that it won’t get stuck on. Have you had to do a regulator reset before? Tell us your stories, tips, and tricks when grilling with propane by using the hashtags #PropanePower and #NapoleonGrill and sharing on our social pages like Facebook and Instagram.

Happy Grilling!

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