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Sheldon wrote:
>
> wrote:
> > Just got my first gas BBQ and have a real basic q:
> >
> > Should the tap on the gas bottle be all the way open when cooking? A
> > quarter turn seems to give the same amount of flame as full open is
> > (maybe 3 or 4 turns) and I wonder if I'm just wasting gas otherwise.
> > Maybe once these are open at all the pressure is pretty much the same
> > no matter *how* open the tap is so it doesn't matter.
>
> The grill's regulator determines gas pressure.
>
> Gas bottle valves should be fully open or fully closed, otherwise they
> can weep... and never rely on the grill valves alone to close off the
> gas supply... always fully close the valve on the bottle when done
> cooking. In fact when shutting down cooking always close the valve on
> the bottle first, wait until flame is extinguished, then close the
> grill valve(s)... you don't want to leave the grill
> hoses/fittings/valves pressurized longer than necessary, that shortens
> their useful life. Don't forget to leak check all grill fittings at
> least yearly... the older the grill the more often... if you detect a
> leak do not use that grill until a repair is made. The gas bottle
> should be leak checked at the filling station every time it's
> recharged... if you notice your filling station is lax about leak
> checking you should report them immediately, and refill somewhere else.
>
> > Also when BBQ recipes specify time of grilling, do they usually mean at
> > full heat or moderate?
>
> They usually specify heat level/temperature, same as cooking with stove
> top/oven... and naturally cooking time is an estimate.
>
> Sheldon

The fully open thing applies to high pressure cylinders (2,000+ PSI)
that have double seals. Low pressure propane tanks didn't have double
seals last time I checked. The rest is good advice and don't forget to
check the burner tubes for spiders periodically as well.

Pete C.