Rust Help, Rain in Open Propane Grill

[tallbm]

Well last week I managed to leave my wonderful propane grill lid open and in the rain.
After I grill I leave the lid open and eat dinner so it can cool off and I can close the lid and then cover without burning up my grill cover.

I forgot to go back outside and close and cover it and yep we had a good amount of rain.
The rust was CONSIDERABLE and is now aggressive to the point that I actually had to replace my wearing grill plates because they freakin rusted through in spots!
The grill plates were in need of replacement but they had enough life in them for me to get by. In less than a week after the rain into the gril.... they were coming apart!

So I bought stainless still grates and put them in place, problem solved there. HOWEVER, I'm looking and the parts where the burners are and the flame deflection plates are located are showing some rust damage that I did not notice before the rain got in.

I love this grill and though it's not new it performs amazingly.

Is there anything I can do to stop the rust process?

I was thinking I can spray rust killer all over the parts and let it sit for a week to do it's job, then I could burn it off with a 30 min 700F (yes it easily gets that hot) burn out.

Thoughts???

 

[jcoleman66]

You could always try these: https://www.grillgrate.com/

Don't know about the spray rust killer, would be worried about the after affects on the food etc.

 

[tallbm]

You could always try these: https://www.grillgrate.com/

Don't know about the spray rust killer, would be worried about the after affects on the food etc.

I replaced the grill grates with these heavy duty ones which are kick ass after I grilled lunch a moment ago.

I'm now concerned with all the parts below the grill rusting away.

 

[SmokyMose]

I would think that a rust remover would be ok as long as you rinsed really well and did a burn off then another rinse and a re-seasoning.
Amazing how the rust got so bad so quickly....

 

[DanMcG]

I'd get it real hot and reseason it. some rain shouldn't hurt it to bad.
I could be wrong, but pic's would give us a better idea what you're dealing with.

 

[tallbm]

I would think that a rust remover would be ok as long as you rinsed really well and did a burn off then another rinse and a re-seasoning.
Amazing how the rust got so bad so quickly....

I don't know if I'll be able to rinse but I can always hose off internally and then run the heat.
This rust killer stuff isn't really a paint coating its more of something that kills the rust and makes it inert and stop. I would imagine after a week of it being in place I would just run the grill for 45 minutes very hot and burn all that stuff away but never heard of anyone doing this so I'm not sure if it makes sense haha.

Yeah there was some rust going on but not to where stuff was coming apart. It got really aggressive very fast.

I'd get it real hot and reseason it. some rain shouldn't hurt it to bad.
I could be wrong, but pic's would give us a better idea what you're dealing with.

I can try and get pics. Just imagine all of the burner and flame deflection contraptions are what I'm mostly concerned about. the actual grill walls are ok but it wouldnt hurt for me to run rust killer against that itself IF it can burn off and not be an issue. I don't want to introduce stuff into the grill that would forever cause issues while running it haha.

 

[tallbm]

I just read an article where someone in South Africa did exactly what I was thinking here.
So I think I'm going to do rust converter then burn out, fingers crossed! :D

 

[normanaj]

The best rust remover is a good set of wire brushes and some elbow grease and some sandpaper.

 

[tallbm]

Ok used up a can of VHT Rust Converter I had. Sprayed the tubes where the flame came out and all the flame deflectors and any other thin metal with rust on it.

FYI, rust converter converts rust (iron oxide) into ferric phosphate. I'm reading ferric phosphate is not toxic to humans at all but when eaten by slugs/slugs causes an iron overdose in them killing them but not causing any adverse affects to plants or other animals so it is a good slug/snail killer.
Rust remover is generally an acid that eats the rust. That's the difference between rust converter and rust remover.

In 2 days I will do a burn in to burn away any oils or chemical residue that may have been left behind by the spray but I don't have to worry about the ferric phosphate (formerly rust which was formerly iron) being harmful in anyway. The proof will be in the pudding.

I'll report back on this in a couple of days :)

 

[chopsaw]

some rain shouldn't hurt it to bad.

I have to agree with Dan . Maybe the parts in question were already on the way out , and the rain just revealed the damage .

Just imagine all of the burner and flame deflection contraptions are what I'm mostly concerned about. the actual grill walls are ok

All those parts are replaceable and wear out . Moisture is a by product of propane combustion .
I keep my Genesis 310 clean . The other day I noticed the flavorizer bars are rusted through . Seems out of no where , but the humidity has been so high here , I think that pushed already damaged parts over the edge .

 

[tallbm]

I have to agree with Dan . Maybe the parts in question were already on the way out , and the rain just revealed the damage .


All those parts are replaceable and wear out . Moisture is a by product of propane combustion .
I keep my Genesis 310 clean . The other day I noticed the flavorizer bars are rusted through . Seems out of no where , but the humidity has been so high here , I think that pushed already damaged parts over the edge .

Oh yeah the grates were already damaged. They were initially porcelain coated iron plates where the porcelain was coming off at a good clip. I guess I didn't know how little or thin maybe the metal was under all the shedding porcelain. After that rain and then sitting for a week... I found out hahaha.

Grates and flame deflector plates (whatever they are called) are easily replaceable but the thin metal burner contraptions are my main concern. The body is thick and is ok it has a healthy layer of cooking crud to season it from the rain but those other pieces nope. I've never replaced any of that and I have a freaking workhorse of a grill that produces just over 100BTUs per square inch of cooking surface. It seems this is super hard to find these days!

Searing a steak on a super hot grill is a snap on this grill. I see other propane grills where there never get hot enough to sear anything, it's a shame. Most of them don't even get you 80BTUs per square inch of main cooking surface.

Let's hope I caught this fast enough and it all works out. The grill racks were really an alarming surprise how in a weeks time they went so bad lol.

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

I had bought a new Weber few years ago. I glad I did not get rid of the old silver B. The new just sits there now. It does cook chicken good though. I will use it once in a blue moon when don't feel like messing with charcoal.

 

[Cabo]

Most rust converters are phosphoric acid. Not harmful, but I would rinse it very well and do a high heat burn off just to be safe.

 

[SmokinAl]

If it was me & it is a Weber grill, I would just buy new parts. I have rebuilt my Genesis 3 times. Not the grates, but the flavorizer bars, burners, and drip tray.
Al

 

[tallbm]

Most rust converters are phosphoric acid. Not harmful, but I would rinse it very well and do a high heat burn off just to be safe.

I definitely will do. Burn in coming today or tomorrow. We'll see how much time I get to mess with it.

If it was me & it is a Weber grill, I would just buy new parts. I have rebuilt my Genesis 3 times. Not the grates, but the flavorizer bars, burners, and drip tray.
Al

It's a "Huntington" brand. I found a site that has parts. The burner assembly is the one that concerns me. I've never replaced one. I did have to replace the hose and regulator on it this past year so I'm glad that wasn't too difficult.

The flavorizer bars/plates are no issue I can just buy new stainless ones of those. The burners and the ignition section are more where I'm concerned. I'm hoping now that I've applied the rust converter I should be good for a while. We will see :)

 

[tallbm]

Ok burn out happening for the last 30 minutes I think it is going well!
I cut off the burners and I placed some foil with wood pellets in the bottom of the smoker and have them smoking. I figure I may as well season it with some smoke to try and creosote + smoke cover all of the inside of the grill for good measure.

Once that is done I'll burn it out again for another 30 minutes or so and I think I have stopped the bleeding... until I leave it open in the rain again hahaha.

 

[tallbm]

Ok last burn in performed, no funny smells, everything looking good!!!
Hopefully this helps someone in the future.
I'm still amazed at how fast and how aggressive that rust got at the internals of my grill!!!

Grill on folks! :)

 

[tallbm]

Update: This totally resolved my situation.

I would not do this for grill grates as the VHF website Q&A state not to use this stuff with surfaces that contact food.

As stated in the thread I replaced grill grates and then used the VHF on the other guts/parts of the grill and man it has worked like a charm! It also helps that my grill has not gotten rained in again hahaha.

I'd do this again and recommend for anyone else with a similar problem :)

 

[tbern]

glad that it worked really good for you, thanks for the follow up and the info.