Dangerous gas grill

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Published: May 12, 2008

One of Consumer Reports’ standard tests for medium-sized grills—steaks cooked on the hot grill to see how much flare up there is. Like several grills, there was quite a bit with the $650 Broil King Signet 90. But there was a much more serious problem—the bottom of the grill’s firebox began melting.

Consumer Reports has been testing gas grills for 30 years and this is the first time testers have ever seen anything like this. All three Broil King Signet 90s tested had problems. Molten metal actually dripped down under the grill. It just missed the hand of one of the testers.

Consumer Reports has judged the Broil King Signet 90 (model # 90 986784LP) “Not Acceptable,” and has notified the manufacturer, as well as government safety agencies. The company has announced a recall of the grill and says it has developed a free retrofit kit that’s supposed to resolve the problem. Consumer Reports plans to test it. You can get more information on the recall and the repair kit at: http://www.broilkingbbq.com/notice_us.html.

All the other grills Consumer Reports tested rated good to excellent. Top-ratings went to the midsized Weber Genesis E320 for $700—it heats evenly and proved excellent at grilling. And Consumer Reports named some Best Buys. They include the Brinkmann model number 810-84-10-S from Home Depot for $200. And from Lowe’s, the Char-Broil Commercial Series model 463-268-008 for $300.

Before you fire up your grill for the first time this season, Consumer Reports says to do a safety check. Inspect the propane tank for rust or dents—signs you need a new tank. And check for gas leaks. An easy way to do this is to mix a small amount of dishwashing liquid with water and spray it on the connections and along the hose. If you see bubbling, that’s a leak that has to be fixed.