Customer Reviews

Char-Broil Big Easy Charcoal/Gas Grill

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

First, the good news:
While this grill was not trivial to assemble, CharBroil did helpfully include a large sheet of white paper to set the tiny parts on, so they do not fall in between your deck boards. Quite a nice, thoughtful touch.

After assembly, I hauled the included tank to the gas station, and had them fill 'er up. I performed all the required leak tests when getting home, but did not use it for a couple of weeks.

Yesterday, I fired it up for the first time and started letting it preheat. That went just fine. I then went inside to start getting out the hot dogs I wanted to grill. After a couple of minutes, my wife came to inform me that the grill was smoking and flames were poofing out the side. I figure this is just finish smoking some, and she is overreacting. My mistake. I get there just in time to watch a jet of Liquid Propane shoot out of the side of the regulator assembly that attaches to the tank. I of course immediately shut off the burners, scooted the grill to the other side of the deck and shut the tank valve while I waited for the puddle of explosive propane to boil off. Quite an exciting few seconds. I can only imagine what would have happened if the leak was pointed at the hot bottom of the grill instead of the ground.

What I figured happened is that the regulator seals were good enough to seal at room temperature. However, when the regulator was chilled by the actual flow of propane (something that does not happen in a static leak test), the metal contracted, the rubber lost elasticity, and the seals failed catastrophically. Think Challenger.

While this defect may have been a random fluke, I will definately have the fire extinguisher handy when I have the replacement part in hand. If that leaks too, back to the hardware store it goes.

UPDATE:
The replacement part leaked too. CharBroil then told me that oops, it must be that my tank is overfilled. I had it weighed, and nope, that wasn't it either. When they told me I must have a defective tank, I gave up on CharBroil trying to fix it. Too many guesses for me. This was after several weeks of trying in vain to get a callback. Luckily [the store] took it back over two months after I bought it without a hassle.

As a side note, as I was disassembling it to fit in my brother's SUV for the trip back to the store, I noticed that several parts were already rusting after only 2 1/2 months, all of it under a grill cover. What an unmitigated piece of junk, backed by truly pathetic service.

Great grill that goes both ways... Nice and big, very even heating. Have used it for about 2 weeks straight! Not one problem.

This grill is great. I have the Thermos brand Big Easy. Char-Broil now makes this Charcoal/gas grill. It is the same thing.
When using gas, the heat is distributed evenly and clean up is a breeze. When using charcoal you can adjust the height and cook to the ideal temp. I love this grill. As far as assembly - This one was put together at the store so I don't know how difficult it is to assemble, but after using mine for 4 months it sure seems like a simple task to clean and maintain.

I have owned the grill for a few years...true enough...
But now the regulator is leaking- explosive and dangerous.

Getting parts has proved to be impossible. YOu can get a generic regulator but Char-Broil was too cheap to get screw on type connections. They are connected with a permanent clamp... So, time for a new grill.

Do not buy from this seller, I was sent the wrong item than what I ordered, and he would not correct it. I had to file a claim with Amazon.com to get it resolved.