Old Charmglow Natural Gas Grill

[Navin Johnson]

Yeah, I know, it's grilling and not really bar-b-cue at all but I thought this a good place to ask. 

I've just moved into a house that has an old Charmglow Grill (HED-1 Party Host) mounted to a permanent post.  It's natural gas.  Although I prefer charcoal and would keep my kettle for grilling when I had more time, it seems gas is okay for weekday cooking.

From googling I now know this is a classic old grill that used to be a standard (or perhaps the only thing available).  My question is this, is this grill worth restoring?  It seems like it only needs a new burner and venturi, plus maybe a new knob, handle, some cleaning and possibly paint.  The regulator and block seem okay, but what do I know, they may need replacement also.  I can get a total redo kit for about $170 but it might cost less if I don't need everything (like $50).  I did notice a site selling a redone full grill (on wheels rather than post) for $975 (http://tinyurl.com/28qbc).

I wonder if anyone can tell me how the old Charmglow (once restored) compares to the modern natural gas equivalent?  It seems $170 for a nat gas grill, if it works well, beats out buying a new one for $400 - $600 or more.

Thanks in advance for any responses.

--Eric

[Randy]

They're no barbecue snobs here thank goodness.  Can't help with the grill but I am sure a search would turn up some information.  Probadly a charmglo club somewhere.

Randy

[Navin Johnson]

Hi Randy,

Thanks for the response.  I've not yet found a charmglow club (although I bet you're right that something like that exists) but I did get a message from someone who restored his own charmglow and it turns out it should be quite a bit cheaper than I thought.

If I can find the digi cam in all the unpacking I'll try to post pictures of my progress.

Best,
Eric

[Randy]

Should be intersting, but watch out for cheap universal parts.

Randy

[Navin Johnson]

Hello everyone.  It's been a while but I have an update on my old Charmglow grill.  I fired it up last night and cooked a sausage!

I've been too busy with other projects to even look at the thing until yesterday.  Previously I had gotten a new burner but it seemed the flames were too small so I just put it away for awhile.  But I had some extra time yesterday and I got to thinking and my thinking led me to take off the burner, insert a pipe cleaner into the valve/regulator area, move it around a bit and try again.

Voila!  That was it.  When I fired it back up I got decent flame.  Must have been spider webs or something.  I reassembled everything, including the crappy old briquets and let it burn for 10 minutes.  When I came back I checked the temp with my polder clone and it went beyond (my guess is well beyond) the 392 F max on the thermometer.  When my wife got home later I cooked her a sausage.   (I do have new cast iron grates on the half I cooked her meal)

I still have some clean up on the inside and some painting on the outside but I've got it clean enough to use right now.  I did most of that with a wire brush attached to a drill and a putty knife.  There's actually silver aluminum under all that black crud!  Still more to do but hopefully not much.  Eventually I'd like a new knob also, and maybe put some sort of side table.  I'll try to post pictures if I think of it.

I do have one question for anyone who's read this far.  Last evening (it was dark outside) I noticed the burner turning bright red while cooking, mainly at the tips but clearly the metal was turning red.  Is this normal/okay?  I believe the burner is steel and I assume it is okay but this is my first gas grill so I want to check.

Thanks, Eric

[Steve]

Hmmmm, the flame should be blue. Too much oxygen will cause the red tips. Is there a valve on the burner tube that will allow you to adjust the air ratio?

[Navin Johnson]

Hi Steve, Thanks for the reply.  The flame itself looks blue, so that should be okay.  I believe it is the metal part of the burner that is turning red.  Sorry I didn't explain that well before.  I took a look at the burner again after it was cooled and there didn't appear to be any damage so I'm guessing it is all okay.

I'll look to see if there is any valve on the tube though.

Best,
Eric