Expert: John Langenfelder - 7/17/2010

Question
Hey John,
I am replacing some rusted tubes in my grill and I noticed that the CharBroil universal tubes have holes close to where is connects to the gas supply, but outside the fire box.  Is this right or could it be a fire hazard?  Thanks.

Answer
John,

Not quite sure about this as I can't see it.  Are these holes before or after the venturi opening on the tube itself? Are these holes part of the holes that are where the gas comes out and burns?  I would suspect that they are part of the tube to allow air to mix with the gas but without being able to see it is difficult to say.  Here is an article that talks about gas grills:  http://bbq.about.com/cs/replacementparts/a/aa071100a.htm
http://bbq.about.com/b/2009/08/03/clean-your-venturi.htm

My suggestion is that if you are unsure, return the universal and try for an exact replacement.