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If you take one piece of advice from a guy who has built and designed hundreds of outdoor kitchen grill islands and outdoor bars it is do not buy cheap. A cheap grill or set of access doors in a permanent structure is a really bad idea. When we buy imported grills on portable carts and they rust out or break every two years, it is not a big production to roll it down to the edge of the driveway for the bulk pick-up to take to the trash. When a built in grill goes bad and it is built in you have a hole in your outdoor kitchen. Depending on the measurements of the opening in your countertop you have to find a built in bbq grill head that will fit into your outdoor kitchen.

When you design your outdoor kitchen get a grill that will live as long as you expect tolive in your house. Call the manufacturer and ask about warranties. Make sure there are several local service providers for the products in your area. Make sure the built in grill and access doors, drawers, etc are going to provide the features you desire but also make certain the built in accessories are going to withstand the usage you will expect.

I have designed and built many outdoor kitchens that were not grill islands. If a client is going to save a couple of thousand dollars on the grill, built the island without the grill and keep an inexpensive grill on a cart.

grill island design effective use of minimal space

I suggest customers buy inexpensive built in refrigerators because refrigerators, sinks, faucets and some sizes of doors are easy to locate and easy to replace when they go bad. If you can custom built an outdoor kitchen with storage, refrigeration, plumbing and plenty of usable counter space then keep your grill on a cart. Just like the kitchen in your home if you have useful accessories, storage and space to work and serve from then you will enjoy using your outdoor kitchen.

Take a look at some of the designs our clients have chosen to customize with us at grill repair in South Florida.

outdoor kitchen and small serving area

outdoor kitchen with big green egg charcoal smoker and seating

this outdoor kitchen is a rebuild. we had to demolish the original because the original accessories were no longer usable

The L designed outdoor kitchen is popular because lots of space and seating is created and the grill island is completely covered with a 9′ umbrella

Outdoor kitchen without built in bbq grill provides space, storage, plumbing and refrigeration used with movable barbeque

built in grill custom built in outdoor kitchen to match house like it was always there

outdoor kitchen with built in grill and oven, refrigeration, everything custom built as a full kitchen in the backyard

This outdoor kitchen is a full kitchen with plenty of seating, built in dcs grill, keg, side burners, plumbing even built in trash compactor

outdoor kitchen with built in bbq grill on cart

If you own or have ever considered adding a fireplace to a home, you probably have considered a gas log solution. The natural wood option includes scouring the yard for twigs, buying wood, stacking wood correctly to burn well and throw heat appropriately, ransacking the recycling bin for kindling and learning the adjustment of the flue to keep the ashes flowing in the correct direction. The gas option includes pushing a button. Push a button and the flames are perfect every time. Control with a wall switch, a remote, thermostat or a simple push button in the fireplace but any way you do it — gas logs are awesome!

The conflict for designers and builders has always been ventless or vented. Vented gas logs have always looked much more realistic but require all the same components of a wood burning fireplace — cutting a hole in the wall or the roof is never fun. What about the bed above the flue? Like a wood burning fireplace, the price of vented gas logs does not cover the expense of a major installation. The necessary safety features that allow ventless gas logs to be conveniently installed and safe have also hindered the affect of the flame. Until now.

If you have shopped gas log fireplaces, you already know the idea is great. Beautiful hand painted ceramic gas logs that ignite to a perfect flame every time need no defending. If the home is built with a vented hearth and gas lines, vented gas logs are an easy sell: a beautiful accent with the convenience of a button. Vented gas logs require a chimney and flue and all the same construction as a wood burning fireplace — plus a gas line.

When compared to the the expense of running ventilation through the roof the ventless fireplace option has become the less complicated solution. Installing a ventless gas log fireplace is simple –a log set purchased today can be enjoyed this evening in a home without a fireplace.

Ventless gas logs are also very safe. A ventless gas log fireplace is safer to is and easier to operate than the gas grill most clients use weekly. Safety features for ventless gas log fireplaces are effective while simple enough for the homeowner to operate. Safety features on ventless gas log fireplace alternatives read oxygen in the room and check the heat from the pilot to ensure safe use indoors without vents. BTU’s are also limited to ensure all the gas is burnt and no residue lingers.

These safety features have contributed to the packaged and often unrealistic look of ventless gas logs. Logs must be stacked in a static position to limit contact with the gas flame. When gas flames contact solid objects, carbon is produced. Carbon is not good so the logs are designed to stack realistically while avoiding the flames. The lower BTU rating and static ceramic logs often combine to create a mere hint or a packaged look rather than a variable flame focal point in the home.

New technologies and better quality logs have recently combined to create a beautiful accent and a great looking fireplace but no one is ever fooled by the effect of gas logs. We still love the affect of the flame, the decorative hearth combined with the function of a gas heater and we love the convenience and simplicity of an on/off switch.

Many clients requesting a gas log fireplace do not realize there are so many amazing fireplace options. Modern homes designed with a ventless fireplace have been unable to use the contemporary fireplace alternatives that — until recently — were only available in vented gas log fireplaces. Only recently have alternative gas log contemorary fireplace design options become available for ventless fireplaces.

Ventless gas log alternatives have leapt to the fore. Crushed glass fires, geometric shapes, brightly colored logs, fire balls and fire rocks in a variety of colors are now available for ventless fireplaces! Gas log burners with just a ribbon-like flame running along the firebox are becoming available more frequently with the addition of ethanol. Vent free gas log alternatives are celebrating their difference from traditional gas log designs.

New ventless burners – with all the safety features – throw flames through the crushed glass or shapes to create the illusion of burning coupled with vibrant colors hitherto unknown in the world of fireplaces. Creatively combining fire glass with ceramic shapes or logs adds a variety of design as multitudinous as the individual homeowners. Vent free gas log controls are easy to use and convenient. Accessories have developed alongside providing stainless steel works of art and clean ceramic lines and flat surfaces for the contemporary home.

The next time you are designing the social space and you are brilliant enough to recognize the value of a fireplace, look at alternative ventless gas logs for their distinctive colors and bold statement. Without building a chimney, creating a thousand pages of local code regulations and – most importantly – without sacrificing quality for convenience the fireplace can be more than an encrustation of the larger design and is capable of stopping the eye to become the focal point of the home.

Why do stainless steel grill parts rust? Everybody acts shocked when their barbeque grill starts to rust after sitting outside and not getting cleaned enough. I meet customers who purchase a stainless steel barbecue grill with a lifetime guarantee because they no longer want to buy a new grill every two years. Then two years later their big stainless steel grill is rusting and they feel betrayed. There are a lot of answers to this question but most of them are simple and sometimes obvious.

One reason is the quality of the grill parts. We know restaurants and resorts cannot waste time buying a new grill for their kitchen every few years so we assume if we purchase commercial quality items we can get the same level of quality as professionals. Now any cheap, low cost manufacturer can call their product a commercial series or a professional series item and the association is made. Add a few hundred dollars profit to the price and the customer gets tricked. I have seen this in many industries when the terms “commercial” and “professional” get used as the name of a product model rather than a true description of the quality of the product.

Knowing homeowners associate stainless steel with high quality, unsavory manufacturers will purposely use cheap stainless to mimic the look and idea of high quality while selling cheap steel that is quick to rust and discolor. Many of us do not realize there are many different types of stainless steel. Stainless steel mistakenly becomes symbolic of high quality and long lasting parts. Often a customer will tell me they want a stainless steel grill as though they are describing the barbeque they want to purchase. In their mind, they have asked for a particular level of quality using the term “stainless steel”. Aside from personal taste people think of stainless steel as higher quality. The fact is there are several types of stainless steel, many no better than regular steel and indistinguishable visually.

Look at who makes the grill – not the importer but the actual manufacturer. Barbeque grills that are made in America will generally disclose the type of stainless steel that has been used. If the manufacturer is providing a warranty, call them and see if a human answers or if the warranty is a sham. When we purchase an American Made stainless steel BBQ grill, we spend a lot more money and have much higher expectations of the product. Contact local dealers and find out if local professionals who repair grills recommend the product.

Commercial products do not say “commercial” on them and restaurants or resorts do not buy their appliances at the gigantic retail exchanges that advertise the lowest price in town. I have clients who purchase a $300. grill and feel they have spent a lot of money. For that BBQ owner the information above regarding different types of stainless steel is applicable. Keep the grill covered and clean it as often as possible.

High quality barbecues will be manufactured by a stainless steel designated as 304. Stainless steel is classified in numerical categories and 304 refers to outdoor stainless because of its chemical properties. In order to be considered 304 stainless steel not only are iron oxides drained to such a degree that a magnet cannot hold it but nickel and chromium are added during the smelting process in amounts of 8% nickel and 18% chromium.

Chemicals added to stainless steel protect the material in its specific application. Indoor products that do not contend with weather need a different and less resilient stainless than your outdoor grill parts. Outdoor gas barbeque grills use 18 gauge 304 stainless steel because of the nickel and chromium. Nickel is a hardening agent. Nickel is shiny and attractive but its main benefit is as a hardener. When stainless begins to rust it shows up as “pits”. When oxidation begins a small rust spot will appear at the weakest parts of the stainless as a pit. Nickel at eight percent in outdoor stainless hardens the surface to resist pitting.

Chromium protects the surface of the stainless steel in the same way that oil protects a cast iron pot. Chromium reacts with oxygen in the atmosphere and creates a barrier at the surface of the stainless steel. If the stainless surface ever becomes damaged or scratched the surface can be lightly sanded and the chromium will recreate the barrier. Chromium is added during the smelting process so scratching-out rust does not remove the protective effects of chromium.

Mid-range barbeque grills like Weber and Broil King use combinations in manufacturing. Much of the stainless is decorative but generally the burners, cooking grates and heat shields will be better quality. This is because the inside of the grill gets wiped down less and gets a whole lot messier than the hood.

For the very expensive grill that has a lifetime guarantee against rust, the reason your grill is rusting is grease. I have seen DCS grills over twenty years old without a single pit on the outside of the barbeque but the burners have been replaced six times. On the rare occasion a customer claims the hood is rusting, it is usually not rust but a light discoloration caused by heat. When the grill shows rust, it is the burners, heat shields, rod trays, cooking grates, etc. The grill parts inside the firebox get grease and drippings and carbon discoloration from heat. All of these things combine to coat the stainless and stop the chromium from reacting with oxygen in the atmosphere.

Once a year I take the cooking grates, heat plates and burners out of my grill. I clean – really clean – the inside of the firebox and I clean the parts I have removed. I have a wire brush that attaches to my drill and I scrub the grates, burners and even the firebox with that brush spinning at 60 miles per hour. This is the closest I have been able to get to looking new again.

For barbeques that use less-expensive stainless steel, know it is decorative. They know the decoration allows the assumption regarding quality to be made but no one who sells grills will point this out. Either accept that you will have to buy a new BBQ grill every two years or start buying replacement grill parts. Next time you buy a barbeque in the same price range, get an aluminum grill that is made in America. Pure aluminum will last forever.

Often, the best tool to fix a problem is education. Once we understand a problem, the solution will show up in our normal actions. Once you know the chromium needs oxygen to protect your stainless steel your regular post-grilling habits may change. Once we know oxygen reacts with chromium, we can degrease the stainless surface.

The gas grill can be affected by its placement relative to landscaping, pool, toy boxes and chemicals. Pool chemicals can cause the grill to corrode if in direct contact with high quality stainless steel. However, the stainless steel can also be damaged just by closeness to the pool or stored pool chemicals. Pool chemicals merge with oxygen in the air. Near the pool, a shortage of oxygen atoms can cause the same effect as covering the stainless steel with grease. Chromium becomes unable to react with the oxygen in the air.

If you have a well-built stainless steel gas grill, cook on it often because of you’re going to spend the money use it. Also the heat lessens mess. After cooking, burn the grill on high or ten to twelve minutes to dry it out and then scrape the stainless. Once or twice a year, take it apart or call a professional. A properly maintained gas grill should last forever.