Has anyone installed a gas grill in the lower bay like the attached pic. Thinking about adding one and considering options.
Oops. Here is pic
Nice set-up. That grill looks like it would be perfect for tailgating. We have a Magma marine gas grill. Large inough to cook a nice tenderloin or 6 burgers, dogs or chicken and doesn't take up a lot of room.
Terribly dangerous. Blue birds had them in a firebrick box.
It looks very similar to a grill I carry in the rig, but mine is not built in. I take it out and place it on a stand, then connect the propane hose to the coach's propane tank.
It looks to me that the entire assembly is supported with multiple extension slides so there is nothing flammable near the grille. You would have to let the grill cool completely before closing and I would line the area where it rests closed with tile.
I am guessing it resides in a steel box with no room for foolish RVer to store anything else. Being gas and not charcoal, it would cool quickly and be safe to stow in short order.
Only Birds would think nothing of carrying around a ton of bricks. What's another ton.
HAHA! Definitely made me chuckle....because it's 100% true.
When I see the "built in" gas grills I always immediately think how nice they look. Then the worry wart in me comes along and starts the negative thinking.
Smoke in the coach windows that are open, Awning catching fire, MH catching fire, wind blowing the wrong way sending searing heat into the side of the coach.
Taking my Cuisinart portable propane grill out of the storage bay, and setting were ever I want starts to make sense.
If I was a big time grill'r I would bring the old Weber kettle and cook with charcoal or hardwood anyways.
What I do not like about having a grill built in :-[ is the cleaning and if not cleaned it will have a grill smell. I also have a similar grill got at Sam's and it works great and easy to keep clean. Sometimes if cooking something with marinade I will put foil on top of the grate, but I always keep foil in bottom for easy clean. :D The main thing is if you carry it use it.
I just got my Weber grill hooked up to the coach's propane tank. I do not like the current setup. There is no way to turn off the propane to the grill without turning off the propane to the coach. I will be installing a seperate shut off for the grill next week. In the past I have always turned off the propane at the tank when I am finished with the grill, I want to continue the process.
Roland
FWIW,
I have one of those weber Q grills and it does pretty much what I like. However, agree that since propane would cool rather quickly, probably safe. Would recommend a gas shut off near the grill such that would increase the safety. I don't full time or tailgate so not as appealing to me. I once had a little electric grill that I got at WalMart (I think). It was nice as I did not have to have charcoal or propane, just a place to plug in at the campground. That little bugger was great for quick burgers! Probably not worth a hoot for dry camping though.
We went with a small "Master Forge" gas grill from Lowe's. It sits on a picnic table and uses a quick-disconnect and hose to get propane from the motorhome's tank.
Personall I think that having a grille that close to a coach is asking for trouble. Dangerous, smelly and if fixed in how do you give it a good clean which all of them should have after every use. We use one along with Ruth's gas cooker but each when used is connected to the main tank with a 12ft hose. I put a quick connect shut off on the manifold.. I put the hose thru the hole below so that the door can be closed when not in use so I do not have to keep dissconecting the line.
JohnH
John H. - I did the same quick release install. Works great.
I am assuming that the qick release and shut off are installed after the regulator. How does that work with the regulator that is already on the grill?
Roland
So far there have been no problems. If you prefer to connect ahead of the regulator then that can be done. Just be sure you use quick disconnects and hose designed for the high-pressure propane application. There are different ones designed for the low- and high-pressure applications.
Roland it does not seem to be a problem and had no troubles in 3 yrs. I did take it off this last winter and go direct to grille conection and it works just a tad better heat. I think the coach one must be set a fraction higher pressure for it to do this.
JohnH
My twelve foot hose is before the regulator on the propane tank. There is currently no shutoff, except for the shraeder valve built into the hose. Shraeder valves are prone to leaks. One of my sons works with propane, he is getting me the shut off that is raged for the high pressure coming from the tank. Should have it installed next week.
Roland
That is a pricey valve :o I want to get one but cant justify it no more than I use it.
Like our 3gal tank ^.^d
John,
We agree with you completely, especially after having had 1) a grease fire in our first Weber Q that melted its built-in base and 2) having had an internal failure in the hose we used to connect the replacement Q to the coach. The latter looked like it was a snake that had swallowed a hamster - we disconnected it from the coach and left it on the picnic table. When the sun hit it, it exploded like a gunshot :o
We now use a small, portable refillable cylinder and place the grill away from the coach. We also have a Brinkman tabletop grill that we bought this past summer - seems to use less propane than the Q and takes up a lot less space as well.
I prefer to have the grill away from the coach as well. Just seems safer.
We are using an O-Grill. It has a heavy cast non-stick grill and has plenty of fire power for cooking anything. Big enough for all we do and we use it frequently. Pretty easy to clean as well. Several colors as well.
Amazon.com : O Grill 600 Portable Grill, Red : Freestanding Grills : Patio, Lawn (http://amazon.com/Grill-600-Portable-Red/dp/B00CHIR5WY/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1409527292&sr=8-5&keywords=o+grill+portable+grill)
Roger
I think we did pretty much the same. At least we bought an $89 two-burner stainless steel grill with folding legs. However we do not attach it to the coach propane system since we were not comfortable with having that grill so close to the RV. We just put it on the picnic table most places (even dry camp places) have around and attach a portable tank to it. The tank itself resides in a basement storage box when not in use. Carefully padded.
Neat... but not gaudy. :P
Craig
Vented basement storage?
I have a stainless steel BBQ also and a hose to connect it to the RV propane tank, but rarely use it. I also have a smallish propane tank, but have not yet rigged a safe place to keep it. I am thinking of making a bracket above the engine batteries, just outside the air dryer. Lots of open air and on the cool side of the engine. I suppose I could also put it with the house batteries, as there is extra floor space there and ventilation (more likely a place for spilled diesel to get out) for the driver side fuel tank.
The link below shows the BBQ. $300 on Amazon. I found mine, in brand new condition at a thrift store, for $30. It sits very nicely on the Joey bed until time to move it to the picnic table or wire stand.
I'm just using those $5 throw-away bottles but it still worries me. I've never had one of them leak or anything (or even knew anyone who had an issue).... nevertheless...
Now that I think about it, the propane/fuel tank area is vented and the same door closes over that and the little cubby next to it where I keep extra cooland, wiper fluid and tire tools. And *that* leads straight into a storage bin with a big Joey Bed. We'll start keeping those little propane bottles there.
That little grill you have looks a lot like ours except we don't have the cool chimneys. We really like ours and use it all the time. The idea of building a BBQ in to a storage bin (or buying an RV because it had one) has never crossed my mind.
Craig
We have a grill that looks very similar to the one with the chimneys. All stainless, uses the small Coleman bottles, and cost $99 at Academy. We love it-- I too would not install a grill on a tray. Too easy to carry my small one out and cook on the table, and much safer.
Our solution to the grill issue was a George Foreman electric Grill. No fuel, no smell, easy to clean and cooks meat etc. on both sides at once so it's quite fast to use.
George Foreman 5-Serving Removable Plate Grill : Target (http://www.target.com/p/george-foreman-5-serving-removable-plate-grill/-/A-10597619?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=google_pla_df&LNM=10597619&CPNG=Appliances&kpid=10597619&LID=3pgs&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=10597619&kpid=10597619&gclid=CNOMhbO1wMACFUMLMgodXkEAqA)
I too have thought of using an electric grill or BBQ. We certainly have the electric power (inverter or shore) to run one, and it would be a lot more compact and convenient to use.