Hi all... I've done some web searching and haven't had much luck, and
I'm hoping the experts here can help me out.

My parents got me a Vermont Castings VM400 (I believe) from our local
Home Depot. After a few attempts, it appears to work great.

Two things I noticed, however, was that when all three burners were lit
and on full, the regulator was making kind of a rattling/vibrating
sound. Not the loud humming that you get if you block the little hole
in the regulator, but still, not the smooth sound of flowing gas. The
grill was also not getting hotter than 350 degrees, even after 20-30
minutes of preheating.

I talked to my local Home Depot guy, and have since replaced the
regulator. It's quieter, but the sound of the flowing gas still
changes a little between two burners (mostly silent) and three burners
(a quiet flowing sound, like water pipes).

The grill still takes 15 minutes to get to about 350 degrees, and that
seems to be the limit.

Any ideas? I don't smell any gas leaks. The flames look nice and blue
(thought not particularly big or fear-inducing). Is it possible that
the grill simply doesnt' get that hot? Or is it possible that the
thermometer is giving lowball readings?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!

Adman

By the way, I'm familiar with the safety mechanism on the gas
regulator. If I turn off the valve, open a burner, and then turn on
the valve, I heard a clicking sound, and only a tiny amount of gas
comes out. So, having successfully replicated that symptom, I'm sure
that is not the problem.

Also, this is a liquid propane grill...

Adman

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> Hi all... I've done some web searching and haven't had much luck, and
> I'm hoping the experts here can help me out.
>
> My parents got me a Vermont Castings VM400 (I believe) from our local
> Home Depot. After a few attempts, it appears to work great.
>
> Two things I noticed, however, was that when all three burners were lit
> and on full, the regulator was making kind of a rattling/vibrating
> sound. Not the loud humming that you get if you block the little hole
> in the regulator, but still, not the smooth sound of flowing gas. The
> grill was also not getting hotter than 350 degrees, even after 20-30
> minutes of preheating.
>
> I talked to my local Home Depot guy, and have since replaced the
> regulator. It's quieter, but the sound of the flowing gas still
> changes a little between two burners (mostly silent) and three burners
> (a quiet flowing sound, like water pipes).
>
> The grill still takes 15 minutes to get to about 350 degrees, and that
> seems to be the limit.
>
> Any ideas? I don't smell any gas leaks. The flames look nice and blue
> (thought not particularly big or fear-inducing). Is it possible that
> the grill simply doesnt' get that hot? Or is it possible that the
> thermometer is giving lowball readings?
>
> Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!
>
> Adman
>
>
I don't think any of the gas grills heat enough to cook a steak "char rare".
36,000 BTU isn't a very hot gas grill, the same as my Weber Silver Genesis
B, which also isn't hot enough. A cast iron grate helps this, but your grill
already has cast iron grates.
If it is cooking to your satisfaction you obviously shouldn't look much
farther.
However, one thing you might do is buy one of those inexpensive oven
thermometers at a hardware store. Calibrate it[more or less] in your home
oven. Then see how hot your grill gets using that. It's probably hotter than
350F, and the problem may be only your thermometer. If a second thermometer
still indicates a low temp. I would call CFM Corp. customer service, as I
did for my smoker. Their customer service was helpful, and replaced the
burner. I talked to Evette Cousins ext 2836 at # 800 525-1898. She was very
accomodating, rare these days. Good Luck.

Kent

"Adman" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> By the way, I'm familiar with the safety mechanism on the gas
> regulator. If I turn off the valve, open a burner, and then turn on
> the valve, I heard a clicking sound, and only a tiny amount of gas
> comes out. So, having successfully replicated that symptom, I'm sure
> that is not the problem.

Are you sure it is not the OPD in the tank causing some of the problem?
Common with low flow situations.

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
> "Adman" > wrote in message

> Are you sure it is not the OPD in the tank causing some of the problem?
> Common with low flow situations.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try the thermometer calibration. How
could I test if there was an OPD problem, short of buying a new tank?

Adman

A few years ago, we bought a bottom of the line propane grill from Depot
too. The grill barely got hot enough even after 10- 15 minutes of preheat. I
saved the regulator from our last grill and installed it, big improvement,
lots of heat. problem solved.

That might be your trouble too.

best of luck



> wrote in message
ups.com...
> Hi all... I've done some web searching and haven't had much luck, and
> I'm hoping the experts here can help me out.
>
> My parents got me a Vermont Castings VM400 (I believe) from our local
> Home Depot. After a few attempts, it appears to work great.
>
> Two things I noticed, however, was that when all three burners were lit
> and on full, the regulator was making kind of a rattling/vibrating
> sound. Not the loud humming that you get if you block the little hole
> in the regulator, but still, not the smooth sound of flowing gas. The
> grill was also not getting hotter than 350 degrees, even after 20-30
> minutes of preheating.
>
> I talked to my local Home Depot guy, and have since replaced the
> regulator. It's quieter, but the sound of the flowing gas still
> changes a little between two burners (mostly silent) and three burners
> (a quiet flowing sound, like water pipes).
>
> The grill still takes 15 minutes to get to about 350 degrees, and that
> seems to be the limit.
>
> Any ideas? I don't smell any gas leaks. The flames look nice and blue
> (thought not particularly big or fear-inducing). Is it possible that
> the grill simply doesnt' get that hot? Or is it possible that the
> thermometer is giving lowball readings?
>
> Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!
>
> Adman
>

"Adman" > wrote in message
>
> Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try the thermometer calibration. How
> could I test if there was an OPD problem, short of buying a new tank?
>
> Adman

The overfill device sometimes works when it should not work and will impede
the flow of propane. Once some of the propane has been used, it should drop
down on its own, or just a sharp rap of the tank. If it is below 3/4 full,
it should give you all the gas it can. They tend to stop the flow when the
burners are opened to full to fast. The purpose of the device it to stop
the gas if the tank valve is damaged or the tank is on its side, as when
transported in your truck.

"Adman" > wrote in message
>>
>> Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try the thermometer calibration. How
>> could I test if there was an OPD problem, short of buying a new tank?
>>

I should have mentioned, buy a new tank. YOU want a spare. Tanks run empty
at the worst times. Plus, you pay the same for a 1/4 filled tank to get
topped off anyway.

my DCS propane grill easily does a char -rare steak. Accomplished that
last weekend while the DFW area had an ice storm. The biggest prob was
freeing up the knobs, as they were frozen in 1/2 inch of ice.
Kent wrote:
> > wrote in message
> ups.com...
> > Hi all... I've done some web searching and haven't had much luck, and
> > I'm hoping the experts here can help me out.
> >
> > My parents got me a Vermont Castings VM400 (I believe) from our local
> > Home Depot. After a few attempts, it appears to work great.
> >
> > Two things I noticed, however, was that when all three burners were lit
> > and on full, the regulator was making kind of a rattling/vibrating
> > sound. Not the loud humming that you get if you block the little hole
> > in the regulator, but still, not the smooth sound of flowing gas. The
> > grill was also not getting hotter than 350 degrees, even after 20-30
> > minutes of preheating.
> >
> > I talked to my local Home Depot guy, and have since replaced the
> > regulator. It's quieter, but the sound of the flowing gas still
> > changes a little between two burners (mostly silent) and three burners
> > (a quiet flowing sound, like water pipes).
> >
> > The grill still takes 15 minutes to get to about 350 degrees, and that
> > seems to be the limit.
> >
> > Any ideas? I don't smell any gas leaks. The flames look nice and blue
> > (thought not particularly big or fear-inducing). Is it possible that
> > the grill simply doesnt' get that hot? Or is it possible that the
> > thermometer is giving lowball readings?
> >
> > Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!
> >
> > Adman
> >
> >
> I don't think any of the gas grills heat enough to cook a steak "char rare".
> 36,000 BTU isn't a very hot gas grill, the same as my Weber Silver Genesis
> B, which also isn't hot enough. A cast iron grate helps this, but your grill
> already has cast iron grates.
> If it is cooking to your satisfaction you obviously shouldn't look much
> farther.
> However, one thing you might do is buy one of those inexpensive oven
> thermometers at a hardware store. Calibrate it[more or less] in your home
> oven. Then see how hot your grill gets using that. It's probably hotter than
> 350F, and the problem may be only your thermometer. If a second thermometer
> still indicates a low temp. I would call CFM Corp. customer service, as I
> did for my smoker. Their customer service was helpful, and replaced the
> burner. I talked to Evette Cousins ext 2836 at # 800 525-1898. She was very
> accomodating, rare these days. Good Luck.
>
> Kent

wrote:
> Hi all... I've done some web searching and haven't had much luck, and
> I'm hoping the experts here can help me out.
>
> My parents got me a Vermont Castings VM400 (I believe) from our local
> Home Depot. After a few attempts, it appears to work great.
>
> Two things I noticed, however, was that when all three burners were lit
> and on full, the regulator was making kind of a rattling/vibrating
> sound. Not the loud humming that you get if you block the little hole
> in the regulator, but still, not the smooth sound of flowing gas. The
> grill was also not getting hotter than 350 degrees, even after 20-30
> minutes of preheating.
>
> I talked to my local Home Depot guy, and have since replaced the
> regulator. It's quieter, but the sound of the flowing gas still
> changes a little between two burners (mostly silent) and three burners
> (a quiet flowing sound, like water pipes).
>
> The grill still takes 15 minutes to get to about 350 degrees, and that
> seems to be the limit.
>
> Any ideas? I don't smell any gas leaks. The flames look nice and blue
> (thought not particularly big or fear-inducing). Is it possible that
> the grill simply doesnt' get that hot? Or is it possible that the
> thermometer is giving lowball readings?
>
> Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!
>
> Adman

Something seems to be afoul! I have a three burner almost identical to
Home Depot's Vermont Castings one, and it'll get to 500 degrees in
about 10 minutes Take your meat thermometer and stick in there and see
what's what to start.

Denny Wheeler wrote:
> On Wed, 17 Jan 2007 22:04:48 -0500, "Edwin Pawlowski" >
> wrote:
>
> > I should have mentioned, buy a new tank. YOU want a spare. Tanks
> > run empty at the worst times. Plus, you pay the same for a 1/4
> > filled tank to get topped off anyway.
>
> Understand and agree about wanting a spare. BUT.
> "pay the same..."??
> I dunno 'bout you, but I pay for the amount of propane they put in.
> (of course, where I live, there are more places that'll pump it than
> ones doing tank exchange. This is A Good Thing.)
>
> -denny-

Most places it is a fixed fee to bring the tank up to full. At my local
HandyMan Hardware you pay before you even go out to the fill tank so there's no
way they are only charging for what they put in.

"Denny Wheeler" > wrote in message
>
> Understand and agree about wanting a spare. BUT.
> "pay the same..."??
> I dunno 'bout you, but I pay for the amount of propane they put in.
> (of course, where I live, there are more places that'll pump it than
> ones doing tank exchange. This is A Good Thing.)
>
> -denny-

Around here (southern New England) they have a flat fee for the 20# tanks,
Right now I'm paying $9.95. I'd never go for the exchange deal, but it is
growing and expensive.

"Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote in message
. net...
>
> "Adman" > wrote in message
>>
>> Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try the thermometer calibration. How
>> could I test if there was an OPD problem, short of buying a new tank?
>>
>> Adman
>
> The overfill device sometimes works when it should not work and will
> impede the flow of propane. Once some of the propane has been used, it
> should drop down on its own, or just a sharp rap of the tank. If it is
> below 3/4 full, it should give you all the gas it can. They tend to stop
> the flow when the burners are opened to full to fast. The purpose of the
> device it to stop the gas if the tank valve is damaged or the tank is on
> its side, as when transported in your truck.

OPD stands for Overfill Protection Device. And that is all it is for.
The OPD valves do incorporate a spring loaded one-way valve at the outlet of
the valve that must be physically depressed in order to get the gas to flow.
I have seen hose ends that would not depress the valve far enough to get
good flow.

Dave

basskisser wrote:
> wrote:
> > Hi all... I've done some web searching and haven't had much luck, and
> > I'm hoping the experts here can help me out.
> >
> > My parents got me a Vermont Castings VM400 (I believe) from our local
> > Home Depot. After a few attempts, it appears to work great.
> >

> >
> > Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks so much!
> >
> > Adman
>
> Something seems to be afoul! I have a three burner almost identical to
> Home Depot's Vermont Castings one, and it'll get to 500 degrees in
> about 10 minutes Take your meat thermometer and stick in there and see
> what's what to start.

I have a VM400 from home depot, bought last year.
500 to 550 in ten to fifteen minutes..except the other night when it
was 10 degrees F and windy as hell..

Rick Brandt wrote:


> Most places it is a fixed fee to bring the tank up to full. At my
> local HandyMan Hardware you pay before you even go out to the fill
> tank so there's no way they are only charging for what they put in.

HandyMan Hardware! Another St. Louis guy, huh?




Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

On Fri, 19 Jan 2007 01:00:42 GMT, "Rick Brandt"
> wrote:

>Denny Wheeler wrote:
>> On Wed, 17 Jan 2007 22:04:48 -0500, "Edwin Pawlowski" >
>> wrote:
>>
>> > I should have mentioned, buy a new tank. YOU want a spare. Tanks
>> > run empty at the worst times. Plus, you pay the same for a 1/4
>> > filled tank to get topped off anyway.
>>
>> Understand and agree about wanting a spare. BUT.
>> "pay the same..."??
>> I dunno 'bout you, but I pay for the amount of propane they put in.
>> (of course, where I live, there are more places that'll pump it than
>> ones doing tank exchange. This is A Good Thing.)
>>
>> -denny-
>
>Most places it is a fixed fee to bring the tank up to full. At my local
>HandyMan Hardware you pay before you even go out to the fill tank so there's no
>way they are only charging for what they put in.
>
You live in a strange Country.

Harry

Default User wrote:
> Rick Brandt wrote:
>
>
> > Most places it is a fixed fee to bring the tank up to full. At my
> > local HandyMan Hardware you pay before you even go out to the fill
> > tank so there's no way they are only charging for what they put in.
>
> HandyMan Hardware! Another St. Louis guy, huh?

Yep. North county.

Harry Demidavicius wrote:
> On Fri, 19 Jan 2007 01:00:42 GMT, "Rick Brandt"
> > wrote:
> > Most places it is a fixed fee to bring the tank up to full. At my
> > local HandyMan Hardware you pay before you even go out to the fill
> > tank so there's no way they are only charging for what they put in.
> >
> You live in a strange Country.

Honestly, you have places with a "meter" like buying gasoline? I can see that
for a guy that delivers propane to fixed location tanks, but I have never seen
any place that refills carry-ins that doesn't just have a scale to measure when
the tank is full.

I agree that it is a more logical way to sell the gas, but the average barbecue
tank is empty or pretty darn close to it when it's refilled and having a metered
fill-up system would seem a lot more expensive for the seller.

I have also used our local U-Haul place and they do the same thing. Just charge
10 bucks flat-fee to top off a tank.

"Rick Brandt" > wrote in message
> Honestly, you have places with a "meter" like buying gasoline? I can see
> that for a guy that delivers propane to fixed location tanks, but I have
> never seen any place that refills carry-ins that doesn't just have a scale
> to measure when the tank is full.
>
> I agree that it is a more logical way to sell the gas, but the average
> barbecue tank is empty or pretty darn close to it when it's refilled and
> having a metered fill-up system would seem a lot more expensive for the
> seller.

The propane station does have a meter, but they are not reading dollars like
the gas pump. That means the kid filling the tank will actually have to
compute something. The scale does tell you when the tank is full, a very
accurate method.

At most places, you go to the cashier, pay the flat fee, then the person
goes to the filling station and fills the tank. Mine are always empty so it
is not a big deal. Given the small number of tanks that are partly filed,
it would be more costly to install the proper equipment at the pump, pay
after the filling etc. I'd guess 95% are empty and paying full price
anyway. The number of larger thanks filled is the minor exception.

If U-Haul is charging you a flat fee then I think they are ripping you off.
I haven't gone to a U-Haul yet that didn't have a metered tank. Also,
metered is better because you are paying for exactly what you are getting. A
home grill tank is basically 5 gallons but because of the OPD (Overflow
Protection Device) the tank can only be filled to 80% or approx 4.6 to 4.8
gallons. The OPD prevents overfilling and allows for the gas to expand in
hot temperatures. The scale is the old way of doing it. It uses weight of
the bottle rather than gallons. Both are accurate. As for expense to the
seller to have a meter installed; I think most propane companies will do it
without extra cost. Then too it is dependant upon your state's laws
governing sell of propane.

Just my nickels worth.

Paul

"Rick Brandt" > wrote in message
. net...
> Harry Demidavicius wrote:
>> On Fri, 19 Jan 2007 01:00:42 GMT, "Rick Brandt"
>> > wrote:
>> > Most places it is a fixed fee to bring the tank up to full. At my
>> > local HandyMan Hardware you pay before you even go out to the fill
>> > tank so there's no way they are only charging for what they put in.
>> >
>> You live in a strange Country.
>
> Honestly, you have places with a "meter" like buying gasoline? I can see
> that for a guy that delivers propane to fixed location tanks, but I have
> never seen any place that refills carry-ins that doesn't just have a scale
> to measure when the tank is full.
>
> I agree that it is a more logical way to sell the gas, but the average
> barbecue tank is empty or pretty darn close to it when it's refilled and
> having a metered fill-up system would seem a lot more expensive for the
> seller.
>
> I have also used our local U-Haul place and they do the same thing. Just
> charge 10 bucks flat-fee to top off a tank.
>
>

Rick Brandt wrote:

> Default User wrote:
> > Rick Brandt wrote:
> >
> >
> >> Most places it is a fixed fee to bring the tank up to full. At my
> >> local HandyMan Hardware you pay before you even go out to the fill
> >> tank so there's no way they are only charging for what they put in.
> >
> > HandyMan Hardware! Another St. Louis guy, huh?
>
> Yep. North county.

Har, me too, Florissant.



Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

On Sat, 20 Jan 2007 13:31:02 GMT, "Rick Brandt"
> wrote:

>Harry Demidavicius wrote:
>> On Fri, 19 Jan 2007 01:00:42 GMT, "Rick Brandt"
>> > wrote:
>> > Most places it is a fixed fee to bring the tank up to full. At my
>> > local HandyMan Hardware you pay before you even go out to the fill
>> > tank so there's no way they are only charging for what they put in.
>> >
>> You live in a strange Country.
>
>Honestly, you have places with a "meter" like buying gasoline? I can see that
>for a guy that delivers propane to fixed location tanks, but I have never seen
>any place that refills carry-ins that doesn't just have a scale to measure when
>the tank is full.
>
>I agree that it is a more logical way to sell the gas, but the average barbecue
>tank is empty or pretty darn close to it when it's refilled and having a metered
>fill-up system would seem a lot more expensive for the seller.
>
>I have also used our local U-Haul place and they do the same thing. Just charge
>10 bucks flat-fee to top off a tank.
>
We have the exchange system here - very expensive; Costco wants $10
for a refill. Most of us go and have the tank weighed before and
after the refill - that can be as low as $7 or as high as $8.

Harry

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:
> "Rick Brandt" > wrote in message
> > Honestly, you have places with a "meter" like buying gasoline? I can see
> > that for a guy that delivers propane to fixed location tanks, but I have
> > never seen any place that refills carry-ins that doesn't just have a scale
> > to measure when the tank is full.
> >
> > I agree that it is a more logical way to sell the gas, but the average
> > barbecue tank is empty or pretty darn close to it when it's refilled and
> > having a metered fill-up system would seem a lot more expensive for the
> > seller.
>
> The propane station does have a meter, but they are not reading dollars like
> the gas pump. That means the kid filling the tank will actually have to
> compute something. The scale does tell you when the tank is full, a very
> accurate method.
>
> At most places, you go to the cashier, pay the flat fee, then the person
> goes to the filling station and fills the tank. Mine are always empty so it
> is not a big deal. Given the small number of tanks that are partly filed,
> it would be more costly to install the proper equipment at the pump, pay
> after the filling etc. I'd guess 95% are empty and paying full price
> anyway. The number of larger thanks filled is the minor exception.

Here in Georgia, at our local Ace Hardware, they fill the bigger tanks
for forklifts, etc. and you pay by the gallon, while a 20# tank is a
flat rate, $14.99 for the one I had filled two days ago.

Denny Wheeler wrote:
> On 22 Jan 2007 09:12:58 -0800, "basskisser" >
> wrote:
>
> >Here in Georgia, at our local Ace Hardware, they fill the bigger tanks
> >for forklifts, etc. and you pay by the gallon, while a 20# tank is a
> >flat rate, $14.99 for the one I had filled two days ago.
>
> Hmp. For fifteen bucks, I can do a tank exchange at a couple places
> around here.
>
> -denny-
> --
Yeah, it's about the same here both ways. But, what I do here is wait
until I get a good like new tank from exchanging them, then just have
it refilled. I usually end up with a crappy tank if I keep exchanging
them!