Fix My Grill Parts finder · repair notes

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Sooty black grill lid from yellow flames

Black soot on the lid or canopy usually means incomplete combustion — clogged ports, closed shutters, or a nest — not a new paint job.

easy PT50M Updated 2026-09-14

Clean versus clogged burner ports Left tube shows even open ports and a blue flame sketch. Right tube shows grease-clogged ports and a yellow uneven flame. BURNER TUBE · PORTS CLEAN Even blue cones. Every port open. CLOGGED Grease in the holes. Yellow, lift, dead spots. Ream with a bit smaller than the port. Do not drill oversized. Brass brush the row. Keep liquid out of the venturi / inlet. If the tube wall is lace under the ports, replace the set — do not patch holes.
Fig. — Burner tube: clean ports (left) versus clogged ports (right).

A lid that turns matte black after a few cooks is collecting soot from yellow/orange incomplete flames. Fix the flame first (yellow / orange burner flame), then clean the canopy. Wiping soot without fixing ports just paints it on again next weekend.

Related: spider webs, clean burner ports, degrease, flare-ups. Finder: /.

Procedure

  1. Lid open. Preheat. Photograph flame color on each tube.
  2. Yellow on one tube: ports / venturi on that tube. Yellow on all after a tank swap: regulator reset first.
  3. Cold. Clean ports and inspect venturis before you scrub the lid.
  4. Wipe the canopy with a grill-safe degreaser. Keep alkali out of venturis and off bare porcelain chips.
  5. Rinse cloths often — soot smears. Dry.
  6. Relight. Blue flames should stop new soot in a cook or two.
  7. Persistent soot with daylight holes in a tube: replace the tube (measure first).
  8. Grease tray packed: grease tray full — smoke is not the same as soot, but both are overdue maintenance.

FAQ

Is soot dangerous?

It is a combustion symptom. Fix the yellow flame. Do not ignore roaring orange tubes or flame at the shutter (flashback).

Related notes

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Pull stamped Char-Broil tubes, match length and inlet, reseat on the orifices, and leak-check. Universal tubes that are short are how flashbacks start.

Replace Char-Broil heat plates

Measure tent length and width on Performance and Commercial carts. Heat plates are the drip shields — when they lace, burners die. Do not buy by lid name alone.

Char-Broil igniter replacement

Box-store Char-Broil Performance and Commercial carts: piezo versus AA collector, electrode clips on stamped burners, and why the side burner is a separate lead.

How to find your grill model and serial number

Where rating plates live on Weber, Char-Broil, Nexgrill, and Traeger, what to photograph, and how to use the number in the parts finder without guessing from the lid badge.