Why is My Gas Grill Tank Hissing?

Essential propane cylinder safety tips for your home.

Grilling with propane is, above all, convenient. Want to sear some filet mignons for a special occasion? Just turn a knob to light your burners. Did you finish grilling some spicy chicken wings? All you need to do is turn off the grill, close your propane cylinder and get ready to eat.

Propane grills are easy to use and quite safe, but it’s important to be aware of potential issues. One of these is hissing sounds. How should you respond when your grill is hissing, and it’s not from a sizzling burger?

How to respond to a hissing gas grill?

The first thing you need to do if your grill starts hissing is shut off your burners. Whatever the cause of this hissing, there is a possibility that propane gas is escaping. Propane is non-toxic, but it is highly flammable. It’s imperative that you extinguish any flames.

What can cause a gas grill to hiss?

A standard reason for hissing is pressure being released from your propane cylinder. All propane tanks, including portable grill tanks, must have pressure relief devices. This valve protects your propane tank from rupturing when excess pressure builds up.

A propane cylinder’s safety relief valve stays closed with a spring. If tank pressure mounts to an unsafe level, it pushes on the spring, and the safety valve opens. You’ll hear a pop if that occurs, then there will be a hissing sound as pressure lowers. Do not attempt to close this safety valve. It will close on its own when cylinder pressure is normal and safe. You can help the process by cooling the cylinder with a hose.

If the pressure relief isn’t open, you may have a leak. There is a fairly simple way to test this.

At-home propane grill leak test

Once you’ve turned off your grill, close the propane cylinder and follow these steps:

1. Mix a 50/50 solution of water and dish soap in a spray bottle.
2. Spray this mixture onto your grill tank valve and your grill’s hose and regulator.
3. Open the cylinder valve and look for bubbles. Bubbles mean the gas could be escaping.
4. If you see bubbling, close the cylinder valve and tighten all your connections.
5. Reopen the valve. If there are still bubbles, you likely have a leak.

If there is a gas leak around your grill, either your cylinder or some part of your grill needs to be replaced.

Superior Propane refills grill tanks.

Do you need propane for your gas grill? Superior Propane is the premier grill fuel provider in northern Arizona. Drop by one of our convenient cylinder refill stations in Flagstaff, Williams, Seligman, Parks and Ash Park. Refilling a propane tank is almost always more affordable than exchanging your cylinder at a home store, gas station or hardware store.

If you have any questions about home propane or using your propane grill effectively, feel free to contact the Superior Propane team.