Consumer Reports: Gas grill poses safety risk

In the midst of testing gas grills, Consumer Reports has uncovered a potential safety problem with a small Brinkmann grill sold at Home Depot and Hy-Vee stores.

This $130 Brinkmann 2-Burner Patio Gas Grill failed a routine Consumer Reports safety test. It's designed to see whether the burner flames stay on when you drop the grill's lid.

"If the flame goes out and the burners are still on gas can build up inside the grill and reignite in a hazardous way," said Jim Nanni of Consumer Reports.

Consumer Reports found the same problem on two samples of the Brinkmann Patio Grill. On each, the grill passed the test on the high-heat setting, but on low... flames on one of the two burners occasionally went out.

"The safety risk is low and we're not aware of any injury reports, but no grill should have this flaw. None of the other 136 grills we tested failed this the test," Nanni said.

A Brinkmann spokesman said the grill meets safety standards and does not pose a risk, but "we believe that we can make an improvement to the crossover channel to prevent any burner from extinguishing" ... and he says the company has "made the change for all future production."

Consumer Reports says it will test the updated grill when it becomes available in stores. Until then, Consumer Reports has rated the Brinkmann 2-Burner Patio Grill model 810-6230-S a "Don't Buy - Safety Risk."

Consumer Reports does recommend other Brinkmann grills, including this mid-sized Brinkmann 810-6420-S sold at Home Depot. It passed all safety tests and costs $170.

If you own a Brinkmann 2-Burner Patio Grill, Consumer Reports advises using it only on high heat. The company says you can call and it will ship you a replacement crossover piece. You can reach Brinkmann at 800-527-0717.

If you are looking for a small grill, Consumer Reports has several to recommend, including the Broil-Mate model 165154 for $200.

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