Clogs: An issue of the Past and Present

Clogs: An issue of the Past and Present

Clogs have always been an issue for torches: from sticky propane to mud dauber wasps... the varied things we have seen that can block up our guns is astounding.
Clogs are often described to us in two ways, and we will go through both below:


1. I can't hear any gas!
This is a complete clog of your gun's fuel system, and it's rather obvious. Nothing's moving! These clogs can happen at multiple places in your gun.

2. The flame doesn't change when I turn the knob or press the bypass trigger (The squeeze handle).
This one is sneaky, but a clog it is! This is what we call a partial clog, and they primarily happen at the interior nozzle of your gun. When a partial clog happens, there's only a small hole that the gas can come out of, and no matter how much gas you try to put through it from the valve, that clog isn't going to let your flame get any bigger than it is. NOTE: If your flame flares up, dies down, or really varies in any way from the point of ignition, you most likely are triggering your safety check valve, and this is not an issue of a clogged nozzle. This diagnosis ONLY applies if the flame stays at a consistent level throughout the torch's use after ignition. If your torch lights, then dies away, check out this article here for help diagnosing an issue with the Safety Check Valve.


There's a couple different locations where these clogs can occur, but we can knock out all of them with a few easy steps. 

First things first... Check your barrel. Try looking into the barrel of your torch from the "fire end". You should be able to see clear to the end of the barrel. Light should be coming into the Vent Holes at the end of the barrel. 

 If you can't see to the end, then you have a barrel clog. You can clear the clog with a bore brush (from a gun cleaning kit) or anything long and skinny enough to break up the clog in the barrel. A straightened wire-hanger works great, too! 

If your issue wasn't the barrel (Whew, no mud daubers), the next step is to clean your nozzle. All you have to do is remove the nozzle from the barrel, and then clear any clogs with compressed air or an alcohol flush. This part can be a bit hard to reach... It requires a 3mm Allen Wrench that is 16 inches long for the GrillGun and 10.5 inches long for the SuVGun. That's a rather awkward wrench to find, but luckily we provide you with your own in our GG Service Kits and SVG Service Kits, along with some other replacement parts and tools that compliment your Grillblazer product. We've also had some customers make or find ones of their own, but we're happy to provide you with ours for your convenience. 

Lastly, It might be a good idea to run some gas through the torch without the output nozzle in it. Sometimes, when customers simply swap out or clear the nozzle, whatever clogged it had some "friends" stuck deeper inside the fuel line. Those "friends" can clog the nozzle again as soon as gas forces them forward.

If you remove the Nozzle, and let gas flow through the torch for a couple seconds, then you'll clear out the fuel line. After that, you can reinstall the nozzle and you're back to 100%!


If clogs are a regular occurrence with your use of a Grillblazer product with a propane hose, then check out this following article for proper care of propane hoses:

If you've cleaned our your gun and still having issues, there's a good chance you're setting off your safety check valve! Check out the article below next to learn more:
The First Steps to Troubleshooting Ignition: Our Safety Check Valve

If your gas is flowing, but you can't get your gun to ignite, check out this article here:


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