Shuley Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 Since getting my KK I have been searching for ways to light the charcoal and feel safe at the same time. I had seen someone used a weed burner here to light it super fast. I thought this would get the propane tank and the fire both a more comfortable distance from me. I got from harbor freight. I used it for about 2 months with awesome results and I loved the speed and ease of lighting. However，last week when I was lighting for a pizza， I was about half there when the hose That connected to the metal part SNAPPED Off， flying every Where， spraying propane everywhere. Thank god it did not fly into my grill or a spark hit it. Thinking I had simply loosened a connection over time or something, I had my husband reattach the hose and then we tested for any leaks. It appeared to be secure again. However within seconds of using it， the hose popped off again. I will never again light my grill using this method. It might just have been a faulty piece of equipment but it was enough to scare me so badly I will not use it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 That would be Scarry. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 Scary is right and fortunately you weren't hurt. I'm with you and would not use it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinyfish Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 Good thing nothing worse happened. I was using a torch to light the charcoal for a while but I switched back to a fire cube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Pearson Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 Thanks for posting that Shuley. I also bought the weed burner from Harbor freight. Haven't used it yet but I think I'll give it a good inspection before I try it. I'm glad everything turned out OK and no disaster. I also bought a loof lighter maybe I'll use that instead of the weed burner. Those weed burners are actually scary when you hit the trigger to give it more heat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bryan Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 Glad you were not hurt. I got my first one from Harbor Freight 7-8 years ago. Have never had a problem. I still use it as a weed burner and to lite the KK. Suggest you give Harbor Freight a chance to correct the problem. Congrats on your successful safety dance. - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cschaaf Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 My Harbor Freight weed burner did the same thing a few weekends ago while I was burning weeds. I put it back together and haven't had the issue since. It's funny how quickly your mind goes back and forth between the two logical solutions - "Control the hose!" "No, shut off the gas!" "But if I don't control the hose, it might go into the fire while I am shutting off the gas!" "Yeah, but if you don't shut off the gas, there is more of a chance that this all will ignite!" And your body is trying to jump between the two and you don't accomplish either fast enough. Glad everyone is okay, Shuley! I only tried lighting the kamado with it once and didn't like using it that way - but I do love burning weeds with it I think my issue was, I had the valve opened a little too far (it wasn't even a full turn) and when I shut the valve on the burner handle, the pressure must have been too great for the clamps on the hose. When I use it now, I don't even go 1/4 turn. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 Does it not even come with a warning about how much to open the valve? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Pearson Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 I also found out to only turn the valve on the tank about a 1/8 to1/4 turn, it works much better that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstr8 Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 (edited) Don't rely on Harbor Freight ala mostly crapanese crap especially for anything that might compromise safety. I've been using my Bernzomatic propane weed burner to regularly light my KK for almost 3-years without issue. Sorry to hear about your experience Shuley! Edited August 1, 2016 by dstr8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuley Posted August 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 That would be Scarry. Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk I'm so glad it went the way it did and no one got hurt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuley Posted August 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 Thanks for posting that Shuley. I also bought the weed burner from Harbor freight. Haven't used it yet but I think I'll give it a good inspection before I try it. I'm glad everything turned out OK and no disaster. I also bought a loof lighter maybe I'll use that instead of the weed burner. Those weed burners are actually scary when you hit the trigger to give it more heat. This is exactly why I posted this. I didn't ever use the trigger function， the amount of fire that puts out is absolutely nuts. I would not recommend using the weed burner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stile88 Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 Thank goodness you were not hurt shelly that is main thing very scarry indeed .i use 1500w heat gun works like a charm also like what was said i wouldn't buy things like that at harbor frieight they may be cheap but not always good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjs Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 WOW, you are lucky. Thanks for the post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuley Posted August 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 Glad you were not hurt. I got my first one from Harbor Freight 7-8 years ago. Have never had a problem. I still use it as a weed burner and to lite the KK. Suggest you give Harbor Freight a chance to correct the problem. Congrats on your successful safety dance. - I'm not sure if it was the angle I was holding the burning part or what. Since I don't know， I am not comfortable. I hope yours never gives you a problem like mine did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuley Posted August 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 I also found out to only turn the valve on the tank about a 1/8 to1/4 turn, it works much better that way. I barely open it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuley Posted August 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 Don't rely on Harbor Freight ala mostly crapanese crap especially for anything that might compromise safety. I've been using my Bernzomatic propane weed burner to regularly light my KK for almost 3-years without issue. Sorry to hear about your experience Shuley! I will never use harbor freight for anything like this again. The funny thing is it made me feel much safer because the flame was so much further from me than my old torch....how ironic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 Wow. Good to know there were no bad outcomes. Yeah Harbor Freight can be OK for some stuff (like a special tool that you only need once for a project), but their stuff is very cheaply made, so I'm not surprised by this episode. I'm in the Bernzomatic camp with MAPP gas. On my 2nd one and love it. I broke the trigger mechanism on the first one. Now with the neat new battery-powered blower, I'm all set for how I start my fires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Pearson Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 where do you buy Bernzomatic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted August 1, 2016 Report Share Posted August 1, 2016 (edited) Where else - Amazon! https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00008ZA0F And here's the blower. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D5FS7HA Edited August 1, 2016 by tony b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
