As wonderful as they are, Blackstone Griddle’s do, occasionally, run into some problems. Finding a solution to those problems can feel like a minefield.
When I encountered some issues with my Blackstone Griddles (I have 3), I found myself getting lost in forums, reddit or asking Blackstone support themselves.
Along the way, I learned some things I want to share with my griddle family and put it all together in this helpful guide. If you found something I missed or a solution I haven’t encountered, send me an email here, I’d love to chat about it!
Blackstone offers expert advice of course, but this doesn’t always solve the issue in the way you would have hoped.
In those cases, sometimes it’s best to search online to find advice from fellow griddle enthusiasts, because if the manufacturer advice doesn’t work for your particular issue, then the next best place to go is to fellow users who have solved the problem themselves.
Rather than traipsing through forum after forum trying to find a fix, we thought it’d be easier for you to have a one stop shop for information regarding common problems that you might run into with your Blackstone griddle.
We have everything from official advice from Blackstone themselves, all the way to solutions from experienced users of Blackstone griddles. So read on for our Blackstone griddle ignitor and flame troubleshooting guide!
While this guide is derived from my experiences with Blackstone Griddles, it also applies to most outdoor griddles and Flat Top Grills as they operate on the same propane regulator, air gate, battery ignitor, styled gas system.
So whether you love Blackstone, Camp Chef, Blue Rhino, Cuisinart or Nexgrill griddles, these rules and tips still apply!
Quick Ground Rule: Anytime you are diagnosing, troubleshooting a product that uses combustable gas, ignitors and heat, you should ensure your griddle is turned off, propane disconnected and you are using the proper personal protection to keep you and your griddle safe.
Also, this guide is for specific issues related to flame and propane. If you are looking to solve seasoning related issues, check our guide here.
Blackstone Griddle Will Not Ignite Or Start Troubleshooting
The first issue we’ll look at is your Blackstone griddle not igniting or starting. Now, how to go about fixing this issue doesn’t actually depend on the method of ignition your model uses.
Blackstone Ignitor Troubleshooting – Piezo Valve
The fix detailed here works for both battery powered ignitor boxes and Piezo ignitor valves.
You’ll know if you have a battery powered ignitor box, because you’ll have had to have installed AA batteries to begin with. If you haven’t changed these for a while, then replacing your batteries is a great place to start, just to make sure.
If you have a brand new griddle (or one with a Piezo ignitor valve), look through your manual that will have been provided with your product to make sure that none of the parts have moved during shipping.
For reference, the ignitor needles at the front of the burners should be around a quarter to an eighth of an inch away from the burner tube, as it needs to be close in order to get the flames going.
The ignitor needles are L shaped needles that should face towards one hole in the burner tube. If they’re out of position, make sure you disconnect your fuel and use your fingers to gently push the ignitor needles to where they need to be.
Moving them into the correct place should fix the issue for both methods of ignition.
Griddle Ignitor and Battery Issues Troubleshooting
Another issue that applies to both battery powered ignitor boxes and Piezo ignitor valves is the ignitor wire itself. It’s actually very common for these to become unplugged during shipping, or whilst moving your griddle into place.
To see if any wire is loose, you’ll need to get down beneath your griddle. Essentially, its possible your battery just needs replacing and you’re back in action, you can grab one here.
If a wire has fallen out of place, simply plug it back in (again, make sure your fuel source is closed off and disconnected before making any fixes like this).
You may need to check your specific product manual for details if you aren’t sure where to plug the igniter wire back in, but it should be pretty clear once you’re underneath the griddle. Once that’s done, reconnect your fuel and try to ignite your griddle, it should work now.
If neither of the fixes above have worked for you, then you may need to get in contact with Blackstone as it’s possible your product is faulty.
They may also have some additional tips for you, but the above two fixes are the most common and should work if it was a simple case of parts not being where they ought to be.
Remember, whilst you wait for a suggestion from Blackstone customer service, you can always light your griddle anyway using a long grill lighter whilst your burners are on low.
Of course, this is only a short-term fix, because you’ve paid for your griddle to ignite on its own, so you should expect it to do so.
Blackstone Griddle Will Not Stay Lit – Troubleshooting
Another issue you might face is your Blackstone griddle not staying lit. Sure, the ignitor might work just fine, but after a few seconds you might notice that your flame goes out. If this is the case, it’s likely because of the propane regulator.
We’ll cover ways of avoiding these issues altogether in a later section, but for now, let’s just try to get your flames burning long enough to cook a meal!
The propane regulator is an essential part of your Blackstone griddle, but it’s also problematic when it’s being temperamental. The regulator’s job is to make sure that there isn’t too much propane rushing to the burners all at once.
As you can probably imagine, lots of propane rushing towards a naked flame will not end well for anybody involved, so the regulator is an important safety feature.
But sometimes it can be a little too overcautious. If you’re able to light your griddle, but the flames shut off after a short while, it’s likely your regulator overreacting.
So, the first thing you need to do is shut everything off (including your fuel source), disconnect the hose from the regulator, turn your dials to high, wait for around a minute to let everything reset completely, switch your dials back to off, and then reconnect it.
Hopefully, this will have solved your issue and your regulator will be back to looking out for genuine problems again, without being too cautious. Following these steps essentially resets your propane regulator, so this is the best place to start when your flames won’t burn f0r longer than a few seconds.
If this didn’t work, then it might be to do with how quickly you’re opening the valve of your propane tank. You need to do this slowly, or else your regulator will overreact again, and we’ll be back at square one.
By releasing the valve incredibly slowly, you’re giving the regulator a chance to recognize that a safe amount of propane is on its way to the burner, and so it won’t shut everything off in a panic like before.
If neither of the above steps work, then it may be time to replace your regulator. If you have had your Blackstone griddle for a while, then your regulator failing is to be expected, as it is with any old griddle.
So, you can remove the regulator using a wrench where the regulator connects to the griddle itself, and take it to a hardware store to find a replacement, or else contact Blackstone directly for a replacement part. You might also want to think about upgrades, but we’ll cover this more in the following section.
Blackstone Griddle Flame Color and Associated Issues
There are several issues with Blackstone griddle flames you might come across, so this section will be split up still so you can look for the specific issue you’re having and get to work fixing it ASAP. Read on for everything you need to know about issues relating to your griddle’s flames.
Blue Flame
Most people using a Blackstone griddle will notice a blue flame when the griddle is working as it should. Seeing a yellow or orange flame might therefore seem like a problem to some users, but this isn’t always the case.
The color of the flame doesn’t matter all that much, as generally the color of a flame is dictated by how the oxygen and propane are mixing together to create the flame to begin with.
Sometimes there’s more or less oxygen, and so the flame will burn a different color. This is perfectly natural and to be expected. Most commonly, though, you should see a blue flame with yellow tips.
There are, however, times when a different colored flame can be a sign that something isn’t quite right with your griddle. For example, if your flames are all burning blue on three burners, but the fourth is burning yellow or orange.
Yellow Or Orange Blackstone Flame Colors
Considering all the flames are being created by the same mixing of oxygen and propane, the colors should all be the same for every flame. If they aren’t, then something isn’t right with the different colored flames.
It’s also a problem if the flames are all burning yellow or orange, but aren’t allowing your griddle to get up to temperature. If this is the case, again something isn’t right. But don’t worry, these issues are all easy enough to fix yourself.
If you are having issues with different colored flames, then the first thing to check is your burner tube. It’s often the case that an obstruction is stopping your oxygen and propane from mixing as they should.
Start by turning everything off and turning your propane valve to closed. Unscrew your burners from the griddle to access your burner tubes.
Start by cleaning the outside of your burner tube with a soft bristled brush, and then use a thin bottle brush or some compressed air to clear the inside of the tube tube of anything that may have been blocking it.
After setting everything back up, the flames should now all burn the same color.
If yellow flames are low, or a lot of soot is accompanying the flames, then you might have an issue with your air gates.
Air gates are only installed on some of Blackstone’s 36 inch models, and these are the models that have issues with low burning yellow flames the most. So, if you have a 36 inch griddle, and your flames are yellow and low, then here’s how to fix it.
Start by unscrewing the burners again and cleaning the burner tubes as above anyway, as it may be an obstruction. In front of the burner tubes you should notice the air gates. These control how much oxygen can get in the burner tube.
As we said before, you might notice yellow flames if there’s too much or too little oxygen mixing with your propane, so adjusting the air gates should improve the flame.
You can find the air gates by looking beneath the griddle behind the front panel, and it’s easily identifiable as a vent-like silver mechanism at the base of the burner tube.
Simply loosen the screw holding the air gate in place, and twist it to a new position. NEVER close the air gate entirely, as oxygen is required to start a fire, and it can cause serious damage to your griddle if you have shut off the oxygen completely.
Once you’re happy with the new position of the air gate, simply tighten the screw up again so the air gate can’t move.
It may take some trial and error to get the right amount of oxygen, but this ought to change the color and strength of the flame so it works as it should.
Griddle Flame Too Low
If the color of your flames are all fine, but they are burning low, then that’s also a problem. Low burning flames won’t heat your griddle in the way you need it to, and it can lead to an ineffective griddle and poor results with your food.
If you’ve read the section above about Blackstone griddles not staying lit, then you won’t be surprised to hear that the problem with low flames might be caused by the same issue.
Just as your propane regulator can shut off your flames entirely, it can cause them to burn low if it has been tripped and thinks there is too much propane heading towards your burners. To reset your regulator, just follow the steps as we outlined above.
Turn off the fuel, disconnect the hose from the regulator, turn your burners to high, wait for one minute, turn off the burners, and then reconnect it all again. This should hopefully fix the issue. If it doesn’t, then there’s still more you can try.
Next try cleaning your burner tubes again as we outlined in the section above about the color of the flames. Sometimes the flames will burn low because the burner tube is clogged up with things such as spider webs.
When not in use, you’d be surprised how quickly insects will make the nooks and crannies of your griddle their new home. The problem is, these webs and debris inside your burner tubes can lead to oxygen being stifled, making the flames burn incredibly low.
Clean the outside with a soft bristled brush and some soap and water, and use a thin bottle brush or compressed air to clean the inside. Once cleaned, look again to see if the flames are burning higher now.
Another obvious, but often overlooked thing to look out for, is the amount of propane in your tank. If it’s running low, then you’ll need a new one to make the flames burn high again, but even if it’s brand new, there could be an issue.
Your propane regulator is much more likely to trip if your propane tank is full. So, make sure you turn the valve slowly at first. Blackstone themselves suggest a quarter turn every thirty seconds, and fellow users have suggested that this fixes their issues when they’ve tried it for themselves.
They also add that you don’t need to turn your propane valve more than half a turn, or else you risk flooding your propane regulator again, and it can lead to low flames or none at all. So it should take you around a minute to get your propane valve to where it needs to be.
Another thing to look out for with low flames is that you set the burners to off before you turn the propane valve at all. Not doing so can (you guessed it) trigger the propane regulator and then you’ll have to go through the motions of resetting it again to get it right.
Likewise, turning off your propane valve before turning your burners off after your last use can also cause low flames, as the regulator still believes that there is a problem with the propane, even if you’ve not used your griddle for months.
It’s good practice to get in the habit of making sure the burners are all off before you turn the propane valve on before use, and the same again so that all the burners are off before turning the propane valve off after use.
If you think you might have made a mistake in that department, then reset your regulator and try again. The flames should be higher now if that was the issue.
Blackstone Griddle Not Getting Hot Enough
Some solutions to the problems in the section above might apply to this section, and vice versa.
That’s because if your griddle isn’t getting hot enough, it might be because your flames are burning too low, so make sure you read both sections for both issues, because they may certainly still be relevant.
For heat though, let’s focus on gas flow again, because this is a typical reason your griddle isn’t heating the way it should be.
First, you need to look at the propane tank you’re using. If it’s a 1lb propane canister that you’re using with your tabletop Blackstone griddle, then these don’t actually have propane regulators like the ones we’ve been discussing a lot throughout this guide.
This is because those in charge of regulating propane for home use consider the smaller amounts of propane less dangerous than say the 20lb canisters, for obvious reasons.
However, propane flow can still be restricted with these smaller canisters, and it’s all to do with the placement of them when you attach them to your griddle.
The 1lb canisters have a propane regulator, but they can’t restrict the flow of the propane in the same way that the larger ones can.
The propane regulator of these canisters needs to be positioned above the liquid level in the propane tank. In order to do this, lie the canister down on the surface that your tabletop griddle is sitting on, as this keeps the regulator in the correct position.
Without it, liquid propane gathers and causes the propane canister to stop working correctly as it is designed to work on propane gas, not liquid propane. You’ll know if liquid propane is your issue if the regulator looks frozen over.
You’ll need to turn everything off and disconnect the canister to allow the regulator to warm up again for use. So, if your tabletop griddle isn’t getting hot enough, check the position of the 1lb canister, and adjust it – this should fix the issue.
For the 20lb canisters the issue is almost certainly the regulator being tripped and limiting the flow of propane again, so follow the steps outlined in the section above to reset the regulator. Hopefully, this will get your griddle heated nicely.
If your griddle is hot, but not hot enough or is uneven in the heat that it is producing, then it may simply be the case that not all of your burners are on.
There are different numbers of burners underneath every griddle top Blackstone makes, so you’ll have to see how many your model has. Just lift the griddle top and you’ll see them below.
If you notice that one or more of them are not lighting, then refer to our section on Blackstone griddles that are not igniting or starting at the top of this guide.
If they all seem to be lit now, it may just have been something as simple as the wind blowing out one burner, causing the griddle top to heat unevenly or ineffectively.
Some people create their own structures to place around Blackstone griddles to prevent the weather from affecting the heat of the griddle.
Users have also found that sequential ignition is necessary for your burners to all work as they should. By igniting the left burner first, then turning it down to low, and then the second, and so on, the burners seem to be more reliable.
Whether it’s superstition doesn’t really matter, griddle enthusiasts have sworn that it helps their griddle maintain heat effectively because otherwise they notice a dip in the height of the flames and therefore a drop in surface temperature of the griddle top.
After all the burners have been ignited in order, they can then be turned up to the desired heat and you should notice a more effective, even heat across your griddle top.
Blackstone Griddle Propane Regulator Problems And Upgrades
OK. Here is where we discuss the elephant in the room. Most of the sections above have had at least _something _to do with the propane regulator causing issues with your Blackstone griddle.
Whether it’s low flames, no flames, or uneven flames, the propane regulator is the most likely cause of the issues you’re facing. So, what can you do about it?
Resetting the regulator as outlined in multiple sections above will obviously solve the issue in the moment, but that doesn’t stop it from overreacting and causing a similar issue for you again in the future.
Now, this section will cover possible upgrades that you can make to your propane regulator to make the likelihood of the regulator safety mechanism tripping all the time less likely.
But first, let us clarify that the safety mechanism of your regulator is essential, so we’re not trying to cut any corners here, because those safety mechanisms can save lives in the event of a propane leak.
But, many users online have suggested that the propane regulator that ships with Blackstone products are simply too overcautious, and cause more issues than they prevent.
There have been countless examples online of individuals who have replaced their stock regulator with a different one and had much better, much more consistent results.
Users generally suggest a dual stage propane regulator, as these are a little more robust at catching genuine issues with propane, and are better at not overreacting to a regular flow of propane too.
Make sure you find one that is the right size for your griddle. Replacing your stock propane regulator couldn’t be simpler either, and you can easily do it yourself.
All you’ll need is your replacement regulator and an adjustable wrench. Simply make sure the burners are all off, and the propane valve is closed. Then remove the propane regulator from the propane tank end.
This is easily done with your hands by simply twisting it off. Next, you’ll need to remove the regulator from your grill. Take your wrench and carefully twist the regulator off at the point where it joins with your griddle.
Be careful not to twist the pipe that the regulator connects to, as this can cause serious problems. Once it’s loosened, you can twist the rest off with your hand.
To be extra safe, you could also use a channel lock to hold the fixture that the propane regulator is attached to at the griddle still, whilst you use the wrench to twist the regulator away.
This will ensure that the fixture and pipes of the griddle aren’t damaged. Once it’s away, just simply attach your new regulator, starting with the griddle side first.
Attach it by hand at first, and then use your wrench to turn it a few more times to make sure it’s on tight enough to prevent propane from leaking, but not too tight, as this can damage the regulator and griddle.
Then attach it to the propane end and it should have solved your issue. By replacing the stock regulator with a slightly better dual stage propane regulator you should notice that your Blackstone griddle behaves more reliably now.
Griddle Accessories You WILL ACTUALLY NEED
If you’re new to griddling altogether, I recommend checking out these accessories as they will save you some headaches and some greasy laundry. This is another big one. While your griddle does come ready to use….it’s missing some really BASIC items you will need.
- Griddle Spade and Spatula: These are the backbone of griddle chefs all over the world. Due to the flat-top design of a griddle, you will need to have metal surfaced griddle spatulas and spades. Something simple like this works great, see it here on Amazon.
- Griddle Hood: This is a bit of a bigger deal than many think initially. A quality griddle hood will help you cook better by controlling heat and creating a “oven” as well as protecting your griddle cover from coming in contact with your griddle surface that can either be dirty or really hot. Something like this works great, see it here on Amazon.
- Griddle Cover: I didn’t think I needed one either. But, I found out very soon how great of a job they did from preventing unnecessary wear and tear from the weather when being stored in my back yard. Its a small investment that pays back big time. Something like this works great here on Amazon.
- Infrared Temperature Gun: See Step 4 above, these are really crucial to fully understand what your griddle can do and what areas are putting out the heat you need, and what areas can be used to just keep the food warm while working on others. This is a great option that won’t t hurt your wallet, check it on Amazon.
- Grease Tins: These are dirt cheap and save you an unnecessary headache when cleaning up. Simply drop them into the grease trap and toss them when you’re done! Check these here on Amazon.
- Griddle Bottles: Another must-have, you really only need two. One for water, and one for your chosen cooking oil. If you are not sure what I mean, check out our Guide to Griddle Bottles here. These on Amazon work great and are cheap, check them out here.
- Griddle King Apron: I know what your thinking “I’m not wearing an apron” and yeah, I get it. But all that changed when I got a griddle and realized how much grease is popping off the griddle surface and landing on my clothes. A simple apron solves that and my signature “Griddle King” or “Griddle Queen” apron is a cheap easy fix for you, grab it here on Etsy.
- 1lb To 5lb or 20lb Propane Adapter: Like mentioned above, just swapping out your tiny 1lb propane bottle will save the world and your trips to find a camping propane bottle every hour. Grab one here on Amazon.
Troubleshooting Conclusion
Hopefully, this Blackstone griddle ignitor and flame troubleshooting guide has solved any issues you have been having with your Blackstone griddle.
The user advice and official advice from Blackstone provided here should solve the issues you’re having.
If not, then we can only suggest contacting Blackstone customer services, as your product may just be faulty. If that’s the case, Blackstone should replace it for you, providing the product is still under warranty.
They may also have some more up-to-date troubleshooting suggestions available as additional information about the problems you’re facing is understood.
But if our guide has helped, then you can always check back here if you run into any issues in the future to refresh your memory about the fixes we’ve suggested!
