Outdoor Grill Repair · Parts
Briquette trays and flavor generator plates: the layer over the flame
Two different parts do one job here, and they belong to different grills. A 5 Series carries ceramic briquettes in trays; the earlier grills carry stainless flavor generator plates. Ordering across the two is the common mistake, and Viking Repair Experts Los Angeles will read the model with you first — (213) 600-7131.
Where it sits on the path
What the signs mean
| What you see | What it usually is |
|---|---|
| Flare-ups where there were none last summer | Deposit on the layer above the burner. Viking is blunt that flavor plates left to build up debris bring on extreme flare-up, and soaked briquettes stop burning drippings off. |
| A cold band across part of the cooking surface | Heat is no longer being spread evenly. A tray burnt thin in one place, or a plate sitting proud of the frame, leaves the burner under it warming air. |
| A tray sagging, or metal gone through at one end | End of life rather than a cleaning job. Viking has replacement briquette trays ordered through its dealers, and one that no longer holds its briquettes level is finished. |
| Plates that will not settle down onto the frame | The rear tabs are out of their slots. Viking fits the tabs at the back first, lowers the fronts onto the frame, and wants the flash tube reachable through the plates. |
Two designs, two names
Above every main burner sits a layer that turns a row of flame into an even bed of heat. Viking has built it two ways, and the names are not interchangeable.
The 5 Series holds ceramic briquettes in briquette trays, which come out by lifting the front edge and pulling towards you, racks first. The earlier T-Series and E-Series grills use stainless steel flavor generator plates instead: tabs at the back drop into slots on the rear panel, and the plates then lower until the front tabs rest on the grill frame. Viking adds a condition to that fitting — the flash tube has to stay reachable through the plates, and if it is not, they are in wrong.
Burning them clean
Briquettes deal with ordinary drippings themselves. A large spill is the exception, and Viking gives a routine for it: let the grill cool, take off the racks, lift the trays out, turn them over and put them back above the burner. Run the burners on high for five to ten minutes to burn them clean, brush off what is left with a soft brush, and let the trays cool completely before they go back.
Plates ask for less ceremony and more regularity. The older manual treats build-up left to stand as what brings on extreme flare-up, which makes cleaning a maintenance item rather than a repair.
With the grill cold, the gas off and the knobs at OFF
- Knobs at OFF, gas closed at the supply or the cylinder, and the grill cold to the touch.
- Lift the racks away, take out the trays or plates, and look at the underside of each in daylight.
- Set a plate back and confirm the front tabs are resting on the frame, not riding on something below.
Stop there. Anything behind a panel, inside the gas path or downstream of the regulator is a job for a technician — call Viking Repair Experts Los Angeles on (213) 600-7131.
Asked on the phone
Do ceramic briquettes ever need replacing?
Normally they look after themselves, because drippings burn off them in ordinary use. It is the tray under them that wears out, and Viking supplies replacement briquette trays through its dealers. Briquettes that no longer burn clean after the tray has been turned and fired are usually sitting on a tray that has had it.
Can flavor plates go in where briquette trays came out?
Treat them as different parts for different grills rather than two versions of one. Plates hook on rear tabs into slots; trays lift out by the front edge and hold ceramic briquettes. What fits follows from the model on the rating plate, which is where any order for either should start.
Written by Keiko Mabuchi Role: Service technician — cooktops and ventilation In the trade: 11 years
Book a look at the flavor plates and trays
Have the model and serial ready, off the underside of the drip tray. $89 covers the visit and the diagnosis, and comes off the repair.
$89 for the visit and the diagnosis, credited against the repair. Work carried out 8:00 am – 8:00 pm, seven days.