"HD Ducane 5 burner – 1 year update;

Well – I had originally thought of posting this after 6 months of use, but thought it would be better served to get something out there for those that are looking for this season's stainless gaser.

I purchased the Home Depot Ducane (5 Burner Stainless) almost a year ago, and have used it on average about 3 times a week (I live in a tropical climate and cold weather is never a concern), I also have a large family and cook for 8 or more all the time.

After my purchase (of which I used the 10% discount coupon – so the grill was slightly more that $800), I contacted Ducane (via the 1-800 support number on the manual) to order a grill cover. The cover cost around $35 and is made with a soft felt for the inside and a very nice pliable vinyl on the outside – fit like a glove, and received it just 3 days after my phone order – I should mention that my initial call was to “Ducane”, however the voice on the other end identified the company as “Webber”.

In the beginning I was missing my ol' Sunbeam (which this unit replaced), because the Sunbeam had a very large top rack (two upper racks total), and I became reliant on that rack to “indirect” cook a lot of my meats (perhaps not “indirect” but more like a oven with smoke). I have since gotten the hang of placing my meat in the middle and keeping the opposite sides of the grill on high.

I have cooked, hot dogs, brat's, burgers (frozen and hand made), beef (parts / steaks), chicken (parts and whole), pork (parts), bacon (topper), veggies (topper), fresh fish (fish basket and right on grate), baked potatoes (warming shelf), French fries (on cookie sheet), toasted buns and rolls and even Spam – all on the main grilling area.

I have used the side burner for almost every meal – and sometimes just use the side burner alone to cook items that we don't want to use the stove for, because it heats the house up, or just don't feel like using the electric stove. The side burner is more than able to hold our large 24 quart Stainless Stock Pot.

I have used the rear rot only twice, both times for whole chicken (two chickens fit on the spit rod at a time). The only thing I did note here was that it works a bit better if I augment the rear heating element with a low middle flame (shutting off the rear heating element when the outside of the bird is tan). I keep a drip pan under the chickens, and used butter pats under the skin, EV olive oil n fresh garlic rub, sprinkled with oregano and pepper.

All the food has come out just great, no burn spots, very minimum flare ups (frozen burgers cause the most flare ups) and the controls and lighting of the grill is spot on.

I would have to say I'm surprised the most by the usage I have given the side burner. My ol' Sunbeam had a side burner, and I hardly used it – mainly because lighting it was always a problem – not so with the Ducane – lights right up every time.

I have been very careful to ensure I don't place any liquids (water for flare ups, marinades, gravy, etc...) and extra spices (like salt) on the food as it is being grilled. I usually apply these spices before grilling (while the grill is heating up), or wait until the food is off the grill before adding those items.

The grill is really easy to keep clean – I use Windex for the tough dried on stuff and follow that up with a Stainless Steel (oil based) cleaner for all external surfaces. The hood does have an ever so slight yellow tint to it, but over all still a nice “new” looking grill (until you open it up =)). To clean the inside (yea right, like your supposed to “clean” the inside), I just do an initial burn off (10 mins on high) and scrape the grates with an inexpensive brass brush. Then at the end of the cook I do the same thing. I have take of the grates / flame tamers / slide out drip tray and burners out twice to clean up all the goop and pieces of burnt stuff, and each time I have not noticed any deterioration of the parts and ensure that the manual igniter's are clear of debris and ensure they spark. All of the main grill area igniter's have been working flawlessly since I have purchased the grill as well as the side burner.

On to my first and only problem with this grill thus far...

About a month ago, I noticed that the electronic igniter (only one on the unit) for the rot was not producing a spark. Taking the AAA battery out, I noticed that the battery had leaked, and because the igniter module sits a a downward slope, the battery juice must have leaked into the igniter module itself. I tried to clean out what I could with an erasure Q-tips and a rag, but was not able to get the module to spark. I ensured that the wiring was ok with a multi meter test, and also made sure the gas was ok to the rot unit by manual lighting with a lighter.

I contacted Ducane (Webber) and it was still covered under warranty – so they logged my problem and advised that they would send somebody out to fix the unit. About 2 weeks later, the repair person came out and replaced all the wiring, gas lines and rear rot unit with all new parts. The only problem is, that was not my problem. So I contacted Ducane once again and this time requested them to send me the igniter module for the rear rot. About 2 weeks later (one month total so far) I received the replacement module in the mail (with an additional cap/button – which may come in handy if I ever misplace mine). My plan now is to use rechargeable batteries (yes the battery that was used was Duracell and should not have leaked – but it did).

I have had a lot of fun with this grill – and that alone is worth the purchase price, and I could not be more pleased with the way in which the Stainless has held up, and is so easy to keep clean. My only request at this point to the makers of this grill would be to make available a larger (deeper) warming shelf/top grill area, for my need to “indirect” the way I got used to with my expired Sunbeam 560."