Why does the bottom of my grill rust out – Best Guide

If you recently became a lucky owner of a grill, then you probably already used it a couple of times and treated your family to some seared meat or other delicacies. Sadly, delicious food is not the only thing you might find on a grill after a cooking session.

The grill will become rusty when left without maintenance for too long. That’s why in this article we want to answer the frequent question: “Why does the bottom of my grill rust out?”, as well as provide you with a solution to the problem of grill rusting.

Is it normal for a stainless steel grill to rust?

The time when a layer of rust will form on your grill depends on the materials it is made from as well as the way you operate it. This will happen eventually, and the stronger your grill is affected – the harder it will be to clean up the mess later.

This leads us to the first and best advice – to prevent rust on the stainless steel, you need to check up on a grill regularly. After each time you’ve cooked something, take a look at the surface and see if it has any traces of rust.

Pay extra attention to the grill bottom since it’s the part that contacts with food the most. If it is clear– you still should do some countermeasures just in case.

It’s not possible to avoid touching water and air completely, so even stainless steel grills will rust eventually – and you just need to know how to delay this. The first step is to understand why rusting process happens in the first place.

Why does the bottom of my grill rust out

Why causes stainless steel grills rust – just a few reasons. Mainly, it’s the water the rusty grill came in contact with. Water is everywhere, even in thin air – so most grills will eventually get under its influence and start turning into iron oxide.

When iron oxidizes, it loses its properties, becoming a fragile substance with ugly orange-red color which will turn into dust eventually leaving a hole in a grill bottom.

Remains of food (such as meat juice), chemical components (detergent, bleach, other chlorine-based cleaners), salt water, or regular water are a cause of moisture and acids remaining on your grill after cooking procedures.

Besides doing damage to the surface, grill rusts can also end up in your food directly, so it’s for the best if you won’t have to deal with it at all. To avoid such “meeting”, memorize the following advice.

Preventing rust on a barbecue grill

To prevent grill rust, contact with organic components and water must be minimized. Check the grill inside and make sure that there are no food particles or high humidity on metal surfaces.

When you’ve finished cooking on a grill, it will probably be covered in food residue. Take away all the food from it and turn the grill on while it’s empty. Leave the grill for 10 to 15 minutes while it heats up.

By doing so, you’ll burn off most of the food leftovers, and the ones that remained will soften from heat so they’ll become easier to remove. If you have got some spare time to specifically take care of a grill – use these preventive measures.

Clearing the surface with a brush

Grab a soft bristle brush or a nylon brush to scrub off all the ashes and food residue from charcoal grates. It’s easier to do this right after cooking while the grill is still warm. Periodically do a full cleaning for a charcoal or a gas grill while using soap and sponges under warm water.

Don’t forget that the soap also must be removed!

Taking care of grill bottom

You can preserve stainless steel grates by rubbing oil into them. After the grill is emptied, also coat the grill bottom with oil. A thin layer of it makes the area smooth enough to stop food from sticking to the grill grates, as well as prevent rust on the stainless steel grill bottom.

Any cooking oil is suitable to do this, but it’s recommended to not use oil coming from aerosol cans. Even though they’re not flammable, they still tend to explode when exposed to heat so it’s dangerous to have them near the grill.

Instead, you can pour oil with a dishrag since you won’t need a lot of it.

Be sure to remove all the rust if any since the oil won’t remain at the rusty grill bottom for a long time.

Covering the grill when not used

If you keep your grill outdoors, you will need to purchase a grill cover. The vinyl cover stops humidity and dust from getting onto your grill which helps preserve its initial state. Custom-sized covers are available for sale so you can protect your grill from weather influence no matter how big it is.

It’s also a good practice to not leave the grill outside at all, and instead move it to a garage or any other sheltered place when you’re not planning to use it for some time. If your area has bad weather conditions, be sure to pick a place with a roof and relatively dry air. Don’t forget the regular checkups as well.

How to remove rust grill

If you decided to visit this paragraph, then you’ve probably found some rust on a stainless steel grill or its grill grates and now wondering if doing a deep clean could help. Don’t worry – all grills eventually rust and still can be fixed, so first let’s check how bad the damage is.

Below you can see the methods for removing rust that can work when there is not a lot of it yet.

1. Wash the rusty grill

This might sound like some wonder, but a small amount of rust can be fixed by just doing a regular cleanup. Mix a dishwashing soap with the water you use for cleaning and concentrate on a rusty grill bottom.

If the rust spots are too stubborn – soak them for up to 20 minutes (note that it’s not good to soak the grill for a whole day). After the rust gave in, grab a rag and wipe it, then start drying the grill out.

We suggest using liquid soap for grills instead of toxic detergents because the part you’re washing is also the one where you put your food at. And you don’t want any dish to have a detergent among other ingredients.

The other reason to avoid using detergent is that acids can cause corrosion of the grill by themselves so the problem of rusting might only become worse. If a simple washing didn’t help, there are other things to try out.

2. Scrape the rust off with a grill brush

You can try to just scrape it away together with other unwanted particles. Of course, paper towels might not be enough, so getting an appropriate tool is a must. Abrasives are the most suited for this, as they won’t leave a scratch on a grill surface. They include sandpaper, wire brush, and steel wool.

You start by scraping the big chunks of dirt with a dry brush – use a vacuum cleaner to gather and discard them. Apply some dishwashing liquid to the grill parts that have some loose rust, and give them a rub with steel wool or a similar tool.

If you think you’re done – double-check the grill corners so the remains of rust from there won’t spread back again. Use clean water to rinse off all things that you scrubbed and wipe the surface until it’s dry again.

If the grill didn’t have a protective layer – you can now make it yourself by covering it with a bit of vegetable oil. Refer to the theme of seasoning for further details.

If the grill had protection, then by repeatedly using abrasives you’ll remove it. That’s why this method is not suitable for regular cleaning – do it only when things aren’t looking good and you’re worried about keeping the grill itself intact.

3. Cover the grill in vinegar and baking soda

If you weren’t able to remove grill rust with your hands – chemicals can manage the rest. Vinegar contains acid so it breaks down the rust and quickens the process of it falling off the grill which makes cleaning a rusty grill a lot easier.

The baking soda reacts to acid causing it to foam, which allows it to enter the little cracks on metallic surfaces when it foams from coming in contact with baking soda, so both liquids are better used together in a 1:2 ratio. Mix vinegar and baking soda in a spray bottle for convenient application.

Once again, don’t forget to remove those from the grill in a couple of minutes after the job is done. Otherwise, they will be the ones causing rust on a metal surface.

4. Specialized cleaning substances

There are rust removers on sale specifically made to be used for grills. When picking one for yourself, search for non-toxic solutions that can be used for metallic surfaces contacting food. This will be specified in an instruction that must be read carefully before using.

5. Drinking soda

A great alternative to vinegar or commercial cleaners is a regular soda because of all the phosphoric acid it contains. Coke is an especially good choice. To use it for cleaning, pour the soda generously on the grill and leave it to soak for half an hour.

After the grill was soaked, use steel wool and scrub it until the rust is gone. Rinse with water – we don’t want soda itself to remain either. As usual, dry the grill out with a piece of soft cloth completely.

6. Replacing vinegar with citric acid

If you don’t have an access to drinkable phosphoric acid at the moment – here’s another replacement.

Lime and lemon juice contains an acid that is just as powerful as vinegar. Mix it with baking soda, salt, or liquid soap to easily dissolve the rust together with the rest of the food residue.

The downside is that much more time will be required for this potent paste to soak into the surface. Leave the grill like this overnight to make sure that the rust will be easy to remove in the morning.

Grilling on rusted grates is not safe, so check out too How to clean cast iron grills.

How to fix a hole in the bottom of a charcoal grill?

Maybe you were a bit too late and after the rust was removed (or just fell off by itself), you’ve found a gaping hole at the bottom of a grill. This might’ve happened not only because of poor management but also because the grill was used a lot – so let’s not blame anyone and think about the ways to fix the bottom or replace it. Luckily, there is still a way.

Repairing small holes

If the hole is not too big, it can be simply refilled again. Epoxy filler is liquid initially, but after filling the gap, it hardens and becomes on par with steel, so there’s no need to worry about thinking that the filling might drop off later.

Before applying the substance, read the instructions carefully and follow them. The hole you’re filling must be clean and free of any dust, grease, etc.

To restore the initial appearance of a rusted grill, cover the sanded area with high-temperature paint after it became solid.

If you have some doubts about using chemical fillers, you can also apply welding steel and patch the holes with it. Recommendations remain the same – stick to the user manual that comes with a product.

Repairing extensive damage

In some cases, the bottom is damaged so much that there’s not much use fixing it and it’s more efficient to get a new bottom as a replacement. Consider buying a new grill, if yours has already served for a long time – it might be cheaper than replacing each part.

Conclusion

It is important to clean your grill and coat it with an anti-corrosion coating to prevent rust from forming on the bottom of the grill. Remove grill rust immediately as soon as you notice it! A little care and maintenance will keep your grill looking like new for years to come.

Now that your grill is clean and, more importantly, undamaged – enjoy your seared delicacies, and don’t forget to clean up this time!

If you found this post helpful, write about it in the comments section below!

Read also our detailed article How to fix rusted grill bottom.