TOOLS & GEAR
Gear & Accessory Failures
A thermometer reading eight degrees low will ruin more cooks than any grill fault. When a tool starts lying to you or stops working, the fix is usually calibration or cleaning rather than replacement — but you need to know which.
Start here
Read the symptom titles below and pick the one that matches what you are actually observing rather than what you suspect is wrong. Each page opens with a short answer you can act on immediately, then works through the causes in order of how often each one turns out to be responsible. Half of them resolve without buying anything, so work top to bottom before you reach for a replacement part.
Meat Thermometer Reading the Wrong Temperature
Easy
10 minutes
Wireless Probe Keeps Losing Connection
Easy
20 minutes
Oil Sprayer Clogs, Sputters or Leaks
Easy
25 minutes
Prevention for this category
- Seasoning Grates and Cast Iron the Right WayNew grates, after any deep clean, and any time water beads stop forming
- Calibrating a Thermometer With Ice and Boiling WaterAt the start of every season, after any drop, and any time a reading looks wrong