ClaremontGrill Cleaning & BBQ Repair

Claremont calls itself the City of Trees for good reason. The older neighborhoods around the Village and the Claremont Colleges have streets lined with mature oaks, sycamores, pines and pepper trees, and backyards that are shaded much of the day. Many homes date from the early and mid 1900s, with patios that were added long after the house was built.

Shade is welcome in a Claremont summer, but trees drop things. Leaves, needles, seed pods and sap fall onto grill hoods and work their way under the lid. In a grill that's only used on weekends, that debris collects under the grates, mixes with grease, and eventually smolders or flares up the next time it's lit. Squirrels and rats like the tree cover too, and a grill under a big oak is an easy place to nest.

A grill installed at a 1930s Claremont house was usually added decades later, sometimes with a long, improvised gas run from the meter. When an older grill has always burned weak, the problem can be an undersized line, a regulator that's failing, or a flex connector that's been kinked behind the island. We check the supply before we start replacing grill parts that may be fine. For propane setups, the gas leak soap test is a simple check anyone can do between visits.

Up north of Foothill Boulevard, homes are generally newer and larger, many backing up toward the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park. Those yards have more of a foothill set of concerns: wind, dust, and ash during fire season.

Many Claremont homeowners have converted lawns to native plants and drought-tolerant gardens, and nobody wants degreaser running into them. We cover the area around the grill, use biodegradable and food-safe products, and catch all the rinse water and grease to take with us. You can read about our approach in eco-friendly grill degreasers.