Help Center - Frequently Asked Questions

Can I convert my grill to lava rocks or ceramic briquettes?

We've found that many gas grills can be safely converted to use rocks or ceramic briquettes. There are two primary considerations: 1) Getting the rock grate secured in the grill; and 2) having enough space between the burners and the cooking grid for the grate and rocks.

Securing the grate
Getting the grate to sit securely in the grill a sufficient distance below the cooking grids is the key to success. Frequently, the same surface that supports the heat plates can be used to support the rock grate. If not, some customers have reported using home made support brackets, simple bolts through the grill body for the grate to rest on, even bricks and rocks.

The exact size of the rock grate is really not that important as long as it is deep enough (front-to-back) to reach the supports without falling in. The largest size (side-to-side) that will fit in the grill is usually ideal, but the grate can be an inch or two narrower and still be fully functional. Your grate doesn't have to be a single piece either. If they can be supported, use as many as you need to get a good fit. They can even overlap each other.

Vertical space for rocks/briquettes
The bottom of the rock grate should be about 1" above the burners but anywhere between 3/4" to 2" can work. There should be a 3" to 4" gap between the rock grate and the cooking grids, which allows for about 2" inches of rocks and some air space under the cooking grid. If you don't have enough space for the lava rock, perhaps ceramic briquettes, which typically sit lower than lava rocks,  will be a better solution.

I like lots of rock
While packages of lava rock frequently say something like "enough for a full size grill", my experience is that a single bag simply isn't enough. Perhaps because of my tendency for overkill I like the rock to "pile up" to about 2 inches.  I recently replaced the grate and rock in my old Arkla grill, which is not big by today's standard.  After putting in a bag of new rock, I ended up putting back a lot of the old rock to get the depth I wanted. Do you really need this much rock? I don't really know but believe it helps with heat distribution. Might also help with flare-ups by creating more of a vaporizing surface.

Looking for a rock grate?
Click here to see every rock grate we have.  Need rocks? Click here to see our lava rocks and ceramic briquettes.

Also see: Are lava rocks or ceramic briquettes better than metal heat plates?