Victory Grills assembly
The best warranty in its class. And building it yourself voids it.
Victory’s own manual says all their gas grills must have a qualified installer complete the installation for the warranty to be in effect. The warranty is the reason to buy the grill. Read that sentence twice.
The warranty IS the product, and it comes with a condition
Victory is BBQGuys’ own brand, built to a simple thesis: premium construction at a mid-range price, backed by a warranty nobody else in the class offers. Lifetime on the exterior. Fifteen years on the internals, the grates, flame tamers, burners and warming rack. Two years on the ignition and thermometers, which BBQGuys point out is double the next best grill in its class. Reviewers agree the build is genuinely excellent for the money.
And then, in the owner’s manual, this: all Victory gas grills must have a qualified installer complete the installation for the warranty to be in effect. Incorrect installation will void the warranty. Work by unqualified persons, they add, could be dangerous and will void it.
So the single best thing about this grill, the one that justifies the purchase, is contingent on not assembling it yourself. That is an unusual position for a manufacturer to take, and it is worth taking seriously rather than gambling a fifteen year warranty on a Saturday afternoon.
The job
Victory’s own estimate against a reviewer who actually timed it.
| Model | Time | People |
|---|---|---|
| Victory’s estimate (3-burner gas)Printed in the manual. "CAUTION: THIS UNIT IS HEAVY." | 50 minutes | 2 |
| A reviewer who timed itAnd he says it would have been under an hour but for the bolts. | over 90 minutes | 1 |
| 4-burner griddleThe porcelain griddle top wants two people. See below. | ~1 hour | 1, but 2 for the top |
| 35in pellet grillThe firebox arrives already attached, which is the slow part on most. | 45 minutes | 1 |
| Natural gas conversionVictory recommend the official kit, professionally fitted. | a licensed pro | licensed |
Sharp edges are flagged in the manual. Gloves are not a bad idea, and Victory say so themselves.
What actually catches people
The bolts are too short once you add the washers
The most concrete complaint in any Victory review, and a specific one. A reviewer found the supplied bolts did not seat easily into the threads, and that some seemed TOO SHORT to make contact when building the base cart once the washers were on. He spent the extra half hour on it, carefully, because he did not want to strip the threads. Knowing this in advance is most of the fix: go slowly on the cart, and do not force a bolt that is not biting.
The warranty does not travel, and it does not move house
Read the terms. It covers original owners only, at the ORIGINAL SITE OF DELIVERY, and cannot be transferred to a new owner. It is for single-family residential use only. Keep the sales slip, because you will be asked for it, and note the serial number on the outside left panel now rather than hunting for it in year twelve.
Rust is not covered unless it eats through
A common and reasonable exclusion, stated plainly: the warranty does not cover discoloration, surface rust, or rust, unless there is loss of structural integrity or rust-through. Salt, chemicals and coastal air all affect stainless. And note that on warranty claims, the consumer pays the labour and shipping for the parts.
A whooshing sound means stop immediately
Victory call it flash-back, and it is worth knowing the tell. If you hear a whooshing or jet-like sound in or around the burner tubes, turn the burners off at once, then remove and clean them with soap, water and a brush until every obstruction is gone. It is a noise, not a smell, and it is your only warning.
Burn it off before you cook on it
Before the first cook, run the main burners on high with the lid down for about ten minutes to burn off manufacturing residue and odours. Then look at the flames: they should be mostly blue, perhaps with a tinge of yellow. If they are not, the air shutters need adjusting, and that is a job worth doing properly rather than living with.
On the griddle, get help for the top
A reviewer’s specific advice on the 4-burner griddle: get two people for the porcelain-coated griddle top. One, because lining up the mounting holes alone is miserable. Two, and more importantly, because you will scratch the porcelain trying to wrestle it into place, and the porcelain is the product.
Before you build it
Decide whether you are prepared to risk the warranty. That is the whole decision, and it is not a close one on a grill whose warranty is the reason you chose it.
If you are going ahead anyway, get a second person, wear gloves, and take the cart assembly slowly.
Photograph the serial number on the left side panel and keep the receipt somewhere you will find it in a decade.
And if you are converting to natural gas, use Victory’s own kit and have it fitted by a licensed professional.
Why this one is not really a choice
Because Victory have made it not a choice. A qualified installer is a condition of the warranty, and the warranty is the product.
Because a reviewer, answering a seventy year old reader who wrote in asking how to find somebody to assemble his grill because he did not have the patience to do it again, went and found him an assembly service. That reader is not an edge case. He is the customer.
And because the grill is genuinely good. Nine months of wear testing, 18-gauge stainless, a flare-up test in which the developers doused the interior in barbecue sauce, buffalo sauce, sunscreen, baking grease and olive oil and still could not make it catch. It deserves to be built properly.
What an installer does
- Completes the installation to the standard Victory require for the warranty to remain in effect.
- Handles the cart assembly, including the bolts that do not want to seat, without stripping the threads.
- Gets a second pair of hands onto the griddle top so the porcelain does not get scratched.
- Connects the gas, leak-tests it, and converts to natural gas with the official kit if needed.
- Runs the ten minute burn-off and checks the burner flames are blue, adjusting the air shutters if not.
- Records the serial number and hands it to you with the receipt, because you will need both.
Get it built by someone who has built one before.
Tell us your ZIP and what you bought. Installers near you will quote you directly, and you deal with them, not with us.
Questions people ask
Does assembling a Victory grill myself void the warranty?
Victory’s owner’s manual states that all their gas grills must have a qualified installer complete the installation for the warranty to be in effect, and that incorrect installation will void it. Since the warranty, lifetime on the exterior and fifteen years on the internals, is the main reason to buy the grill, that is worth taking seriously.
How long does assembly take?
Victory estimate 50 minutes with two people, and the manual warns that the unit is heavy and that at least two people are needed for safe assembly. A reviewer working alone took over 90 minutes, mostly because of bolts that would not seat properly in the base cart.
What is the bolt problem?
A reviewer found the supplied bolts did not seat easily and that some appeared too short to reach the threads once the washers were fitted, on the base cart. The risk is stripping the threads by forcing them. Go slowly, and stop if a bolt is not biting.
Is the warranty transferable if I sell the grill or move?
No. It covers original owners only, at the original site of delivery, and cannot be transferred. It also applies to single-family residential use only, and does not cover surface rust or discoloration unless there is rust-through or a loss of structural integrity.
What is flash-back?
A fire burning in or around the burner tubes rather than at the ports, usually caused by an obstruction. Victory describe the warning sign as a whooshing or jet-like sound. If you hear it, turn the burners off immediately, then remove and clean them thoroughly before using the grill again.
Installers.org is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Victory Grills or BBQGuys. Victory is a trademark of its owner, referred to here only to describe the assembly and installation services that independent installers on this directory provide. Gas work should be carried out by appropriately licensed trades in your jurisdiction.