A chewed hose caused a frightening fire
I escaped with minor burns. Josh replaced the hose, then protected another new one when the damage happened again.
I kept the domain. Then I found a better reason for it.
I'm Ciaran, a web developer. GrillHose.com began as a fun business idea in 2007, sold roughly two hoses—one to me—and failed. I never quite wanted to let the name go. Nearly twenty years later, that failure had one useful thing left to give.
First, there was a very real fire.
I was getting ready to use my grill when I noticed the smell of gas. An animal had chewed through the propane hose. The grill ignited and burst into flames, and I was lucky to get away with minor burns. It was a frightening way to learn how much trouble one damaged hose could cause.
Josh was a friend and a master mechanic. He sorted it out and replaced the damaged hose. Then it happened again. Josh came back, fitted another new hose, and wrapped it in braided protective material before it went into service. This time, it worked.
Then came our less-than-spectacular business empire.
That was our business plan, more or less. If the same problem could happen twice at one house, other grill owners were probably dealing with it too. Josh and I became partners and launched GrillHose.com in 2007 to sell protected replacement hoses.
We gave it a proper try. I think we sold about two hoses—and one of them was to me. There is no polished founder story to attach to that part. The business simply did not work.
Josh is part of the beginning. The website is the second act.
Josh was the master mechanic who solved the original problem and my partner in that first attempt. He is a good and important part of the origin story. Grill Hose today, though, is my web project: a simple way to use the domain and the work I know how to do for something more useful than selling another hose.
From failure, something good.
Nearly twenty years later, you can find thousands of replacement hoses online. Working out which one actually belongs on your grill is still harder than it should be. I use the word Forgebuildingfor this kind of work: take something that failed, keep the honest and useful part, and rebuild it so it can do some good. That is why Grill Hose is back as a free consumer resource. It helps you identify the grill, fuel, fittings and other specifications using traceable manufacturer information. If we cannot verify something important, we say so. Rebuilt from the ashes—pardon the pun. This time the site is not trying to sell you anything.
The site had a few lives before this one.
Josh and I launched GrillHose.com
We tried to sell protected replacement hoses. It was a real idea and a real business, but it did not succeed.
Failure became the raw material
Today, this independent web project helps people check the model, fuel, pressure, fittings, and routing before they choose a replacement.
What the site does
We help you identify what you own, show you where the information came from, and make it easier to compare suitable options. If an important specification is missing, we do not guess.
How the site is funded
I maintain it independently as a web developer and a Forgebuilding project. There are no ads, commissions, sponsored placements, sold leads, or paid product links. Source links go to manufacturers and public safety references because those are the places a careful guide should send you.