Just close the air input before storing and you should be good to go. I usually put the lid of a bucket over my burner when I store it, just to make sure nothing gets in or damaged.
It sounds like you have your problem solved. The pop you heard was the burner leaning out, which is caused by either low fuel, or too much air. For future search purposes, I will include my trouble-shooting process.
When I have burner issues (with any brand) I usually do the following:
1. Check to see if the tank has propane. After all these years, I can tell more or less by picking it up, but you can also buy a cheap gauge or checking the cold line. Just remember the gauge is really more of a yes/no as opposed to how much you have left.
2. Disconnect and rock/flip the tank with the valve closed. Sometimes the safety seal inside gets stuck and sometimes thank can help. Then connect the gas again and see if it starts flowing. If not then I give it another flip and see what happens, all at low pressure. I was surprised at how many faulty valve assemblies I used to get when trading out tanks (either they wouldn't close or the safety was broken). I bought two new tanks and now just a get them refilled.
3. One I confirm gas through the burner, I adjust the regulator to about 1/3 output and close the air inlet. At that point you should be able to light it and get a good flame. Then, you can adjust the air/regulator balance and get going. Once you get it in the butter zone, you can take a black marker and mark the positions.
Hope this helps someone.
