Bayou Classic SQ14 Question??

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brewzofo1

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I recently bought a new Bayou SQ14. I have not used it for brewing yet. I will be using it this weekend for the first time. But I did try it out a couple of weeks ago and again yesterday to make sure it will work for my brewday Sunday. Both times it would flame out on me. The first time I thought it was because of the wind. So I made a windproof out of stainless steel and tried again yesterday. I had to turn the regulator on all the way in order for me to light it up. It flamed up and started to burn some of the black paint off the top. once I turned it down to adjust the flame it would go out. Even just a 360 turn to the off position it would flame out. And sometimes it would take several attempt for it to light up. Do I have a problem with my regulator? Or my burners. I tried adjusting the flame control shutter. But if I turned it one way to much it would flame out again. Am I doing something wrong? I read on here that it could be turning on the regulator first before turning on the propane tank. Should I take the regulator hose off and start all over? I have till Sunday before I use the SQ14 to brew. Any ideas would be apprieciated. Thank you.
 
I have the SQ-14 and haven't had these issues.

If I'm hearing you correctly, you've been instructed to open your regulator first, then open the valve on the propane tank? If so, that's backwards.

You should be opening the valve on your propane tank all the way first. Then open the valve on your regulator. Open it until you here the gas start to hiss, then light it.

You shouldn't have to open the regulator valve all the way to light it or keep it lit. It is very possible that reversing the order you've been doing this will fix your problem.

Good luck.
 
Do you have a photo of your setup? I had to adjust my regulator on mine since it was rated for 0-20 psi. For my setup,I want to say I am at a half turn to 3/4. I'll check tonight.
 
I have the SQ-14 and haven't had these issues.

If I'm hearing you correctly, you've been instructed to open your regulator first, then open the valve on the propane tank? If so, that's backwards.

You should be opening the valve on your propane tank all the way first. Then open the valve on your regulator. Open it until you here the gas start to hiss, then light it.

You shouldn't have to open the regulator valve all the way to light it or keep it lit. It is very possible that reversing the order you've been doing this will fix your problem.

Good luck.

I just opened the regulator first on my own and then the propane tank. But I did turn both off and opened the propane tank valve all the way and then then regulator. But I still had to turn the regulator valve almost all the way to the on position before it would light. And sometimes it would take several attempts before it would light. It seemed like not all the burners were lit. Maybe 4/5 were lit and 1/5 was trying to light. Like something was blocking it. But when I tried adjusting the air control shutter it would flame out. Should I unhook the hose and see if there are any blockage. Also a spring came with it for the Air Control Shutter. What's the purpose of the spring?
 
I always open the valve on the tank first. Then with the shutter barely open I start opening the regulator till I hear gas escaping and light the burner. I adjust the shutter till I get a mostly blue flame then open the regulator a little more. I like to let it sit for a few seconds to heat up the area, and then open the regulator more till I have a good flame. No dancing off the burner, all jets lit. After a few minutes I start playing with the regulator and shutter to get my best flame. The spring is just to hold the shutter plate flat so you can turn it easy and not over tighten the screws holding the plate.
 
I've had my SQ14 for two years and its been foolproof. Sounds like you have a messed up regulator. I'd return it for another one.
 
You might be having problems with the safety valve in the regulator. I have heard that if you open the regulator first and then the valve on the tank you will get poor performance. I have the SQ14 too and I haven't had any problems with it. Check to make sure that none of the burner jets are clogged with metal from a poor casting.
 
Got home yesterday afternoon and started to mess with my burner one more time. This time I disconnected the regulator/hose from the burner and cleaned the line inside the burner and holes on top. Reconnected the hose and also to propane tank. With the valves on closed position I turn the valve on the tank on all the way to the open position. Opened the regulator slowly till I could hear propane coming out of the burner and then lit it. Adjusted the flame and turned the valve to almost all the way open. Flame was high and tight. It took about 20 minutes to boil appr 5 gallons of water. So I think my problem is solved. I am ready for brew day Sunday. Thanks again for all your input here. Cheers.
 
To all of you that have the sq14, I just got mine. I was surprized that the burner is only held on with one bolt, and seems like cheap cast metal. I hqve not tried it yet. Can any of you reassure me this is ok? I will be fabricating a wind screen and was thinking about wiring the stem of the burner to the frame. Am I being paranoid and the one bolt is ok?
 
To all of you that have the sq14, I just got mine. I was surprized that the burner is only held on with one bolt, and seems like cheap cast metal. I hqve not tried it yet. Can any of you reassure me this is ok? I will be fabricating a wind screen and was thinking about wiring the stem of the burner to the frame. Am I being paranoid and the one bolt is ok?

Don't worry about it. I have the SQ-14 and the one bolt is enough to hold it on securely. Just dont use the burner as a handle or anything silly like that. All the Bayou burners look like they are made out of cheap cast metal because they are made out of cast iron. I have no comment on the "cheapness" of the metal. Make your windscreen out of stainless steel or be prepared to have it melt on you like mine did if you make it out of aluminum flashing. :eek: It still works fine even with the melted edges though.
 
Thanks for the reply. Especially on using stainless steel for the wind screen. I needed just a little reassurance before firing it up to test it and burn the paint off! Will do the wind screen this weekend.
 

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