Bayou SQ-14 question

I just did my second boil with the sq-14 last night and had some issues. My first boil went great, kept 7 gallons boiling just fine. Last night it was a lot colder (probably high 30s low 40s) and I couldn't keep a boil going without the lid partially on. Is that normal? Every time I tried to turn the burner up some the flames blew themselves out. It seems like I got a bigger flame last time I used it but I'm not sure.


Any ideas?

Thanks.

I'd check the propane tank. Close the valve and unscrew the burner from it. Put the burner back on and open the tank no more than one complete turn. The newer OPD tanks are touchy. If you open them up too much they start closing again! I had one opened too far and it took me an hour to figure out why my camper's water heater wouldn't light!

Other than that, unless it's nearly empty, it should work fine for both temps.

That's definitely not normal. I've used my SQ-14 to bring over 14gal of wort to a boil in MN last January when it was well below zero. If it's not the OPD, make sure you have the air intake adjusted so the flames are all blue with just the tip being orange/yellow.

drunkatuw said:

That's definitely not normal. I've used my SQ-14 to bring over 14gal of wort to a boil in MN last January when it was well below zero. If it's not the OPD, make sure you have the air intake adjusted so the flames are all blue with just the tip being orange/yellow.

Click to expand...

+1 to that and what the other guy said about running out of propane. You may also want to place a piece of playwood or something up against the frame to block any wind.

Homercidal said:

I'd check the propane tank. Close the valve and unscrew the burner from it. Put the burner back on and open the tank no more than one complete turn. The newer OPD tanks are touchy. If you open them up too much they start closing again! I had one opened too far and it took me an hour to figure out why my camper's water heater wouldn't light!

Click to expand...

I disagree with the advice to open the tank valve no more than one complete turn. The valves on propane tanks have double seats and should be in either the fully opened or fully closed position. The double seat is designed to prevent leakage around the valve stem when the valve is fully open or fully closed. Opening the valve partly defeats this safety feature and is a dangerous. Most regulators (at least the newer ones with the black connectors) have a built in feature that cuts the flow in the event that the supply hose is severed or otherwise compromised. It's basically a spring loaded ball and seat inside the tank connector. The green ones are designed for high flow rates and do not have this feature IIRC. So, you do want to have the appliance valve closed when you open the tank valve to help prevent a sudden rush of gas which could trip the surge valve, but once the supply line is pressurized you should be able to run the burner with the tank valve fully open. I've found that the problem with the flame sometimes lifting off of the burner is usually due to the air damper not properly adjusted. The SQ-14's have an adjustable pressure regulator and the air damper will need to be adjusted for different pressures for optimum performance. I've also found that the burners perform better after they have been running for a few minutes and well warmed up. I've never had a problem with my SQ-14 not putting out enough heat and I only rarely find a need to run it wide open. I have no trouble boiling even 14 gallon batches and I think it could handle even more than that if I had a larger kettle.

Here is what I do and it works for me.

1) close pressure regulator all the way.
2) close damper all the way
3) open tank valve all the way
4) slowly open pressure regulator till I hear gas
5) light burner
6) let warm a couple seconds
7) adjust flame to blue tips by opening damper
8) adjust pressure regulator to desired level for a nice flame
9) block wind as needed

Every time I light my burner I go through the same process even if I had just shut it off a few minutes earlier.

+1 This is essentially the same procedure I follow when lighting / shutting off my SQ-14. The problem is one I've read about before, and I believe it has nothing to do with the SQ-14, and everything to do with the OPD valve design in the propane tank. The procedure outlined prevents the OPD valve from shutting the gas flow down to a trickle, and it works for me every time.

rico567 said:

+1 This is essentially the same procedure I follow when lighting / shutting off my SQ-14. The problem is one I've read about before, and I believe it has nothing to do with the SQ-14, and everything to do with the OPD valve design in the propane tank. The procedure outlined prevents the OPD valve from shutting the gas flow down to a trickle, and it works for me every time.

Click to expand...

FYI, it's not actually the OPD valve on the tank. The surge valve (or anti-surge valve; not sure of the official name) is inside the connector on the regulator. The OPD valve simply prevents overfilling the tank and is a separate mechanism. The surge valve is the one that's often inadvertently tripped which slows gas flow dramatically, but usually does not shut off the flow completely.

Are you sure about that? I thought the anti-surge was a part of the OPD assembly so that you couldn't just open the valve and vent 20 pounds of gas and have an explosive situation.

Bobby_M said:

Are you sure about that? I thought the anti-surge was a part of the OPD assembly so that you couldn't just open the valve and vent 20 pounds of gas and have an explosive situation.

Click to expand...

Yes, fairly sure anyway. There is similar device in the tank valve, but it works differently. It's purpose is to prevent gas from leaving the tank when the valve is opened without the regulator attached. Basically, the connector on the regulator pushes in on a spring loaded ball that rests on a seat inside the valve. Once the connection is made to the tank, the valve poppet ball thingy is pushed back which opens the passage and it remains open until the connector is removed regardless of the flow rate. The anti-surge valve is inside the connector (if it has one, and not all connectors do) and closes, or mostly closes, due to a very high gas flow rate. I haven't examined the tank valve or the connector recently, but IIRC the "ball" part is visible inside of each.

OP say its 30 40 degrees outside
Although he does not mention humidity level. Is it icing up? no big deal.

What 95% of the people that use HIGH pressure propane burners for a living do is turn off the gas all the way wait a few minutes relight. Sometimes in fact lots of times they pour water over tank to melt ice. Even if they dont see ice.


Its getting colder outside these are high pressure units that use fuel Like its going out of style. AND freeze up
Not like low pressure BBQs, furnaces, hot water tanks, fork lifts, fireplaces On&on that are very thrifty. Rarely freeze.