Converting to NG from Propane help please

Hi guys/gals,

I have been out of brewing for years since the birth of my last child and it is time to fire up the old RIMS setup I built a few years ago. I currently have two propane burners on my RIMS (HLT and BK) but am currently setup with cast iron propane burners hard plumbed and manually controlled by a propane regulator that I hook to a bottle that is held in place on my stand (pics in my ablum).

I was entertaining the idea of using natural gas for the convenience factor and cost. Since I have been out of the game for a while and forgot some stuff, I had many questions:

Can I get away with just changing the jets on the burners?
-secondary question: Are those NG jets able to accept the hard lines I currently have going from the hard plumbing to the LP burners (thread pitch)?

Where can I get a NG hose in a 15' length and what diameter should I get for the burners?

Thanks for the help

Joe

Not sure about your burner jets question (I used Blichmann Floor Burner w/ conversion kit) but for the NG hose I would recommend

http://www.tejassmokers.com/NatGasHoses.htm

I used the 1/2" hose and am able to run two burners at once if necessary. The btu output of your cast iron burners would be different though, especially once you change out your jets.

Thanks for the reply. I have been doing some reading and have heard of guys drilling out the existing burners orifices for the low pressure/volume change. I thought the change would be as easy as jetting changes. I realize I need those, a way to regulate the gas to each burner without having to constantly mess with the 1/4 turn valves in the existing plumbing. I wonder if by modifying my propane regualtor I have now can still be used if I remove the hoses and incorporate it onto the new NG hose....any ideas?

Propane is high pressure and natural gas is low pressure, so you will have to change a few things on your stand to make it work. You will need to replace the high pressure regulator to a low pressure regulator, the gas line between the regulator and flow control valves (needle valves) to larger size line, replace the needle valves with a ball valves, and drill out the jet orifice. You can control the gas flow in a low pressure system with ball valves. I would use one low pressure regulator for each burner if you plan to use two burners at the same time. That way the gas flow to one burner will not be affected by the other burner turning on in off.

Thank you guys for the help. I will definitely look into the suggestions given

What type of lp burners are you using

hunt3419 said:

Propane is high pressure and natural gas is low pressure, so you will have to change a few things on your stand to make it work. You will need to replace the high pressure regulator to a low pressure regulator,

Click to expand...

You don't need a regulator for NG, just ball valves. Sometimes it is best to just buy NG specific burners, I tried converting mine and I got a lot of black soot. I bought a 23 tip burner and it runs clean.

NG orifices are smaller than propane. So you can't drill them out to go from propane to gas

runbad said:

NG orifices are smaller than propane. So you can't drill them out to go from propane to gas

Click to expand...

Actually it's the other war around, propane orifices are smaller than NG due to the higher pressure.

Monster Mash said:

Actually it's the other war around, propane orifices are smaller than NG due to the higher pressure.

Click to expand...

It is true that propane orifices are smaller. They are smaller, because propane requires more air in the air/flue mixture than natural gas. That is why it is very important to choose the right drill size when drilling out the orifice since there is not an adjustment for air flow. I prefer banjo burners, because you can adjust both the fuel gas flow and air flow.

Where are you going to connect to your ng system,? If your existing propane system is design for greater than 1/2 psi (which it sounds like with your regulator adjustment to control your burners) you tap in by the water heater in the garage, your going to end up with about 1/4 p.s.i supply pressure and reduced available btus. It would probably be fine for 5 gallon

Continued.... Batches. But but you maybe looking at an extended brew day with the time it takes to reach temps and get to boil..

Thank you for the replies. I am using your everyday turkey fryer burners on my RIMS stand. I was planning on running a seperate line from the meter (there is a test plug I can remove) into the garage. I then would buy a 20' hose since I brew in my garage.

I am still not convinced this is a lucrative/cost effective upgrade. I understand NG is cheaper in the long run but it seems like ALOT of modifying to my stand for this.

My system is a 10 gallon system

This is what I use and it works very well. I do 25 gallon batches with it.

http://www.cpapc.com/23-Tip-Round-Nozzle-Jet-Burner-natural-gas-P469C244.aspx