Bayou Classic BG14 Banjo Burner with Natural Gas

Can someone confirm they've converted a BG14 Banjo Burner to work with Natural Gas?

Does the Natural Gas Valve for the Hurricane Burners thread into these Banjo Burners without a problem?



I want to be able to confirm this before ordering.

Thanks

I've converted a smaller propane burner to NG using an additional brass fitting to step it down in size. I think you would have to do the same with this burner. It never worked as well as I would have liked. Propane fittings are usually smaller due to the increased pressure and higher heat output than NG.

Thanks samc - appreciate the reply. I've been thinking the same thing -

Still really hoping to find someone who has actually converted these burners before I commit.

I'm considering doing the same thing and found this thread. Hope it helps.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/be...s-jet-vs-banjo-156946/index2.html#post1810114

I'm in the process right now. took the fitting off and drilled it to .156 dia. turned 3/8 flare end to .380 dia. for 3/8 hose barb. works ok now but not perfect. little yellow left on the flame yet. had 2 co2 monitors, and nothing. 30$ inline duct fan from HD for exhaust.

Found those tables for orafice sizes. Thanks Bobby M. i think. I live in the midwest. I clled my local gas supplier, they said that we run 7 to 7.5 in the winter time. ( don't know why the change ) Drilled up to .182 as per chart for my 100,000+ Bayou Classic. Viola, blue flame little yellow. Drilled 2, .250dia. holes in the back of venturi tube. ( make them different distances from center so you can rotate 180 to use propane again ) I think that I will need to drill the holes in the cast iron as big as .500 and file open the holes i made in the rotating restrictor plate th slots. It just seems to want more air flow. Inside with natural gas can fix any rainy day.

I just converted on today. I used a 5' propane hose that I bought at Menard's. The hose has a 3/8" male pipe thread on one end and a 3/8" female pipe thread on the other. I screwed the male end into the cast iron burner and the other end onto a gas valve that already came with a 3/8" male flare on it. The 1/4 turn gas valve only needs to be opened half way (45 degrees) for the burner to have a nice flame. Once I find a needle valve I will mount it on the burner input port to have finer control on the flame. Our brew club also has a Blickmann burner which is identical to the Bayou Classic that I converted.

bmason1623 said:

I just converted on today. I used a 5' propane hose that I bought at Menard's. The hose has a 3/8" male pipe thread on one end and a 3/8" female pipe thread on the other. I screwed the male end into the cast iron burner and the other end onto a gas valve that already came with a 3/8" male flare on it. The 1/4 turn gas valve only needs to be opened half way (45 degrees) for the burner to have a nice flame. Once I find a needle valve I will mount it on the burner input port to have finer control on the flame. Our brew club also has a Blickmann burner which is identical to the Bayou Classic that I converted.

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So you just took the orfice out of the equation? That seem much more simple than drilling out the orfice. Please correct me if I'm wrong and misunderstanding.

I took out the existing brass fitting with the very small orifice and replaced it with the 3/8" male pipe thread fitting that is on the one end of the 5' propane hose that I bought at Menards. The other end has a 3/8" female flare fitting that was screwed on to the gas valve. The gas valve on our application only needs to be opened a quarter turn. It works great.

tulsabrewdaddy said:

So you just took the orfice out of the equation? That seem much more simple than drilling out the orfice. Please correct me if I'm wrong and misunderstanding.

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So yes, the orifice is basically out of the equation so to speak. Keep in mind that 10" burners are ideal for conversion because they allow more volume to combust thus more BTUs. You can convert a 4" burner but it won't put out much more BTUs than a stove top burner since both are very close in size. But I suppose not having to worry about propane tanks is always a plus.

Bmason, why did you choose a 5' hose? Do you think it would function differently with a longer hose? Also how does your output compare to when it was running on propane?

Weizenheimer said:

Bmason, why did you choose a 5' hose? Do you think it would function differently with a longer hose? Also how does your output compare to when it was running on propane?

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That 5' hose was the only one available that had the 3/8" male pipe thread on one end and a female flare on the other. If I can find a longer hose like that then I will use it instead. Propane burns at a higher temperature than natural gas so boils take slightly longer to get going, and the boils are vigorous but not as much as with propane. Overall, the natural gas burners work just fine.

I also made the conversion to NG. But I can't seem to adjust my flame...yellow/orange flame. Did you have to modify the burner to allow the flame to breath better?

jpietraski said:

I also made the conversion to NG. But I can't seem to adjust my flame...yellow/orange flame. Did you have to modify the burner to allow the flame to breath better?

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On my application, if you open the gas valve too much the flame turns yellow/orange. Just out of curiosity, what city do you live in? Maybe the gas pressure by you is different than in Chicago where I'm at.

bmason1623 said:

On my application, if you open the gas valve too much the flame turns yellow/orange. Just out of curiosity, what city do you live in? Maybe the gas pressure by you is different than in Chicago where I'm at.

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I'm in Williamsport PA.
I have the KAB4 burner. I can control the flame with the shut-off valve, and can get most of the orange out at ~1/2open. That will also keep the flames from running up the side of the kettle. But at that setting, I'm only able to take 7gal from 95F to 130F in 15min. That's easily twice as long as propane. Is that typical?

Natural gas does not burn as hot as propane. I haven't actually timed the burner at our brewhaus but it does take longer than when it was running on propane. Once your boil starts you're good to go. The main reason for converting to natural gas is not having to worry about your propane tank running out in the middle of a boil. There is a trade off in that propane burns hotter therefore quicker boil sessions.

are there two versions of the BG14? brewershardware specifically calls it a "low pressure cast iron burner":

http://www.brewershardware.com/10-Low-Pressure-Burner.html

while the KAB4 and the BG14's on agri supply are listed as "high pressure". as does northern brewer's listing, and they specifically say they cannot be converted to natural gas:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/...rners/cast-iron-banjo-burner-burner-only.html

From what I undersand they are all the same burner. I have 3 from AGRI which I converted to natural gas by drilling out the orafice to 1/8'' They work great.

excellent, thanks RoadKing!

what regulator are you using?

I don't use a regulator besides the one at my meter. I'm not sure how many coloums they use here (New Jersery Natural Gas) , but when you drill, start small and work up.
1/8'' was the sweet spot for me.

well I was planning on just replacing the orifices with something like this:

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/HURRICANE-NATURAL-GAS-CONVERSION-VALVE-P2214.aspx

I would just drill them out. That little valve is useless because it is so close to the burner.
But if you want a spare propane set, buy them and keep the ones that comes with the burners for spares.

Remove the fitting with the small orifice so you can put it back on if you want to convert to propane. I used a 3/8" propane hose without the regulator straight from the burner to the gas valve. I open the valve no more than half way and the burner operates fine. Look at my pics for reference.