Need gas line advice for my brew stand.

This has probably been asked before but I can't seem to find a solid answer. I'm going to run 1/2" blk pipe on my stand to 1/2" gas valves. This is where your advice is needed. I have two BG14 burners that have 3/8" flare connections on the orifices. I'm planning on running Brasscraft flex hose from the valve to the burners. Will running 1/2" hose or 3/8" hose make a difference? Eventually I may connect the stand to natural gas. It can be plumbed with either hose but the 1/2" hose will require adapters to mate with the 3/8" flare. Surely someone has had the same problem. Any advice would be great.


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Nobody?????


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No personal experience with a brewstand but I did plumb/convert my single burner stand to natural gas. Natgas is delivered in a low pressure state so I don't think the line diameter will effect anything except the volume of gas provided. My little 3/8" line and single burner has no problem boiling 5 gallons, in fact once up to a boil I can turn if way down and it will still maintain the boil.

I run three bg14s with it reducing gown to 1/4" needle valves it will be fine either way, I can boil 25 gallons with that set up

SlickTX said:

Natgas is delivered in a low pressure state so I don't think the line diameter will effect anything except the volume of gas provided.

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Because NatGas is delivered at low pressure, the volume of gas has everything to do with how much heat your burners can crank out.

Disclaimer: always seek the help of a professional plumber when working with NG. That being said, I am not a plumber, but I have been using NG for brewing for the past 5 years, and I can tell you from my experience, size matters. That is to say, use 3/4 inch pipe leading out to your rig, and then adapt the pipe down as close to the burners as you can.

For my setup, I am using two NG fired BG14 burners. I plumbed 3/4 inch black pipe out to the brew rig, then use 1/2 inch black pipe for the last 12-inches leading up to the gas valves, and then 3/8 inch flex line to the burner orifice. I have had no problems controlling the burners using gas ball valves as opposed to the smaller needle valves.


Here you can see the short 1/2-inch pipe (which is plumbed to the larger 3/4-inch pipe just out of the bottom of the photo), 1/2-inch ball valve with 1/2 x 3/8 flare adaptor and 3/8 flex line. Bigger pipe and valve deliver better performance at wide open, and the ball valves provide adequate control at lower settings. 3/4-inch black pipe is not much more expensive than the 1/2 inch, and well worth the cost.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I finally found a 1/2" male flare to 3/8" female flare fitting. I'm running 1/2" black pipe to 1/2" flex gas line to the burners with the fitting.


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I have my natural gas setup as: 3/4" black with 2 shut off valves (one high at ceiling height and one at about 3 feet from the ground), to 1/2" black, to ball valve, to excess flow valve, to flex to drilled out nipple, to burner. From what I was told, the excess flow is a must for safety.

SuckaMooHudda said:

I have my natural gas setup as: 3/4" black with 2 shut off valves (one high at ceiling height and one at about 3 feet from the ground), to 1/2" black, to ball valve, to excess flow valve, to flex to drilled out nipple, to burner. From what I was told, the excess flow is a must for safety.

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Thanks. Where is the excess flow valve in the pictures?


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This thread was a big help to me in current build and especially appreciated pm advice from Bhambrew.

I've got 3/4 line stubbed about 8 feet from my stand. Hard plumbing was out but found a 10' 3/4 flex hose designed for generators here:
http://www.powerlandonline.com/10-feet-natural-gas-connection-hose-with-3-4-connector-and-ng-valve/ - $100 and included a 3/4 ball valve that I needed.

Built a 3/4 black pipe manifold on the stand. Rises up to the burners on 1/2 pipe and terminates with these:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/HOME-FLEX...K-12/204626689

Went with orifices from Adventures in Homebrewing. Were not a perfect fit for the my Bayou Classic banjos. The BC banjo orifices have a longer tapered male thread that goes into the drilled hole on the burner. The AIH orifices are designed for the Blichman burner and were shorter and not tapered. Got it to work with extra yellow tape and had a highly successful brew day.

Excess valve

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