Seeking gas valve recommendations

[AgingHopster]

Hello everyone.

I'm building a 4 burner stand for a 4 vessel 2BBL system. I'm using natural gas 32 tip jet burners (320K BTU). This will be a semi-automated system. I would like to regulate mash temperature automatically. I'm pretty sure I need a modulating valve. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thank you.

 

[smcinco]

Honeywell smart valves with hot surface ignitor seem to be the safest way to go.

 

[Bobby_M]

I think you're going to be quite disappointed in how little adjustability those multi-tip burners have.

 

[AgingHopster]

I think you're going to be quite disappointed in how little adjustability those multi-tip burners have.

Can you recommend a better burner? I'm not married to these things.

 

[Bobby_M]

I don't know of a single burner that will do the same BTU. I have built a few stands that have multiple BG-10 style burners (you could also use the larger BG-14) in a manifolded gas delivery system. If you used like 3 burners where two of them were enable with a manual vale, you could have a 3rd one running on a simple on/off control valve.

The reason those jet tip burners suck so bad is that the air intakes are a few inches from the flame area and the flow flames seem to pollute the combustion air with CO. The BG style burners pull the air in through those regulated throats.

 

[Bobby_M]

 

[ajbosley2015]

Can I just say that your burner might be rated at 320k btu...but unless you are using 3/4 inch supply line, you will never reach 320k BTU because that’s what it takes to provide that many BTUs

3/4 inch line is good for 300k over a 10 foot line, and line size below 10ft is no longer linear.

I’m guessing you have a standard 3/8 line, so you’ll get about 72k tops regardless of burner specs.

Sorry to burst the bubble but those specs are only there to try and oversell people

 

[ajbosley2015]

Just realized it said natural gas.
3/4 in line is pretty much the same for natural gas as propane, but you probably have a bigger line than 3/8 if you’re running natural gas.

To have your 320k burners actually Brodie 320k you’ll need at least 1 inch gas supply line, but then of course you run into the reduction in size at the connection to the burner so you’ll lose quite a bit.

I’m amazed that you are putting a 4BBL HLT (pretty much what it takes for a 2BBL system) on a commercial Homebrew burner designed for 5-30 gallon vessels