Banjo burner is driving me crazy

[Michael Dicken]

I recently bought a used bayou classic banjo cooker and tried it out for the first time today. It didn't go well. It would not stay lit and the flame never seemed to come out of all the holes on the burner, but only in small sections. If I hold a lighter on it, that area will ignite, but only while I hold the lighter to it. I thought it might be the regulator, so I switched it with the regulator on my other bayou classic cooker and it didn't make a difference. I took the burner apart to look for any obstructions and couldn't see any. Blew some air through it to clean it out, and no change. Has anyone ever had an experience like this? A cast-iron banjo burner seems like a simple piece of technology. Not sure what could causing this.

 

[day_trippr]

Is this a "Big Banjo" bg14 burner? Looks like this?

If you have this connected to a regulator that has a plastic ACME nut to connect to the cylinder valve, one possibility is you are tripping the EFP valve ("Excess Flow Prevention") that is hidden inside that plastic ACME nut. It's a spring-loaded ball in a tight bore that responds to high gas flow.

The problem with this valve is, if you start out with your regulator pressure valve open before opening the cylinder tank valve, that can cause an in-rush through the ACME nut that trips the EFP. When that happens you'll get a very weak flow of gas, unlikely enough to keep a bg14 fully lit. The only way out is to close the cylinder valve, then close the regulator completely, which should reset the valve.

The proper sequence is to start with both the cylinder valve and the regulator pressure valve fully closed, then open the cylinder valve (slowly helps), then dial up the pressure valve...

Cheers!

 

[Michael Dicken]

Is this a "Big Banjo" bg14 burner? Looks like this?

View attachment 706152

If you have this connected to a regulator that has a plastic ACME nut to connect to the cylinder valve, one possibility is you are tripping the EFP valve ("Excess Flow Prevention") that is hidden inside that plastic ACME nut. It's a spring-loaded ball in a tight bore that responds to high gas flow.

View attachment 706153


The problem with this valve is, if you start out with your regulator pressure valve open before opening the cylinder tank valve, that can cause an in-rush through the ACME nut that trips the EFP. When that happens you'll get a very weak flow of gas, unlikely enough to keep a bg14 fully lit. The only way out is to close the cylinder valve, then close the regulator completely, which should reset the valve.

The proper sequence is to start with both the cylinder valve and the regulator pressure valve fully closed, then open the cylinder valve (slowly helps), then dial up the pressure valve...

Cheers!

That's the burner I am talking about. I thought the regulator might be the issue, so I disconnected and reattached it to reset it, several times actually. I even tried a different regulator that I know works well. No change.