Investigating propane vs. natural gas...

[MrSpiffy]

I just purchased a Blichmann floor burner, along with a natural gas conversion kit. I have a gas line outside where our patio will be (coming in spring 2013!), and figured that would be a convenient location for brewing outside in the summer. Out of curiosity, I looked into the cost of propane versus natural gas. Here's what I came up with:

Propane:
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20lbs of propane / 4.11lbs/gal of propane = 4.87 gallons per tank
4.87 gal x 91,690BTU/gal = 446,180 BTUs per tank of LP
Cost to refill a tank..? $20?! (Let's say it's even $15 per tank refill, shall we?)
Cost per 100,000BTU: $3.36

Natural gas:
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Per my local utility company, NG is $0.803 per therm
1 therm = 100,000BTU = $0.803
Cost of NG vs tank of propane: $3.58 vs $20 tank refill!

NG is approximately 1/4 the cost of propane. Holy jeebus! Propane is expensive! Look who's glad I got that conversion kit, now, huh..? THIS GUY!

In short, if you're thinking about using NG instead of propane, DO IT! You'll save in the long run. I should make that extra $15 I spent on the conversion kit back in about one tank of LP!

 

[BullGator]

Thanks. From reading here and there, I thought this was the case. But I never ran the numbers myself.

 

[ndinh]

That's quite the savings. I'm in the process of switching over (having my new stand built with NG burners). Initial setup is expensive though. I went with gas tubing which costs $80 + QD + gas valve...... Well worth not having to stop at the orange box store after every 2.5 brews.

 

[JonW]

Based on your numbers, the cost difference will be made up quickly for the QD, hose, orifice, etc.

I never ran the numbers myself (but knew it was way cheaper), but the convenience factor of always having gas is worth a lot.

 

[microbusbrewery]

Nice, I made the switch about a year and a half ago, primarily for convenience. I knew I'd be saving money in the long run but this gives me a better idea of how much.

 

[dcbc]

After brewing with propane for several years, I made the switch to NG without even checking if there were savings involved. Having a plug and play brewery is fantastic. No more tank fills. No more frozen tanks. Just hook up the hose and light the fires.

 

[hinke]

I switched my Blichmann burners to Natural Gas a while ago, and the convenience is amazing

 

[MrSpiffy]

I know some guys brew 2-3 times per month or more, so, using NG instead of propane should really add up over time. I'm also looking forward to never worrying about pressure dropping over the life of the LP tank, running out of gas, or having to lug the tank out to brew.

 

[Frogmanx82]

The only convenience of the propane tank is it gives you options on where to brew. I like to brew on the deck in summer, but often in the garage in winter or if it looks like rain. How much play is there in the NG line to the burner.

If I have a propane burner, I need a conversion kit to go to NG. Are they pretty much standard?

 

[jonp9576]

as someone who sells propane, the price of natural gas is great. its cheaper to heat my house on natural gas than it is for me to buy propane at wholesale cost.

i have customers who come in mad at the gas company for one reason or another. they say they are switching to propane to stick it to the gas company. as much as i would love the business i tell them not to switch.

 

[microbusbrewery]

If I have a propane burner, I need a conversion kit to go to NG. Are they pretty much standard?

I believe it depends on whether it's a high pressure or low pressure burner. I could be wrong but I think you'll have problems converting a high pressure propane burner to NG.

I got the low pressure propane burner from agrisupply then removed the standard orifice and replaced it with a NG orifice and ball valve combination. Here's the link to the one I used:

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

So really the conversion consisted of a larger orifice. Sometimes you're talking about a larger thread size on the NG orifice, so you may have to drill and tap the burner. If that's the case, you'd have to use a bushing if you wanted to swap back to propane.

 

[jeepinjeepin]

Wow! I shopped around and found propane at $12-14 for a completely empty refill. It still comes nowhere close.

 

[RoadKing]

Not having to fill tanks and worry about running out..........Priceless!

 

[Gartywood]

I believe it depends on whether it's a high pressure or low pressure burner. I could be wrong but I think you'll have problems converting a high pressure propane burner to NG.

I got the low pressure propane burner from agrisupply then removed the standard orifice and replaced it with a NG orifice and ball valve combination. Here's the link to the one I used:

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

So really the conversion consisted of a larger orifice. Sometimes you're talking about a larger thread size on the NG orifice, so you may have to drill and tap the burner. If that's the case, you'd have to use a bushing if you wanted to swap back to propane.

Natural gas and house installed propane are low pressure. We are talking less than 1 psi vs 10-30 psi for many outdoor grill bottle run burners. Some burners may be convertible with a larger orifice to move more gas. jet type burners are most likely not convertible from high pressure to house.

 

[tonyc318]

What does it take to convert a Blichmann from propane to NG? I know I need the adapter, but was size and kind of hose for the natural gas?

 

[microbusbrewery]

What does it take to convert a Blichmann from propane to NG? I know I need the adapter, but was size and kind of hose for the natural gas?

I use a 1/2" hose on mine. Most NG BBQ grill hoses are 3/8" but I think that's a little small for brewing. Assuming your supply line is at least 1/2", I'd go with a 1/2" hose.

I got mine from http://g4burner.com. Prices were awesome and he was about the only one that seemed to stock a 25' hose. I know others have ordered from http://www.tejassmokers.com/ as well.

 

[MrSpiffy]

Thanks, microbusbrewery! Those links will help in finding components for the swap to NG. However, I'm just going to use up my extra propane tank, for now. Once we put our patio in next spring I can hook up to the gas line that's run to that area for my brewing needs.

 

[mikronmagic]

I just made the switch from propane to NG a couple months ago and I was really worried about using the 3/8" tubing for my 3-BG14 burners (had to drill the orifices out to 1/8"). Although there is some drop in flame when all three are going, it still heats things up as quickly (if not quicker) than when I used propane. Here's the parts I used if you're interested in making the switch or a new stand:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009JXYTG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002YT0RS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

The fittings on the BG14's are 3/8" so using a 3/8" hose makes connections easier. If you have the option of going with 1/2" then by all means do that, but I've been very happy with the performance of mine so far.