Low pressure vs. high pressure Propane

[bgw]

Hey there,

I'm busy working out how to automate my single tier direct-fire recirc sanke mash tun.

Initially I planned on simply using a furnace valve with LP conversion, rigged it all up, then noticed that it couldn't handle the 10 PSI needed to fire the standard 55,000 BTU burners I'm using. So I hunted around, kladue filled in a key gap, and I eventually figured out why people on this site are all using the STC/ASCO valves with seperate pilot valves and so on...

...so now I'm wondering if I should go low pressure burner and regulator (Regulates to 11" W.C. (.4 PSI)) to match the furnace valve, or go to valves that can handle the higher PSI.

I think cost-wise it would sort of be a wash given that I can get cheap made-in-china burners for 21 bucks through topfoodservice.com and save the epicness of sourcing all new valve systems (with seperate pilot valves and all that added expense).

Any thoughts on this?

Will a jet burner rated for LP work through a furnace valve with LP conversion if I hook up a low pressure regulator after the 10 PSI regulator on the portable propane tank?

Can LP actually produce enough BTU's to satisfy?

Or for that matter I could run both - plumb the low pressure regulator after the 10 PSI manifold, before the furnace valve and low pressure burner - leaving the high pressure burners free to run amok at 10 PSI..

-Cheers!

 

[conpewter]

I'd go with the low pressure as much as possible, since you need low pressure for your valves and your pilots.

Furnaces run pretty high BTUs so I imagine you'll have plenty of flow for a LP burner. It would seem to simplify the whole system to have low pressure burners, pilots and valves, and just regulate the tank down to that pressure at the source.

 

[bgw]

Yeah, three low pressure burners fed from one regulator makes sense. That's is what I'm doing with high pressure right now. It would also prepare the path for automating the HLT.

Right now its all 1/2" pipe fed from the 1/4" (or so) hose from the tank.
The furnace valve is 3/4". I think the regulator connects with 3/8" flange.

So the choice now is to either buy three new burners and convert the whole thing to low pressure, or just plumb the regulator in ahead of the valve and replace just the one burner for the mash tun. Kinda leaning to the former.

Cheers, thanks!

 

[bgw]

To follow up on this in case someone else is at the same point, I ended up plumbing an 11WC regulator inline with the furnace valve and an LP Hurricane. kept the manifold on the high pressure regulator for the other burners. Works very well.

-Cheers!