Need help in my conversion to natural gas.

[sd_brewbie]

Hello,
I bought my single tier, 3 burner rig on craigslist and have been super happy with it. I am now trying to convert my setup to natural gas, but after hooking everything up I am not very happy result, and looking for advice on what to do next.

When I fired her up (after what I describe below) I got a flame that was almost invisible in the day light, put out some heat, but was not really "directed" and seemed to not push a lot of heat upward. I filled my 15g kettle with 5g of water (I normally do 10g batches) and it took a good 30 min to bring the water from ~70 to ~120. That just won't do.

While we were having work done in our backyard, including running a gas pipe for a new fire pit, I had my contractor put a stub out near my brew area (I brew outside). They T'd a 1" pipe right after the meter. My brew area is about 15' down the main line and has a short 3/4" pipe from there to the stub out. It is also the first outlet on the run. I got a 1/2" hose with QD to run to my rig. I am not 100% sure as I have not measured it, but I believe my gas is supplied at ~7" wc.

I believe I have the standard cast iron high pressure burners. I did not want to drill out the orifice as I want the option to switch back to propane. I purchased 3 natural gas orifice from AIH. http://www.homebrewing.org/Orifice-for-Single-Natural-Gas-Burner_p_4172.html

My rig is a little wonky as there are no mounting brackets for the burner, but rather they are supported by the plumbing. The propane orifice was a 90 degree elbow with a 3/8 male flared connector which attaches just above my ball valve. I had a heck of a time finding a good female flare to male flare elbow connector and ended up buying these: https://amzn.com/B005QMVFBK. Everything fits but I am suspecting these are not really female flare, but rather just FIP. This might be restricting my gas flow a bit.

My options as I see it now are

Keep playing with the elbow connector. I had also ordered https://amzn.com/B00BKFXE20, but they did not fit the 3/8 connectors I have, I don't think I will ever understand all the different pipe size standards. This might help a bit, but I am not thinking it is the magic bullet. Anybody know of a fitting I can order online? I think I can remove the flared connector from my ball valve and work with MIP, but I steel need a female flare connection to the orifice I bought.

Adjust the orifice size. AIH has http://www.homebrewing.org/90-Degree-Orifice-Block_p_3772.html which looks like my original propane connector. Perhaps I can buy these and drill them out?

Or, and what I am thinking is the most likely path to success, swap out the burners. Does HBT think I would be better off with a low pressure propane burner (https://amzn.com/B0047O3PSO) and use the orifices I already bought? Or buy one of those fancy multi-tip natural gas burners like https://amzn.com/B0042QKY9A? As these just connect to a pipe, it should be pretty easy to plumb. Any other recommend burners?

 

[sd_brewbie]

Anyone?

 

[day_trippr]

I can't recall anyone getting an SP10 burner to work well on natural gas.

Most of the success stories use a BG14 "big banjo" burner with either a drilled-out orifice or a replacement (like the Williams Brewing product found here)...

Cheers!

 

[sd_brewbie]

Thanks, I was looking at the BG14. Still considering the multi jet natural gas burners.

 

[abrew2u]

Sounds like your not getting enough airflow like it or not your gonna have to drill out the orifice if you want to use those burners

 

[oujens]

I have used a BG 14 on natural gas and a conversion valve from williams brewing with great success. I'm thinking you'll have much better performance with a BG14 burner on natural gas and the benefits will quickly outweigh the costs to upgrade.

 

[sd_brewbie]

Sounds like your not getting enough airflow like it or not your gonna have to drill out the orifice if you want to use those burners

I am using an orifice for natural gas, http://www.homebrewing.org/Orifice-for-Single-Natural-Gas-Burner_p_4172.html.

 

[sd_brewbie]

I have used a BG 14 on natural gas and a conversion valve from williams brewing with great success. I'm thinking you'll have much better performance with a BG14 burner on natural gas and the benefits will quickly outweigh the costs to upgrade.

Thanks, do you know what pressure your natural gas is at? I see some folks saying they have good results with 11" w.c., but I think my supply is at 7" w.c.... I need to confirm that.

 

[jackyl]

Thanks, do you know what pressure your natural gas is at? I see some folks saying they have good results with 11" w.c., but I think my supply is at 7" w.c.... I need to confirm that.

mine was 7", measured like this:

I just added some NG outlets to build a NG stand from scratch, so thanks for this!

As far as measuring pressure, it is extremely easy. Get a decent size pitcher or bucket (you know you have a bucket...), then fill it up with water to over a foot. Take your gas line, and any size will work for this, put it down to the bottom of the bucket and do the same with a tape measure. Note the height of the water on hth tape measure, then pull them both up slowly until you start getting bubbles. However much you raise the tape measure will give you the pressure in water column (maximum amount of water pressure that will allow gas to escape). Then you can look that up on any number of charts to convert to PSI. Mine, for example, was 7" of WC (water was at like 11 1/2" and I had to raise it 4 1/2") when I started getting bubbles) which converts to .25 PSI.


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anyway, I used the williams brewing orifices, but I had to take it up a size - I think to 1/8", but don't take my word for that, it was a while ago. I actually bought 4 of them so I could test one and if I made it too big, still have three that were okay. What I did was set it up, light the burner, look at the flame and then take it apart and increase orifice slowly.

I'm happy with the BG 14 on NG, can't speak to the burner in your original picture though.

e: also look at orifice BTU charts like this: http://www.hvacredu.net/gas-codes/module2/Gas Orifice Capacity Chart.pdf

I think one of those is what led me to widen the Williams orifice

e2: after looking again, I think I used this one to take 11" to 7", which is why I increased the orifice: http://www.joppaglass.com/burner/lowp_chrt.html

anyway, start with the as is orifice and decide if you want to increase it or not, you also have variables like supply pipe diameter, 90s, etc, that will make your install different than mine or anyone elses.

 

[oujens]

Thanks, do you know what pressure your natural gas is at? I see some folks saying they have good results with 11" w.c., but I think my supply is at 7" w.c.... I need to confirm that.

Dang, I recently moved from the house that I had natural gas at my disposal. The house was within city limits so I assume it would be the "standard" for a residential neighborhood. I can't remember the pressure, but I know it had to be good enough for boiling or I wouldn't have invested in the equipment. I know I didn't have to keep the valve open all the way to get a rolling boil.

 

[sd_brewbie]

Did the bucket test... 9" wc, so I should be good there, now to buy some new burners. Still looking for a better 90 elbow to connect to the 3/8 flare on the orifices

 

[Kegger320]

Go with the BG-14's, I have both BG-14 and a 16Tip Jet burner. The jet burner looks cool but man does it put a crapload of soot on the bottoms of my Keggles with just the pilot light on. Maybe I just don't know how to adjust the right?