Propane vs Natural Gas Experiences Requested


 
Ted N

Ted N

TVWBB Member
Hey guys. I am looking at a NG conversion for my Genesis II on Ebay. I have done a bit of reading and it would appear that NG doesn't run as hot as propane. I can't see this being a noticeable difference other than possibly taking a little longer to heat up. For those that have run both fuel, is there a drawback of NG? I know the benefits.
Thanks.

Ted
 
I have both a E310 NG and a genesis 2000 LP. Even though the look quite different the fire box is just about the same size. They also cook about the same, very little difference between them. The E310 does take a few minuets longer to reach cooking temp but not a whole lot longer, part of that might be we're at 5500 feet.
As you say you know the benefits, with that said we use the E310 at least 80% more than the genesis. Because it doesn't run out of gas we use it as an oven in the summer to keep the heat out of the house.
 
Ted N said:
Hey guys. I am looking at a NG conversion for my Genesis II on Ebay. I have done a bit of reading and it would appear that NG doesn't run as hot as propane. I can't see this being a noticeable difference other than possibly taking a little longer to heat up. For those that have run both fuel, is there a drawback of NG? I know the benefits.
Thanks.

Ted
Click to expand...

When PROPERLY jetted and set up there is absolutely NO DIFFERENCE between the performance of the SAME grill whether on LP or NG. This is an internet myth spread by people who don't know s^&t from Shinola.
There ARE differences between NG and LP but the proper set up of the appliance fixes that. LP carries more BTU per cubic ft than NG it also operates at a higher pressure than NG which is typically regulated to household distribution pressures of 7" WC as opposed to LP which runs in appliance applications at 11" WC. So in the case of a grill you have to have more gas flow in a NG version to equal the LP. So typically it will have larger orifices due to lower BTU content and pressure. However once it's properly set up xx,000 BTU is the same LP or NG. I wish people would stop reading internet Bulls^&t. I regularly will switch a grill between the 2 and there is NO diff in max temp or how fast they reach it. But, than, I know what I am doing LOL. So bottom line if this "NG conversion" on FleaBay is in fact CORRECT a complete manifold with regulator and you have a PROPERLY installed gas line you will see NO DIFFERENCE in your grill's performance NONE ZIP NADA
If however it is from some shyster be prepared to have issues (maybe even dangerous ones)
 
I have a NG Genesis 2000, and absolutely love it! It gets just as hot as it did when it was a propane grill (yes, I did a full manifold swap thanks to a kind member on this forum) and as you know, I no longer have a propane tank under the grill, and in fact the only propane tank I have now is just a little torch tank! I absolutely love the NG hookup, as Rich says it never runs out of gas, and for rotisserie cooking that is a real bonus. I can only imagine how long it would take me to realize a roto cook was out of propane!
 
Thyde, you should really consider a remote thermometer for your grill like the THermoworks Smoke. I can sit the couch and monitor temps in my grill real time. It also allows you to set high and low alarms so it will alert you when the temps range outside the parameters set. Not only is an empty propane tank an issue, but if you have a flare up, your chicken or whatever could be well done in minutes. The thermometer has a probe for grill interior temps and also a probe for the meat.....of course you can't use the meat probe while the roto is running, but you can still keep tabs on the temp inside the grill. That way, you also know exactly what temp you are cooking at....no more guessing.
 
Yes, Bruce, I'll be getting a Meater thermometer later this summer. I've been out of work for almost 8 months, and I get back in two weeks, so I need to build up some funds for that. Can't exactly justify a sweet thermometer spend when I've got no income :)

In any event Ted, definitely if you have it, I recommend NG. It's superior to propane in every way, and gets just as hot, trust me. My flavorizer bars glow when I heat my grill up to char up the remnants of the last cook!

Tim
 
Yeah my Summit NG gets crazy hot. Natural gas is so convenient. Unknown to me when i purchased our house, the developer who renovated it (1900 DC Rowhouse) plummed a gas line up to the roof deck where our grill is. That was a nice surprise. That’s the only legal way to have a grill on a roof deck in DC, but it’s great to not have to lug tanks up there.
 
Alright, some good information here guys. LMichaels, I asked this question due to all the BS found online. I wanted real world experiences and answers. It won't be a big deal to run a NG line to my grill; the harder part will be getting my hands on the Weber conversion kit. I found some on Ebay, but I am a little leery of those. Thanks again.
 
Ted N said:
Alright, some good information here guys. LMichaels, I asked this question due to all the BS found online. I wanted real world experiences and answers. It won't be a big deal to run a NG line to my grill; the harder part will be getting my hands on the Weber conversion kit. I found some on Ebay, but I am a little leery of those. Thanks again.
Click to expand...
I believe the best way to do this is to change the manifold. From what I’ve read these kits can be dangerous.
 
You do know if you ever need warranty service on it you will have voided the warranty don't you?
 
LMichaels said:
You do know if you ever need warranty service on it you will have voided the warranty don't you?
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Which is fine. Really, what could go wrong that I'd have to ship the entire grill back to Weber or that I couldn't change back. It is a pretty simple design. I'm not worried about them giving me a hassle if I returned some rusted out flavorizer bars. It is a bit of a joke that they no longer offer conversion kits. Apparently they did at one time. My grill is less than 1 year old; I'm certainly not buying another anytime soon so I need to look at other options.
 
Ted, I think for Weber it became a liability issue probably other grill makers also. It leaves the factory with the burner tubes for nat gas or propane calibrated if there is a difference between the shutter openings I don't know the answer to that not sure even Larry knows maybe he does. So they sell you another manifold relying on you to install it correctly which now the burner tubes are not calibrated since they did it for propane.

In the end reading endless threads the only solution that you can be safe with is to buy the correct manifold post a buy and sell in the forum for a nat gas manifold if that is what your looking for then sell the propane. Pretty good chance but unfortunately that grill is so new might not be anything available now but you never know.
 
Once gas leaves the end of the valves gas is gas. So the shutters do not change nor do the burners between NG and LP. I have done MANY of these conversions for myself and other folks and have never once touched the shutters or even saw a need to.
If you're buying an entire manifold for your 410SE it should be a simple bolt in exchange. You should have no issues at all. No adjustment needed of any kind. Remove LP manifold, replace with NG model, hook up correct hose (one thing I don't know here is if the NG models of this grill came with a regulator) which can throw off the conversion. I remember when I gave my grill to son in law it had been set up to run with a regulator (I did this on purpose) but when it was hooked up at his house I forgot this as I had been using it on LP for quite a while since I had my Summit and my Wolf on the deck I was using the Genesis on LP as the garage queen. So when I brought it to him I slapped on the NG manifold I had set up and hooked it up. Wasn't until he told be it really seemed HOT I remembered it was on full NG pressure (7.5" WC) and I had set that manifold up for 4" WC. So I quickly made a set of orifices for 7" WC and all is well for him now.
So Ted, if you're buying a full NG manifold you need to look VERY carefully at a NG model and determine if Weber designed it to be used with or without a regulator. Silly them there is no consistency. So be sure
 
Well, some good info here and in another thread converting from NG to propane from LM. I could try and sell my grill but I think I'd get killed on the price. The eBay kit only contained 4 orifices and a real crappy wrench for $70. Looks like I'll stick with propane for now, and run a gas line for future use when I build the outdoor kitchen. Thanks again guys.
 
If you simply go to a heating supply company with one of your current orifices tell them what you want and need they can likely hook you up for 1/2 that. $70 is a freaking joke. Those orifices cost maybe $3.50 ea, a good set of drill bits is perhaps $10 in the sizes needed and you can buy a decent set of 1/4 drive metric sockets for a few $$$ at Harbor Freight. So $70 for (on the high side) $30 worth of goods. I am in the wrong business. Even Tony Soprano didn't see that kind of profits
 
LMichaels said:
If you simply go to a heating supply company with one of your current orifices tell them what you want and need they can likely hook you up for 1/2 that. $70 is a freaking joke. Those orifices cost maybe $3.50 ea, a good set of drill bits is perhaps $10 in the sizes needed and you can buy a decent set of 1/4 drive metric sockets for a few $$$ at Harbor Freight. So $70 for (on the high side) $30 worth of goods. I am in the wrong business. Even Tony Soprano didn't see that kind of profits
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No kidding. I did exaggerate though; it was $64.50 + $18.94 shipping.
 
LMichaels said:
Once gas leaves the end of the valves gas is gas. So the shutters do not change nor do the burners between NG and LP. I have done MANY of these conversions for myself and other folks and have never once touched the shutters or even saw a need to.
If you're buying an entire manifold for your 410SE it should be a simple bolt in exchange. You should have no issues at all. No adjustment needed of any kind. Remove LP manifold, replace with NG model, hook up correct hose (one thing I don't know here is if the NG models of this grill came with a regulator) which can throw off the conversion. I remember when I gave my grill to son in law it had been set up to run with a regulator (I did this on purpose) but when it was hooked up at his house I forgot this as I had been using it on LP for quite a while since I had my Summit and my Wolf on the deck I was using the Genesis on LP as the garage queen. So when I brought it to him I slapped on the NG manifold I had set up and hooked it up. Wasn't until he told be it really seemed HOT I remembered it was on full NG pressure (7.5" WC) and I had set that manifold up for 4" WC. So I quickly made a set of orifices for 7" WC and all is well for him now.
So Ted, if you're buying a full NG manifold you need to look VERY carefully at a NG model and determine if Weber designed it to be used with or without a regulator. Silly them there is no consistency. So be sure
Click to expand...

Larry I really did not know if the burners were calibrated differently so thanks for pointing out that they were not. But after the experience with my 1000 since I was a novice bought one that all they did was slap a propane regulator on it and had to secure a propane manifold by Jon, I am going to do another one down the road but with my experience if it ain't propane I am not buying it just not worth the hassle along with the missing parts like the tank bracket and scale.
 
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