Convert LP to NG


 
I converted an E 330 from NG to Propane. I got new Orifices from www.grill-repair.com for $50 including the LP regulator and hose. After adjusting the air shutters it worked perfectly. They have videos on conversions on the website.
 
Sorry to bring up this old thread... but I'd like to see if someone could help.

I have a 2015 Genesis S-330. I want to convert it from LP to NG. My understanding is that I just need the orifices and the 1/2" NG hose w/ quick disconnect, is that correct? Will I need 5 orifices because there's the sear burner and the side burner? What drill bit size should I use? I've read so many different sizes from 1/8" to 1/6" to 50, 60.

The NG manual says the 330 has a bigger NG hose (1/2" vs. 3/8). Do I need extra fittings to connect the NG hose to the grill?

From what I read the newer Genesis NG does not have a regulator, so I can skip that altogether, correct?

TIA.
 
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While a conversion is a straightforward thing it is NOT for the faint of heart or unskilled. It is also not as easy as swapping orifices and a hose (though it can be depending on the type of valves on the grill). The first thing I would do if I were you is research possibly buying this http://www.ereplacementparts.com/manifold-assembly-p-1476596.html which is a complete manifold assembly for your grill properly set up for NG. Judging by your question and how it is worded I would hesitate to recommend you start trying to "modify" your manifold and parts. You can also buy a complete side burner (from the same source) for about $110. By doing it this way there is no guess work involved and if you need to you can "go back" to LP or if you ever sell your grill you can sell it with the advantage of being able to use either with a simple part swap. You're going to spend about $200 to do it this way, but, (and please do not take this wrong) it is the only way (and advice) I will give even though I know it can be done.
 
LMichaels said:
While a conversion is a straightforward thing it is NOT for the faint of heart or unskilled. It is also not as easy as swapping orifices and a hose (though it can be depending on the type of valves on the grill). The first thing I would do if I were you is research possibly buying this http://www.ereplacementparts.com/manifold-assembly-p-1476596.html which is a complete manifold assembly for your grill properly set up for NG. Judging by your question and how it is worded I would hesitate to recommend you start trying to "modify" your manifold and parts. You can also buy a complete side burner (from the same source) for about $110. By doing it this way there is no guess work involved and if you need to you can "go back" to LP or if you ever sell your grill you can sell it with the advantage of being able to use either with a simple part swap. You're going to spend about $200 to do it this way, but, (and please do not take this wrong) it is the only way (and advice) I will give even though I know it can be done.
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I understand and I have also considered just getting the manifold assembly. That way there's no guesswork on what size hole to drill, as the pressure coming out of the meter could varies. Another alternative is to get the regulator so grill-repair can drill it for me.

However, if the difference between the NG and LP manifold is just the orificies (is it?), it's hard to justify that cost. Yet, at $6 per orifice and $30 for the regulator it's actually getting half the cost of the entire manifold. There's no way I will spend another 100 on the side burner though, so I will def try the orifice modification for that.

Thanks for the help.
 
First off a regulator will not "convert" your grill to NG or vice/verse'. The process while relatively simple in theory is not quite so in practice. And no it is NOT just drilling out orifices. It entails deciding if you want the grill to use a regulator for NG or not. If not you need a manometer to find out your gas pressure to the grill, than you need a chart to match orifice size to gas pressure to BTU requirements. You than need to figure out what type of valves your grill has. Weber in my experience uses 2 different types (continuous port or fixed port). If it's continuous than sure it's simply doing the correct orifice sizes. If not you have to either A, acquire NG valves (impossible) or B, modify the valves you have. In either case the valves need to be disassembled to find out what you have. So again are you comfortable with working on gas fittings? Disassembling the valves and doing the mod which entails measuring and resizing the intermediate and low flow orifices within the valve?
Again if you're not comfortable or understand anything here you run the risk of ruining your grill, harming yourself and or your home. IMO (again no disrespect intended here) by the nature of your questions and statements you're FAR better off biting the bullet spend the $200 and save yourself a while bunch of headache or worse
 
Just a thought about safety. You are dealing with natural gas here and that by its nature is explosive. If you have any doubts about what you are doing, spend the money. Your safety and the safety of your family is much more important than a few dollars.

I would listen to LMichaels on this. His advice is spot on as usual and again, your safety is the ultimate issue here.
 
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No disrespect taken. This is why I ask here for comments and advice. If what I am attempting to do is stupid and dangerous, I want to know that as well. I am obviously doing all the homework I can before I start touching the NG line. If replacing the manifold is the best course of action, I will of course go that way. Thanks again for the help.

On a side note, when Weber used to sell the conversion kits, what did it include? Anyone knows?
 
They used to sell the entire manifold so it was just a simple swap. I think they included the gas line too but don't quote me. BTW not trying to indicate what you want to do is dumb. I've done many grills this way BUT I am comfortable doing gas fittings and knowing how to use a manometer and reading an orifice sizing chart. I only once made a grievous error (though nothing or no one was worse for wear only my pride). I was doing a conversion on a 40000 btu 3 burner grill. Stupid me instead of dividing my 3 I did all 3 orifices to 40k BTU EACH! Wow! Did that grill heat FAST LOL. It was one of my finer senior moments! Sear a steak in 20 seconds flat! All kidding aside, you can see even if you know what you're doing the slightest distraction can cause you an issue.
 
LM is definitely on point about the need to be very careful, and that getting an entire manifold is the safest way. That said, I'm pretty sure that all the Weber valves were "infinity", "continuous", or whatever it's called. In short, same valves for both NG and LP. Every burner on your grill has an orifice and they will all need to be changed out. This applies to side burners, sear burners, infrared rotisserie burners, etc.

As NG orifices have larger openings, it is possible to just drill out your existing ones, but I'd still go the safer route and order them pre drilled from grill repair.


http://www.grill-repair.com/weber313orifice.html



I'd give them a call if you really want to do this.
 
So the difference between a NG and LP manifold is really just the orifice?

How does Weber sell the Genesis without NG regulator if everyone's pressure could be different? The more I read the more I get confused.
 
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DaveW said:
That said, I'm pretty sure that all the Weber valves were "infinity", "continuous", or whatever it's called. In short, same valves for both NG and LP. Every burner on your grill has an orifice and they will all need to be changed out. This applies to side burners, sear burners, infrared rotisserie burners, etc.
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Hi DaveW and Denis Y,
I cannot speak on the current Genesis and Summit range, but the Genesis 1000-5500 range, and the Summit Silver/Gold/Platinums DO have different valves on the main burners between Propane and NG. The difference is due to the amount of gas that is required for the burners to run on the lower settings.

Running the burners flat out seems to work OK, but if you use the wrong valve type the main burners can flame out on the lower settings.

That is not good as the gas keeps flowing.

The side burners and roti burners seem to work fine just by changing the orifaces, but NOT the main burners.

LMichaels was the first to advise me of the different valves, and I was very skeptical. But he was absolutely correct.

And yes, you should have a NG regulator for your NG gasser.
 
Yea it's strange. I checked the manifold for both NG and LP and the NG costs 2x more than the LP at $100 vs $50. I'd think the valves should be somewhat different to justify the extra cost.

Does the Genesis NG manifold or the valves do any regulation?
 
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A regulator is not mandatory as most house pressure is 7" WC so Weber (like many others) in an effort to save a few $$$$ per grill are selling them without regulators and simply setting up the grill (orifices and valves) to perform at 7"WC. Even if your home has 6" or 8" the common setting will work just fine. If you end up doing it yourself you can decide to do it however you want. The regulator will run your grill at 4.3" WC. This way if your home is at 7" but a large draw pulls it down to say 5" your grill will continue to perform at the 4.3" level. Make sense? The last one I did was my brother's Summit Gold. I asked him how he wanted it set up (with/without or as us Chicago natives say Wid/Widout). He was confident he had his house plumbed with proper gas lines and regardless of draw his gas line would not take a huge "hit" on pressure so I set his up for 7"WC and no regulator. To date his has not had a single issue. In my case the idiot plumber who did my house (as was the electrician heck judging by how badly it's built all the trades) were most likely drunk on the job. So I set it (my Genesis valve set and my Summit) to use the regulator so performance would be more "steady". When you do your own orifice mods and know how to read the charts, use a manometer, and set the valves up properly you can make these decisions. OP I have not looked at the valves on a new Genesis so I cannot advise you whether or not they differ from NG to LP and the person who did should NOT have done so because unless he/she has taken a S330 apart and KNOWS for SURE you are receiving BAD advice. I don't know where you live but I can tell you I could most likely set your grill up well and safely in about an hour. But again I know what to look for and how to do it and do it safely.
Again I'll reiterate do yourself a favor and get the proper OEM stuff and save the old parts. You never know you may need or want to go back to LP one day. You may find that security is well worth the $200 to do the conversion properly for your needs
 
Stephen R said:
Hi DaveW and Denis Y,
I cannot speak on the current Genesis and Summit range, but the Genesis 1000-5500 range, and the Summit Silver/Gold/Platinums DO have different valves on the main burners between Propane and NG. The difference is due to the amount of gas that is required for the burners to run on the lower settings.

Running the burners flat out seems to work OK, but if you use the wrong valve type the main burners can flame out on the lower settings.

That is not good as the gas keeps flowing.

The side burners and roti burners seem to work fine just by changing the orifaces, but NOT the main burners.

LMichaels was the first to advise me of the different valves, and I was very skeptical. But he was absolutely correct.

And yes, you should have a NG regulator for your NG gasser.
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Fair enough Stephen, thanks for the correction. I'll readily admit that I've never taken a Weber valve apart nor do I have a bajillion years of experience working with the finer points of propane and NG. That said, I have a 20+ year old Summit 650 that I converted from NG to LP and it seems to be working just fine, though I'm not sure that I've ever tried the burners on low for any real length of time (other than to just test real quick to see if it worked.)
 
If you converted the 650 from NG to LP than the issue you might face is not the burners staying lit on low but running too hot. Some might find that to their advantage and simply control the higher temps by how many burners you run. Surely with a 6 burner grill you have that advantage as you have more room and so on to "play" with. But dealing with only a 3 burner (I do realize your 330 has a 4th burner but I'm not counting it as it's more of a "helper" burner). So with only 3 burners and a smaller surface area it's not as easy to work with the burner(s) running too hot on low/medium. But I can tell you that when I converted my 450 Summit (little brother to your 650) I needed to modify the valves because they would not stay lit on low and did not run properly on medium (again this was going LP to NG not as yours NG to LP). Again there is really no way to know which valves you have unless you open one up. Example: when I did my brother's Summit Gold. I had no idea he had the continuous type valve as there was no outward difference between his Summit's valves and mine. But in his case a simple orifice swap was all I needed to do (and I already had a spare set for him).
 
I took out my S-330 manifold and side burner orifice today. The side burner orifice is 9/32" hex size but the main burner orifice is 10/32" hex size, so whatever being sold at grill-repair will not work (they sell 9/32").
 
E330 LP to NG conversion

Kit said:
Dennis, what did you finally do?
Click to expand...

I am keen on completing an NG conversion to a new LP Genesis E330.
I will acquire an NG manifold and it seems an easy enough swap, my question is:
1) Are the main and sear burner tubes the same for LP and NG, or close enough for adequate functionality?
2) Whats different about the side burners (LP vs NG)? Will an LP side burner unit connected to an NG manifold work OK?

The part numbers for the burner tubes, and the side burner unit appear to be different for LP and NG.

I intend to retain the LP components for any future reconversion.

Thanks.

SA

(Just joined the forum so excuse me if I've inadvertently violated any rules/etiquette)
 
The actual "burners" are always the same "gas is gas". It's the orifice and how much gas they allow through that changes from a LP to a NG. As for the side burner again the integral orifice is different. If you use a LP side burner on NG it will never get to full flame. If you do the opposite it will look like an F4 Phantom with the afterburner lit
 
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