E 320 Genesis conversion Natural Gas over to Propane...!!!


 
Dave, I would NOT do this conversion and sell the grill. I only recommend it if you're keeping it. If selling you would either need to FULLY disclose to buyer that you did a conversion that is not 100% Kosher or put a different manifold and make it "right". If you simply pt an LP hose on a NG grill you will have a VERY VERY dangerous beast. Even on low it would burn FAR hotter than it should on high. Flames would be shooting out if it. It's not just orifice size. LP runs at over twice the pressure of normal NG Propane vs. natural gas BTU comparison. Since propane contains more than twice the energy of natural gas (one cubic foot of propane = 2,516 BTUs, while one cubic foot of natural gas = 1,030 BTUs) so not only would you have FAR too much pressure you'd be running far more BTU than the system could handle

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I don't see anything for Weber either
 
OHHHH NOOOO! I wouldn't think of selling such a thing.
1. Was a simple question of curiosity.
2. I have no access to NG, and simply like to be able to
test fire, to make sure the burners work.
 
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Dave in KC said:
OHHHH NOOOO! I wouldn't think of selling such a thing.
1. Was a simple question of curiosity.
2. I have no access to NG, and simply like to be able to
test fire, to make sure the burners work.
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Oh I guarantee if you put LP into a NG grill you will find that out IN A HURRY :D
 
I just placed a call to the bbqguys. They DO NOT OFFER ANY CONVERSION FOR WEBER!
The nice lady there told me they used to but the folks at Weber were not fond
of the idea. They made them stop. The gal went onto mention that they get
this request 4 to 5 times a day with out fail from folks wanting to convert.
 
I have a feeling that is because of some lawyer that has told Weber not to let this happen. In today's society if for any reason something goes wrong during the conversion from a do-it-yourselfer Weber does not want to be liable, is my guess.
 
I bet if these kits existed 98% of the people would just change the regulator and have a inferno on their hand. Can’t blame Weber for not providing kits.
 
I just ordered 6 spuds, the jeweler's drill kit and a couple of regulator hoses.
As soon as everything arrives, I am going to give this a go.
 
Chris in GA said:
I bet if these kits existed 98% of the people would just change the regulator and have a inferno on their hand. Can’t blame Weber for not providing kits.
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It's also true, I think, that they purposely keep the btu output on the low side for similar liability concerns. I have noticed one complaint that seems to surface about at least some Genesis II grills is the inability to generate high enough heat. I am sure that some of this is operator error or perhaps some faulty component. I still think, though, that they choose to error on the side of caution, especially now a days. I think I have read about some off brand grills from 10 or 20 years ago bragging about btu output but then having trouble with grill fires.

My "The Judge" proves you can go too far in widening orifices, but if I had one of those new Genesis II grills - especially the non-LX model - I would seriously consider doing a very slight, incremental jump in orifice size as Larry has described in different posts. I am not saying he advocates increasing past factory specs, but I think he would agree that a very small increase would be reasonable in a well-built grill. The slight boost might be all some of these grills need to perform with full power. Just my thoughts. What do you all think? I am NOT talking about changing fuel source only SLIGHTLY increasing output while keeping the same LP or Natural Gas setup.
 
Kelvin in AB said:
Hey Dave, which Grill are you testing this on... natural gas to LP
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I have two different 310's that need to be converted. One is a very nice chocolate brown 310 NG that I am
actually going to try and sell this weekend in its original NG form. If it sells great, but if not, I will likely
convert it over. Before that though, I have a good practice candidate. What was originally a 320 propane,
has become a 310 NG, by way of me swapping out the manifold and removing the side burner for other
projects. This old turd was terribly abused by its original owner. It has a slightly warped firebox and
actually has a fist size chunk that melted away completely, in what must have been one heck of a grease
fire. One of the sides of the cart also has a giant, rusted over burn mark the size of a basketball. If I can
successfully convert it over, it can still make someone a serviceable grill, and be a good test dummy in
the process.
 
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Jon I could see doing a slight "bump" up in BTU, but CAREFULLY. Heck I am sure that every Weber that cokes from the land of fried cat and roast dog :D does not have the same exact BTU flow, nor did they when they came from the land red/white and blue. IE I always noted my dad's Genesis (exact same model as mine) ran hotter than mine did. I am sure it was due to tolerance differences between the regulators, flow characteristics of the valves and so on. Dad's grill would always "bury the needle" and mine ehhh not so fast. Both cook fine, BUT it IS easy and not cool to go over board. Case in point. At my house I have 2 gas outlets. One I put a regulator on and the other is running at full 7" to 7.5" WC. I always run the Genesis line on the regulator and the Wolf unregulated because it has a built in VERY large industrial sized regulator (3/4" fittings) attached in back. When I gave my son in law my old Genesis I forgot there was no regulator on his line. He kept getting over heat issues valves binding up, flare ups and such. I was scratching my head until I realized the difference. I had sized those jets to run at the 4" WC on my regulated line. So I made him a new set of jets sized for 7" WC. Difference was VERY slight BUT it made all the difference on how the grill behaved for him. So I don't think the Weber (even the old ones) are as sturdy as you might think and I dare say the new ones from China are not even in the same ball park as the old ones. So yes perhaps ther is a teensy amount of head room but NOT that much
 
Okay after NOT having much success finding the correct/exact orifices spuds for my Weber E 320 Genesis. I have decided to purchase a complete Propane manifold...complete with values and LP orifices, it also comes with a new hose and regulator, it's on special order...paid for in full...taxes and shipping. Should get it in about 10 to 14 days.
 
Hey Kelvin, you gotta do what you gotta do...maybe you can sell the NG manifold to recoup some of the cost for the LP one?
 
Sam, I think i will hang onto both just in case... you never know.! While i wait for the new manifold to arrive .....I've started to deep clean my entire GRILL...!!!
 
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Cost comparison for switching over from natural gas to propane...

Orifices only and all other parts required...

3 main burner orifices spud- $4.00 x 3= $12.00
1 side burner orifices spud- $ 4.00
shipping orifice spuds - $7.00
1 hose and regulator - $26.90 Grillparts
1 Propane tank NEW - $34.00 Lowes
fill tank up with propane - sometimes included with tank- if not add more $$

Total - $83.90

Manifold complete replacement and other parts

Manifold Propane - $105.00
Shipping Manifold - $39.00
1 side Burner orifice spud - $4.00
1 Hose and regulator - $26.90 Grillparts
1 Propane tank - $34.00 Lowes
Fill tank up with propane - sometimes included with tank- if not add more $$

Total - $182.00

does this look about right...?
 
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Truly not a fair comparison. $15 to drill an orifice? Who's kidding who?! You could buy an entire set of index drills in the size range you need for $15 and have enough left over to buy a couple burgers and a beer! Truly the the ACTUAL TRUE cost of doing this conversion should be about $20 on the OUTSIDE no counting a regulator/hose assembly. For whatever reason you could not/would not pull the trigger on just buying the orifices from a reputable dealer. Still puzzled as to why, but that is your own personal issue so I will not question it. But, if you want to do a true comparison than you really should not put that over priced fee in there. When I ordered mine they offered to do the resize for me and IIRC they wanted like $3.00 ea and I thought THAT was too high so I passed on it.
But, bottom line the good thing is doing the manifold complete you will have the exact low/med temps rather than have it run just a little higher. Best of luck on it
 
Okay i took the Spud drilling fee out and adjusted the totals... i would have drilled them myself anyway.

Just the spuds and the delivery fee comes to $23.00
Life would be so much easier if Weber would have the part number available. it's just a spud ...label the thing..they make it difficult on purpose..!!
I do not have a LP tank so i must purchase
I do not have LP hose with regulator...i must purchase

so the $83.90 is very very close to the conversion.

also i have no idea how much it cost to fill up a 20 pound LP tank... I have been using natural gas for the last 10 plus years.
 
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For cost cutters:

4ft hose w/ regulator - $14 shipped Prime on Amazon.

CL, FBMP and the other swap pages always have used
propane tanks available. I never pay more than $10
for an empty tank. $15 to exchange for a full one at
Walmart. My local Ace will refill a tank for about $1 less.
 
LMichaels said:
If he follows my directions he won't have much more than $20 invested IF that. His manifold WILL be intact as well and could be switched back and forth from fuel types with a few minutes work. If I were in his shoes I would definitely make this small investment see how it works. Worst case is he doesn't like how it works and then orders a complete LP manifold. But, I would definitely try the cheaper route first. Also the drill bits are extremely easy to find. All the box stores carry them either in sets or individually.
Click to expand...
Do you need a drill press to drill blanks or can you drill with a hand drill
When replacing oriface do you use pipe dope or Teflon tape?
 
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