E330 NG and LP manifold and valve side by side comparison


 
LMichaels said:
I think the reason for low NG market penetration is I'll lay odds 90% of people have no clue a "gas" grill can even run on anything but a bottle.
Click to expand...
While that may be true about the 90%, I do think it is the lack of NG outlets at the back of the homes (or whatever location the grill is located) and the expense of putting one in that is the reason. Our new house does not even have NG service. I had to contract my own propane service and have the builder get the plumber to put an outlet on the back porch and that was more than several hundred $$.
 
I do think though many would still opt for it if they even knew it was possible and also (even with the gas line cost) the cost saving. Especially now when a trip to the LP place costs close to $5.00 in gasoline alone.
 
I seriously doubt there is a difference. I am sure Weber simply throws out a different number to make one more $$$ than the other. Once metered fuel is fuel. The burner does not care or even matter
 
Steve Hoch said:
They look the same to me too. If there is a real difference it must be internal somehow.
Click to expand...
The gas pressure is higher with LP, and LP has more BTU per cubic foot, which seems to suggest that the burners should be different. Is the spacing on the burner ports the same (it looks like they are)? Is there any difference in the venturi area?

I've often wondered why the ports are rectangular with Weber and round with the Chinese replacements. The venturi is different, too. I would expect that Weber did their homework with engineering these...the Chinese, maybe not so much.
 
I have never seen burners advertised by Weber or anyone else for weber grills that list them as NG or LP specific. Sure, maybe Weber does use a different part number, but that might be some kind of accounting issue or some other reason than one being designed for a particular fuel type.
I may be wrong, but I would bet that if I walked into an Ace HW store or any store that carries Weber parts and said I need burners for a Genesis Silver B, no one would question what fuel type I am using.
 
Bruce said:
I have never seen burners advertised by Weber or anyone else for weber grills that list them as NG or LP specific. Sure, maybe Weber does use a different part number, but that might be some kind of accounting issue or some other reason than one being designed for a particular fuel type.
I may be wrong, but I would bet that if I walked into an Ace HW store or any store that carries Weber parts and said I need burners for a Genesis Silver B, no one would question what fuel type I am using.
Click to expand...
It might also have something to do with the AGA Certification. They are AGA certified under an ANSI spec that might have changed over the years, perhaps requiring a unique part number. Who knows? Same burner, different application, different part number.
 
Last edited:
Dan this is such a cool writeup. Thank you for doing it.

I'm one of the few that grills with natural gas I guess. I don't have an outdoor kitchen, but I definitely grill frequently!

Fascinating content, I'm going to come back to this and read more carefully when I have more time.
 
Weber may account for them differently but re the difference in BTU and or pressure all that is handled before the fuel actually reaches the burner. So there is no real difference physically or need for such
 
I thought I would post an update. This weekend I moved the NG converted to LP E330 into the garage, and replaced it with the LP E330 that I picked up a month ago.

Last night was the first cook on it. Simple salmon burgers and the lower, LOW temp was noticeable.

I cooked direct over the left and sear with the burners on low, and I actually had to turn the heat up slightly.

Previous cooks with the NG converted to LP using both Left and sear on low would sometimes cause flare ups and I would turn off one or the other to keep the temps down.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting this much of a difference.
 
Last edited:
Ok after reading that entire post I am a bit timid to even reply with my question. But here it goes. If you do a conversion one way or the other from LP to NG or NG to LP and lets say it is not a precise conversion. If the gas is not fully burned is it bad for our health? I am trying to say.....in my little brain I believe the valves and burners are designed to burn as close to 100% " clean " as they can possibly calculate. I would think a poorly tuned grill would put out poor emissions just like a poorly tuned car. The bad exhaust or fuel that was not burned off then ends up in our food right? Here is where this thought is generated from. I slapped a regulator on a NG grill just so I could use it to clean some nasty cast iron grates with heat. While purposely running this grill incorrectly I could clearly see black smoke coming from the high flames....they even stained the back of the cook box black. So in my mind this example is a good over exaggeration of what could be happening in a converted grill that is off just a little bit but the owner has no idea.
 
Not sure if poor or rich burning will be an issue. Yes, it is something to be avoided. My fear is the wrong pressure, valve size, etc. As you saw, lp on ng is too much. Runs rich and strong... waiting for LMichaels to weigh in.
 
Ha....ironically and dont quote me on this.......I think it was Larry many many moons a go that told me I could " test " a NG grill just to make sure it ignited prior to me selling......by hooking a regulator to it....again....just a quick test. I did do that test while outside in a controlled area and quickly learned the difference between LP and NG hooked up backwards...........it was a non issue since I was doing it on purpose and quickly had the burners on low...and then off. It was later in the game when I did this again on a beater grill just to clean some grates on it. Larry I apologize if that wasnt you.
 
To test a grill sure, simply put whatever gas you want to it and see if it lights off. An LP grill will light off on NG and vice' verse' as far as anything being bad for your health? Nah. Only if you blow it up. Then there could be some injuries :D
 
Interesting......so if a tinkerer stays away from the blow out scenario....gas build up...kaboom stuff.....then the other side of the coin is kinda off the record safe. If controlling the run away fire breather that is. :)
Ok.....well.....I will just stick to the stuff that I know. I wont convert any grill that I am going to sell. Thank guys!!!! I learn a lot every time I stop in.
 
JimV said:
Interesting......so if a tinkerer stays away from the blow out scenario....gas build up...kaboom stuff.....then the other side of the coin is kinda off the record safe. If controlling the run away fire breather that is. :)
Ok.....well.....I will just stick to the stuff that I know. I wont convert any grill that I am going to sell. Thank guys!!!! I learn a lot every time I stop in.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's not really difficult. I was over thinking it until my friend taught me a whole bunch re pressures, flow, orifices and A/F ratios. It's sort of like working with an IC gasoline engine (I mention gasoline because diesel and gaseous IC fueled engines are different).
I have posted charts on sizing and pressures my friend got me onto and while I am no certified engineer I have with the help of the charts and knowledge passed to me been able to stay out of trouble.................................so far :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top