Genesis side burner conversion question


 
S

Shawn G

New member
In 22 I bought myself a treat and bought a Genesis SE EPX 335. I absolutely love this grill and don’t regret the sticker shock quite as much anymore. However life changes and so did our house. I now have access to natural gas. I do not want to cut any corners or do anything dangerous. I have read through every thread on the topic that I could find. I plan on changing the manifold as it seems the preferred method. However I can’t seem to find any information on what’s involved with the side burner.

For the manifold I have found part number 64606 to replace the propane version.
https://www.grillspot.ca/weber-oem-natural-gas-manifold-assembly-64606

For the side burner would I need part 64991 which is the entire ng side burner assembly?
https://www.grillspot.ca/weber-oem-natural-gas-side-burner-assembly-64991

Would this be what I need to do a safe conversion?

Thank you.
 
I've not seen a side burner for that model. However, if it is made similar to the older Genesis it will have a continuous valve like a kitchen stove. You will know this quite simply. If the valve has distinct "steps" then what I will tell you will not work. If however it behaves more like a kitchen stove with an infinitely variable flame from low to high with no "steps" simply get the properly sized orifice for your gas type, pressure and desired BTU. Change the orifice and don't worry about it. And actually, I've not looked into the newer style Genesis models (simply because I personally don't like the layout), BUT, from what I've been able to determine just playing around in a store is the new style ones are not using the "stepped" valves of old. If that is true you can get away with getting properly sized orifices and proper fittings and doing a much less expensive and simpler conversion. HOWEVER EXTREME caution here! I'm NOT saying "do it that way" only that IF certain conditions are met, it's fine to do so.
The older style stepped valves do not take well to this and will reward you with an unpredictable grill. Possibly an unsafe one.
So please once again, I'm advising at the least EXTREME caution and having intimate knowledge of what type valves the grill has. I've done conversions on Webers with both types, and the stepped valves are a royal PIA to do. The continuous ones take to conversion as simply as your kitchen range does. Simple orifice swap, and changing the regulator setting.
But again, I am coming at this from a point of I don't know what type Weber is using on the main burners. You will need to do one of 2 things. Some investigation or simply buy the manifold and call it a day
 
LMichaels said:
I've not seen a side burner for that model. However, if it is made similar to the older Genesis it will have a continuous valve like a kitchen stove. You will know this quite simply. If the valve has distinct "steps" then what I will tell you will not work. If however it behaves more like a kitchen stove with an infinitely variable flame from low to high with no "steps" simply get the properly sized orifice for your gas type, pressure and desired BTU. Change the orifice and don't worry about it. And actually, I've not looked into the newer style Genesis models (simply because I personally don't like the layout), BUT, from what I've been able to determine just playing around in a store is the new style ones are not using the "stepped" valves of old. If that is true you can get away with getting properly sized orifices and proper fittings and doing a much less expensive and simpler conversion. HOWEVER EXTREME caution here! I'm NOT saying "do it that way" only that IF certain conditions are met, it's fine to do so.
The older style stepped valves do not take well to this and will reward you with an unpredictable grill. Possibly an unsafe one.
So please once again, I'm advising at the least EXTREME caution and having intimate knowledge of what type valves the grill has. I've done conversions on Webers with both types, and the stepped valves are a royal PIA to do. The continuous ones take to conversion as simply as your kitchen range does. Simple orifice swap, and changing the regulator setting.
But again, I am coming at this from a point of I don't know what type Weber is using on the main burners. You will need to do one of 2 things. Some investigation or simply buy the manifold and call it a day
Click to expand...
Thank you for your reply. I was hoping that you would chime in. You and a few others seem extremely knowledgeable on this subject as well as a few others topics 😁 This model definitely doesn’t have any steps. The flame is very controllable without any set stops on the dial.
So it’s possible that I could get away with 5 new orifice’s (3 burners, 1 sear station and 1 side burner?
This might turn out a little easier than I was anticipating 🤞
 
Absolutely. However another word of caution. Again having never looked inside one of those grills. But if it's anything like the 2nd gen Summits I've converted you should have no issue at all. If it is an issue you will know immediately. Because on low the burner(s) will not stay lit and will "flame out" causing serious possible safety issues. If that happens you have no choice but to change manifolds. But, my experience with Weber is if they have continuous valves they seem to work fine. The nice thing is getting the orifices is pretty cheap. So if it doesn't work it's a low budget mistake :D
Another way you could check would be to take one of the main burner valves apart. And then either post a photo of the internal cone or DM it to me. Either one. Also paying attention to the valve stem retainer and noting if it has "click stops". Another characteristic I noted doing the Summits is valves had a much wider sweep. Like well over 200 deg sweep whereas the fixed type only has about 90 deg sweep
 
LMichaels said:
BUT, from what I've been able to determine just playing around in a store is the new style ones are not using the "stepped" valves of old. If that is true you can get away with getting properly sized orifices and proper fittings and doing a much less expensive and simpler conversion. HOWEVER EXTREME caution here! I'm NOT saying "do it that way" only that IF certain conditions are met, it's fine to do so.
The older style stepped valves do not take well to this and will reward you with an unpredictable grill. Possibly an unsafe one.
So please once again, I'm advising at the least EXTREME caution and having intimate knowledge of what type valves the grill has. I've done conversions on Webers with both types, and the stepped valves are a royal PIA to do. The continuous ones take to conversion as simply as your kitchen range does. Simple orifice swap, and changing the regulator setting.
Click to expand...

My 2016 Genesis E330 (front controls) has smooth sweep without steps, yet we know the valve internals are different.
( side by side E330 valve comparison )

Shawn G said:
So it’s possible that I could get away with 5 new orifice’s (3 burners, 1 sear station and 1 side burner?
This might turn out a little easier than I was anticipating 🤞
Click to expand...

I would swap the manifold out for the main burners. For the side burner, I'd try an orifice swap and see if it will remain lit on the lowest setting with a slight breeze. Take pics of the side burner flame on low using LPG and see if it matches what it looks like on NG.

Another option is to not convert the side burner. It would take a little creative plumbing. but have the LP tank plus regulator only supply the side burner and run NG to the main burners. It's a thought and way cheaper than replacing the side burner.
 
DanHoo said:
My 2016 Genesis E330 (front controls) has smooth sweep without steps, yet we know the valve internals are different.
( side by side E330 valve comparison )



I would swap the manifold out for the main burners. For the side burner, I'd try an orifice swap and see if it will remain lit on the lowest setting with a slight breeze. Take pics of the side burner flame on low using LPG and see if it matches what it looks like on NG.

Another option is to not convert the side burner. It would take a little creative plumbing. but have the LP tank plus regulator only supply the side burner and run NG to the main burners. It's a thought and way cheaper than replacing the side burner.
Click to expand...
My wife boils some tough stuff like tripe that shouldn’t be cooked indoors. She also makes flame charred peppers which are awesome.

She has a side burner only propane setup as one of her grills. I used a fittings off a Summit and I capped the main line. I got the cap at Ace hardware.
 

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DanHoo said:
My 2016 Genesis E330 (front controls) has smooth sweep without steps, yet we know the valve internals are different.
( side by side E330 valve comparison )



I would swap the manifold out for the main burners. For the side burner, I'd try an orifice swap and see if it will remain lit on the lowest setting with a slight breeze. Take pics of the side burner flame on low using LPG and see if it matches what it looks like on NG.

Another option is to not convert the side burner. It would take a little creative plumbing. but have the LP tank plus regulator only supply the side burner and run NG to the main burners. It's a thought and way cheaper than replacing the side burner.
Click to expand...
Again, I'm going off generalities I've observed. This one seems to be a different model he has. It's why I expressed using caution. I don't even know if all gen 2 Summits are like the ones I converted. So, again note I expressed using caution. Also running 2 different fuels seems like a waste of time. Either run LP or run NG. After all you run NG for convenience of not needing a fill up. Why add fill ups to what you worked hard to get away from?
 
LMichaels said:
Absolutely. However another word of caution. Again having never looked inside one of those grills. But if it's anything like the 2nd gen Summits I've converted you should have no issue at all. If it is an issue you will know immediately. Because on low the burner(s) will not stay lit and will "flame out" causing serious possible safety issues. If that happens you have no choice but to change manifolds. But, my experience with Weber is if they have continuous valves they seem to work fine. The nice thing is getting the orifices is pretty cheap. So if it doesn't work it's a low budget mistake :D
Another way you could check would be to take one of the main burner valves apart. And then either post a photo of the internal cone or DM it to me. Either one. Also paying attention to the valve stem retainer and noting if it has "click stops". Another characteristic I noted doing the Summits is valves had a much wider sweep. Like well over 200 deg sweep whereas the fixed type only has about 90 deg sweep
Click to expand...
I just checked and it has 180 degree sweep. I’ll start looking to source the orifices and give that a shot first. If all else fails I’ll grab a new ng manifold. I’ve got some time to play with because it’ll be a few weeks before the actual ng line is run.

The conversion kits online that everyone says stay away from all come with a regulator for the ng but the online schematics for the ng version of the grill don’t show one anywhere that I can see. So I’ll skip that for now.
 
Shawn G said:
I just checked and it has 180 degree sweep. I’ll start looking to source the orifices and give that a shot first. If all else fails I’ll grab a new ng manifold. I’ve got some time to play with because it’ll be a few weeks before the actual ng line is run.

The conversion kits online that everyone says stay away from all come with a regulator for the ng but the online schematics for the ng version of the grill don’t show one anywhere that I can see. So I’ll skip that for now.
Click to expand...
So, just another bit of advice on that. People selling those with a regulator may be doing so (assuming them to be conscientious) so that they don't have to worry about variations in delivery pressure from install to install. While not absolutely necessary especially since the Genesis does not have that high of a gas draw, using one can take out a little of the guesswork. If your gas supply is stable and you're confident of having a good 7" WC simply get orifices cut for the gas draw per burner at 7". Somewhere I've linked a chart showing proper sizes based on fuel used, delivery pressure and anticipated max draw. This is like my "bible chart" LOL whenever I am doing it. https://andersonforrester.com/conversion-chart/ Whenever I cut my own orifices I always start out a bit smaller because I don't own an apparatus or bits that can do precision cutting. I use simple twist drills and a hand arbor. I start with 2 sizes under then use a feeler gauge to double check
 
LMichaels said:
Again, I'm going off generalities I've observed. This one seems to be a different model he has. It's why I expressed using caution. I don't even know if all gen 2 Summits are like the ones I converted. So, again note I expressed using caution. Also running 2 different fuels seems like a waste of time. Either run LP or run NG. After all you run NG for convenience of not needing a fill up. Why add fill ups to what you worked hard to get away from?
Click to expand...
Sure, its fair.

If I guessed on my side burner use alone, I'd get about 2-3 years from one tank. I use it to light chimney's of coal and occasionally cook with a cast iron pan or do a wok cook.
 
DanHoo said:
I've seen regulators on four burner and six burner front control Genesis nat gas grills.
Click to expand...
what do they look like on the grill? I only sell propane grills. I either part out the NG grills or slap a propane manifold assembly on and go from there.
 
BPratt said:
what do they look like on the grill? I only sell propane grills. I either part out the NG grills or slap a propane manifold assembly on and go from there.
Click to expand...
They're usually mounted inside the cabinet near where the gas line comes in on one of the legs. A NG regulator is really quite small, especially for a smaller draw appliance. What would be nice is to find a regulator from a kitchen stove that can "switch" from one gas to another with a flick of a control
 
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