Help with Gas Grill


 
S

Stephen Rogers

New member
Hi guys,

Thanks so much for the warm welcome to the forum. As I said in my introduction message I'm having some problems with a new Weber S-335 grill that my company sent over to me in Thailand. First very important thing to note is that this is a grill from the USA, so set up for LPG in the USA. It's a little different here in Thailand.

I have changed the regulator to be the correct type 698 Thai regulator with the connection for the Thai gas tank. In the USA I believe that LPG is 100% Propane. Over here I believe it is 70% Propane/30% Butane.

When I turn on my grill at full power/start setting it looks and sounds like it is blowing too much. It almost sounds a little like a blow torch. When you look at the burner tubes the tue blue flames are raising up from it and even disappearing in places. When I turn it down to medium heat the blue flames settle down and the noise quietens right down and the blue flames lay back down on the burner tubes.
So for want of some better words at the high setting it's like it's too powerful.

Could it be that I can fix this by adjusting the air shutters to let in less air. Another option is to change the orifices as Weber grills run on different orifice sizes in different countries.

I just thought maybe there is an easy solution such as the air shutter adjustment, or that someone might at least be able to diagnose the problem from my description, albeit a poor description.

I'll try to upload a video if I can.

Thanks so much guys for any advice, or even an idea of what direction I should be going in.
 
Is there a Weber dealer in country where you could look up the model number for a unit sold there, and compare the manifold part number with the one sold for US markets?

Is they are the different it might be best to get the right manifold. Just a thought.

If they are the same manifold then maybe it's an adjustment.
 
DanHoo said:
Is there a Weber dealer in country where you could look up the model number for a unit sold there, and compare the manifold part number with the one sold for US markets?

Is they are the different it might be best to get the right manifold. Just a thought.

If they are the same manifold then maybe it's an adjustment.
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Hi DanHoo,

Thanks very much for the reply and suggestion. As someone who's relatively new to gas grilling this is something I never would have thought of, but it is something I will definitely try to check.
There is a dealer here but they are reluctant to help as I did not purchase my grill from them, but I will still try to find out this information.

Thanks so much.
 
Yeah Weber is a worldwide country. Perhaps you can find a dealer/service center there that can help guide you. Know that the grill is designed to work at 11" WC but being it's now in a foreign place all bets are off. My buddy brought his American one back to the UK with him but his worked fine with proper plumbing
 
LMichaels said:
Yeah Weber is a worldwide country. Perhaps you can find a dealer/service center there that can help guide you. Know that the grill is designed to work at 11" WC but being it's now in a foreign place all bets are off. My buddy brought his American one back to the UK with him but his worked fine with proper plumbing
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Thanks a lot for the reply. Hopefully I'll get to the bottom of it. I didn't get a chance to do it today but tomorrow after work I'll do some experimenting with the air shutters to see if that helps at all. I'm also going to order the different size orifices so I have them here too.
I also got some good advice today from DanHoo to check the manifolds and see if there might be different parts numbers between the US and Thailand.

Cheers
 
Don't turn the air down, sounds like too much pressure to me no matter if it's a blended fuel , I would focus on pressure, is the regulator adjustable?
 
This maybe a dumb question but have called or email Weber Customer Service, they have a technical and trouble shooting department that may help you out. Just thing out loud.
 
MikeCantell said:
Don't turn the air down, sounds like too much pressure to me no matter if it's a blended fuel , I would focus on pressure, is the regulator adjustable?
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Hi Mike, The regulator is not adjustable. To me it does seem like too much pressure, but I thought that it might be something else as I have sourced a new Thai regulator from Weber. This is why I'm thinking it may be something else. I am also going to look into the manifold thing as DanHoo above has suggested. Thanks for taking the time to help! It's much appreciated.
 
Kevin L (NKY) said:
This maybe a dumb question but have called or email Weber Customer Service, they have a technical and trouble shooting department that may help you out. Just thing out loud.
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Hi Kevin, Not a dumb question at all. I am actually putting together an email for the Weber USA guys to send to them. The local guys will not help as I did not buy it from them, which is a bit annoying, but I guess they are trying to protect their business interests. In the past I have used a Weber kettle but this is my first gas grill. I didn't actually go out of my way to buy in the US. It was sent over to me as a gift, which I thought at the time was great because I wouldn't have been able to buy my own one in Thailand here at over twice the price of the USA models. Right now it's just a very handsome garden ornament haha. Thanks very much for taking the time to reply.
 
Stephen Rogers said:
Hi Kevin, Not a dumb question at all. I am actually putting together an email for the Weber USA guys to send to them. The local guys will not help as I did not buy it from them, which is a bit annoying, but I guess they are trying to protect their business interests. In the past I have used a Weber kettle but this is my first gas grill. I didn't actually go out of my way to buy in the US. It was sent over to me as a gift, which I thought at the time was great because I wouldn't have been able to buy my own one in Thailand here at over twice the price of the USA models. Right now it's just a very handsome garden ornament haha. Thanks very much for taking the time to reply.
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Great Thailand was a very different place when I was there in 1972 a couple of times then stationed there in 1974. At Ubon RTAF .
What is your type of work that brings you to Thailand?
And have you ever thought of charcoal Webers. But then it is very warm and humid there.
 
If the cooking gas is 70/30 propane / butane then I think it will run hotter than pure propane.

Might be something to watch out for.
 
If I’m reading this correctly, you already changed the tank connection and regulator. The problem I see is that the manifold is equipiped with Venturi ( the openings that spray the gas vapor into the burners) that are designed to be used with 100% propane, not the 70/30 mix you mentioned. Call Weber, they may be able to sort it out, although their stance on conversions is usually a hard no. Most importantly, you don‘t was to put yourself into a dangerous situation. Good luck.
 
Kevin L (NKY) said:
Great Thailand was a very different place when I was there in 1972 a couple of times then stationed there in 1974. At Ubon RTAF .
What is your type of work that brings you to Thailand?
And have you ever thought of charcoal Webers. But then it is very warm and humid there.
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Yeah, I've been told by many people that it has come on a huge amount since then. Actually, even in my time here it has changed a lot.
I think Bangkok is changing at a rapid pace. You are lucky to have never seen the traffic congestion that are present these days. It can be a nightmare. I have had Weber kettles but this is my first gas grill.
 
Jason Godard said:
If I’m reading this correctly, you already changed the tank connection and regulator. The problem I see is that the manifold is equipiped with Venturi ( the openings that spray the gas vapor into the burners) that are designed to be used with 100% propane, not the 70/30 mix you mentioned. Call Weber, they may be able to sort it out, although their stance on conversions is usually a hard no. Most importantly, you don‘t was to put yourself into a dangerous situation. Good luck.
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Hi Jason, Thanks for taking the time to reply. Yes, you are correct that I have changed the connection and regulator.
You are the second person to mention the manifolds, as DanHoo did too in his first message. I am going to look into this. I suspect this is probably the issue. I had been aware that maybe the orifices could need to be changed but had never even heard of Venturi. Thanks a million. It's another thing for me to investigate. Also, I agree on Weber. Anything I have asked so far has been a hard no, as you say, but that was just with the local guys.
 
I would go directly to Weber and start a conversation with them. Make it clear what has happened in regards to the gift scenario, what tweaks you have made, and get the correct answers and proper direction to your question. I would be a little nervous switching all the components in/out of the grill could cause a serious safety concern. Unless you have experience with that sort of thing. As you have already made some changes yourself you may have put yourself in a voided warranty situation too. Lastly, if you get proper advise from Weber they will probably "persuade" your local dealer to help you out or suggest an alternative. Best of luck getting things safely up and running.
 
Hi AD. Wise words! I think I should reach out to them and just be honest about it all.
I was planning to contact them but I should start a discussion and see where it goes before I do anything more.
If they were to say no then I guess I'm back where I was, but if they offered to help, that would be the safer option for sure.
You are right about the warranty. This has been voided. I knew that going into the changes.
 
I believe the "Venturi" is actually in the burners themselves. It is the first part of the burner tube with the screens right after where the orifices enter the burner tubes.

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Bruce said:
I believe the "Venturi" is actually in the burners themselves. It is the first part of the burner tube with the screens right after where the orifices enter the burner tubes.

Grill Parts | Replacement Gas & Charcoal Grill Repair Parts | Cooking Grates, Burners, Valves & More | grillparts.com

grillparts.com is the original online source for grill parts. We have competitive prices and fast shipping on nearly all major models, including Weber, Char-Broil, DCS, Broil King, Bull Grills, and so many more. Shop now!
www.grillparts.com www.grillparts.com
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What I meant by the Venturi are the brass orafices on the mainifold that can be changed out to convert from natural gas to propane. This may or may not be the right word for them, but that’s what I’ve come to know them as. I suspect that if the local standard in that country is a 70/30 mix, Weber makes a grill with all the right parts to comply safely with that standard. Even the burner tubes could be different. Hope this helps.
 
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Just to ad my 2 cents in. I had a boat that was built in France and came with butane. I converted it to propane and had to purchase an adjustable regulator to get the pressure correct on the stove and oven. Once I got it dialed-in it worked fine.
 
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