Need help with side burner flame


 
Joe Anshien

Joe Anshien

TVWBB Honor Circle
I am rebuilding an old Silver with side burner. It did not come with a regulator and the hose to the side burner was half missing. Thanks to Bruce I found 2 1/8" MIPs to 3/8" flares and a hose with 2 3/8" flares and connected everything back up. The main burners work fine but I can not get the flame on the side burner adjusted for the life of me. I get a tall yellow flame. See pics. This usually indicates not enough oxygen so I opened up the vent all the way still no help. Any ideas welcome.
Thanks
20210323_132710.jpg
20210323_132753.jpg
 
Joe, you included pics of a Silver you are rehabbing in another thread:

20210306_111251-jpg.24556


Is this the grill with the side burner problem? The fact that it has a tank scale and support frame is some evidence, at least, that this is an LP grill. Do the main burners have the same problem? If not, since Larry is usually right, perhaps a NG side burner was added later?
 
I was thinking the same thing as Larry. Someone probably had a NG grill and converted the grill itself to LP and just left the side burner disconnected. First thing I would do is find the serial number sticker and it should tell you if it was born as a NG or LP grill. Second, you can pull the valve off the side burner and check the orifice. If you can fit a 3/64" drill bit into the orifice, it is a NG orifice. If it won't fit, then it is indeed an LP orifice.
 
Thanks. The grill is a copy of that grill, but another one my wife got out of an ally. It is also the same color and came with a neat EZ-Que rotisserie! You clamp the item to be grilled in a half moon basket. I was second guessing myself as to maybe it was a NG grill but when I hooked up the LP the burners worked ok. I checked the label on the grill and it is an LP grill and does have the tank hanger. The hole is a size 67 which is way smaller than 3/64" small enough to be LP (but not sure). Bruce is there a chart anywhere with orifice sizes for Weber grills? Thanks for all the suggestions but I'm still stumped.
 
I have an LP Genesis 5000 side burner in my parts. I checked the orifice and a 3/64" bit does not fit it. I am assuming the Silver C side burner is the same.
So, I am on with the theory that you have a NG side burner on your otherwise LP grill.
 
You could try just swapping out the orifice. That would be the easy solution as long as the valve is compatible. Larry could help you out with determining that.
 
Swapping orifices isn't going to work, or at least not give you any sort of adjustment. LPG has just about double the heat output that NG does per given orifice. Don't panic, I'm not going to try to explain...that's Larry's domain. Here's the table that Larry posted.

Anderson & Forrester | Conversion Chart | Natural Gas & LP

Anderson & Forrester provides a conversion chart to guarantee an easier experience in finding the correct product to fit your needs
andersonforrester.com andersonforrester.com
 
Ed, I think it depends on the type of valve used on the side burner. Continuous vs not continuous. Larry is the one to clarify the difference.
 
It doesn't matter. Think about it for a minute...let's say that you have a continuously adjustable valve that you can adjust the heat output with, say from 6000 to 12000 BTU on NG at 7"WC. Doing nothing else, just change the LPG regulator to one that provides LPG at 11"WC. Now your heat range is 12000 to 24000 BTU.
 
Then slap on an orifice downstream that limits your max heat output to 12000 BTU on LPG. Your heat range is then 12000 - 12000, in other words, nothing.
 
I thought it was the orifice that determines the gas flow? But, that is why I just defer to Larry on gas conversions. If I do a conversion, I just swap entire manifolds and avoid all the "but ifs".
 
You are 100% correct. But the orifice is downstream from the valve. In an adjustable system, the fixed orifice (spud) is a top-end limiter only. The valve provides the low and medium settings. Some valves are fixed, with 2 smaller openings for the Low and Medium openings. Some are continuous, going from a small opening to a larger opening, but the cold hard fact is that, for any given orifice or passage, LPG is nearly double the heat output from NG.
 
Ed Pinnell said:
Then slap on an orifice downstream that limits your max heat output to 12000 BTU on LPG. Your heat range is then 12000 - 12000, in other words, nothing.
Click to expand...
Ed, Your first example is correct the 12 - 24. But then not correct. Your valve being a valve is just like a water valve as it goes from open a little to open a lot and closed. The orifice is how much can possibly flow out given the pressure. The reason orifices are so much smaller on LP is that they need less gas per btu. So in your second example it should be 6K to 12K. I have converted Genesis and Spirit 2 grills by just changing the regulator, orifice and adjusting air mix. Worked great.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top