I received a like new Performer grill with the touch-and-go gas ignition for lighting the charcoal from my cousin when her husband suddenly passed. Came with everything, like cover, owners manual, and tank fill adapter...plus a full tank of gas. I finally got around to using it for the second time in several years to do some pastrami smoking this weekend. Turned out excellent, although I need a bit of work on regulating vents for temperature. Grill works perfect and ignites the charcoal just as it says in the manual. My concern is what happens when the tank runs out of propane. It is a 5lb tank with the new type ODP valve and I do have the adapter to fill it. This tank has the 1/4" quick connect fitting and attaches to a male 1/4" quick connect fitting at the regulator in the grill. I'm concerned I may not be able to get the tank filled because of date certification, even though the tank is in excellent condition. If I can't get it filled what are my options? I contacted Weber about using a 20lb tank/hose hookup and they suggested a hose that has a 1lb connector on the end opposite the tank hookup. Obviously that will not fit the male 1/4" quick connect fitting coming out of the regulator in the grill. I was able to find a hose with the acme hookup for the tank and a 1/4" quick connect on the other end, BUT it has a regulator on it. My understanding is this might be a problem, since there is already a regulator in the grill. I have spent several hours looking for some type of hose and or fittings that might work, but to no avail. Any suggestions from anyone as I'm sure someone has experienced this problem before? Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated.
Question about Performer grill
- Thread starter Tom Colla
- Start date
LeeHarvey
TVWBB Pro
There is no one right answer, here - you may be able to get your bottle recertified. If you can’t, there are several ways you could hook up a new bottle to your grill. My setup consists of a 5 lb bottle that I bought at Family Farm and Home, a regulator hose from Ace, and a couple of fittings to go between the flare nut on the hose end, and the 90° elbow that transitions to the orifice fitting. 
Joe Anshien
TVWBB Platinum Member
Looks like your using the tank also as an on/off valve?
Rich Dahl
R.I.P. 7/21/2024
Tom
Even though my performer is the newer style that uses the one pound disposable bottles I got the hose to change it out to use a 20# bottle. It's now three+ years latter and I'm still waiting for that 20 pounder to run out of gas. Well worth the effort to go to the big bottle. But if you move the performer around a lot then it's not so much a good idea.
Even though my performer is the newer style that uses the one pound disposable bottles I got the hose to change it out to use a 20# bottle. It's now three+ years latter and I'm still waiting for that 20 pounder to run out of gas. Well worth the effort to go to the big bottle. But if you move the performer around a lot then it's not so much a good idea.
LeeHarvey
TVWBB Pro
Tom - The grill only had a tiny section of cut-off hose attached to the elbow fitting when I got it. Everything else out to and including the tank was gone, so I was starting from scratch. I’d guess that if you had two regulators in series, the second one might have a minimum inlet pressure that wouldn’t be met by the outlet pressure of the first one.
Joe - Yes, my only cutoff is the valve on the tank.
Joe - Yes, my only cutoff is the valve on the tank.
Pat G
TVWBB Emerald Member
I did the same thing and love the setup. I have had to refill mine after about a year and a half but we don't have the fire bans here like Rich has to deal with.
Kyle in Woodstock
TVWBB Guru
For that older style Performer, the tank is always the on/off value. There is no fancy knob on those, just a hole to reach down and turn tank value.
LeeHarvey
TVWBB Pro
Well...
There is a stopcock next to the quick connect on the original hose for an SSP. I'll grant that it would be a pain to reach underneath rather than just lift the top and crank the valve on the bottle closed.
There is a stopcock on mine right after the regulator. Seems redundant since you can just shut off the tank valve. I have never turn it of at the stopcock valve.
My original desire was to find a hose with the acme fitting for the 20lb tank that has a quick connect on the other end, and no regulator on the hose. The newer hoses from Weber ( as suggested by them) have the acme on one end, no regulator, but they have a connection for the new performers with the 1lb tank fitting. Although I would prefer to keep the quick connect fitting on the regulator and continue to use the 5lb odp valve tank I have, it would probably require recertification of the 5lb tank. Even though the tank is like new, the recertification cost is probably going to be cost and time prohibitive. It appears I can get a 1lb female fitting to go into the existing regulator and then get one of the hoses from Weber or othesr to hook a 20 lb tank to it. Those hoses do not have a regulator. The rely on the existing regulator on the grill. What I can't find is a hose with an acme fitting on one end for the 20lb tank and a quick connect on the other, without a regulator. There does seem to be components where I could make one up. I probably first need to find the cost to recertify my existing 5lb tank, which has a female quick connect. It would just be nice to be able to hook up a 20lb tank with a hose, when the 5lb runs out.
My original desire was to find a hose with the acme fitting for the 20lb tank that has a quick connect on the other end, and no regulator on the hose. The newer hoses from Weber ( as suggested by them) have the acme on one end, no regulator, but they have a connection for the new performers with the 1lb tank fitting. Although I would prefer to keep the quick connect fitting on the regulator and continue to use the 5lb odp valve tank I have, it would probably require recertification of the 5lb tank. Even though the tank is like new, the recertification cost is probably going to be cost and time prohibitive. It appears I can get a 1lb female fitting to go into the existing regulator and then get one of the hoses from Weber or othesr to hook a 20 lb tank to it. Those hoses do not have a regulator. The rely on the existing regulator on the grill. What I can't find is a hose with an acme fitting on one end for the 20lb tank and a quick connect on the other, without a regulator. There does seem to be components where I could make one up. I probably first need to find the cost to recertify my existing 5lb tank, which has a female quick connect. It would just be nice to be able to hook up a 20lb tank with a hose, when the 5lb runs out.
Kyle in Woodstock
TVWBB Guru
I called every propane place in North Georgia and none would do a tank recertification on a small consumer tank. They only did them on those huge ones that some people have at their homes.
From what other people have said, it sounds pretty cheap/easy to get the tank recertified in other states, like Indiana or Wisconsin. I have no clue about NJ.
This is the style adapter I have to make a big 20 lbs tank work off the 1 lb fitting. There a bunch of different brands available on Amazon.
From what other people have said, it sounds pretty cheap/easy to get the tank recertified in other states, like Indiana or Wisconsin. I have no clue about NJ.
This is the style adapter I have to make a big 20 lbs tank work off the 1 lb fitting. There a bunch of different brands available on Amazon.
Amazon.com : DOZYANT 4 Feet Propane Adapter Hose 1 lb to 20 lb Converter Replacement for QCC1 / Type1 Tank Connects 1 LB Bulk Portable Appliance to 20 lb Propane Tank : Garden & Outdoor
Amazon.com : DOZYANT 4 Feet Propane Adapter Hose 1 lb to 20 lb Converter Replacement for QCC1 / Type1 Tank Connects 1 LB Bulk Portable Appliance to 20 lb Propane Tank : Garden & Outdoor
www.amazon.com
LeeHarvey
TVWBB Pro
I don't think that setup sounds like a good idea. Best case is you have to tweak the valve just so that it will flow enough gas to stay lit without blowing itself out. I tried using an adjustable regulator on mine until I realized that an 11" water column is pretty standard for low pressure regulators - it was hard enough getting that to hit the sweet spot of flow, let alone trying it with the tank valve.
Kyle that is what I was afraid of for recertification of the tank I have. If that turns out to be the case here in NJ(cost prohibitive or not available), I probably will go with replacing the male 1/4" quick connect adapter coming out of the existing grill regulator and replace it with a female 1lb fitting. Then I should be able to use either a 1lb tank or a 20lb tank with an adaptor hose that is available for that type connection without a regulator. Perhaps that would work and give me choices on supplying propane to it (1lb or 20lb tank). No sense going for a quick connect makeup hose for my 5lb tank, if those tanks are history and or not worth recertification. I love this grill for smoking pastrami!!!!! I could always go with a chimney starter for the charcoal, but I want to find out what other options are out there from all you guys.
Thanks Lee....I was just looking for options with 2 regulators inline and figured the first on had to be on high side for grill regulator to accept and release flow.
@LeeHarvey That`s a real clean setup! very nice.
LeeHarvey
TVWBB Pro
Thanks. I’m still planning on fitting an electronic ignitor, at which point I’ll twist the leads together. Part of me isn’t thrilled with the excess hose, but I can justify it by having a drip loop to keep moisture away from the orifice, and being able to take the bottle down without yanking on the burner tube.
Anybody who fits a new 5 lb bottle may find that there are two collar designs - one has a single large handle behind the valve, and the other has a handle on either side. The two-handle style precludes having the hose come straight off the valve, so you need to immediately turn 90° like mine does if you want to keep the Char-bin. My bottle is a Flame King, and you can find pictures online with either style of collar.
My new plan is to continue using the Weber 5lb tank I have that is in excellent condition. It has the newer OPD valve and a 1/4" female quick connect fitting to attach it to the 1/4" male quick connect fitting on the regulator in the grill. I ordered an adapter that screws into the female side of my Weber adapter that is used to fill the 5lb tank at places that fill tanks. The adapter I ordered has the same male fitting that will screw into a 20lb tank. On the other end of this adapter is a 1lb (1"-20) female fitting, used for attaching a 1lb tank. I also ordered a hose with the male 1lb (1"-20 same as a 1lb tank) male fitting on one end and the acme fitting on the other end for today's 20lb tanks. This way I can plug in the Weber quick adapter, used for filling the 5lb, into the 5lb tank, then screw the new fitting into the other end of the Weber adapter, attach the new 1lb to 20lb hose to the tank and new adapter and refill the 5lb tank from the 20lb tank. It's doubtful I can find someone to fill the 5lb tank and recertification appears an unlikely option today. These are the items I purchased.
The Weber adapter used for filling the 5lb tank looks like this but not sure it is the same https://www.ebay.com/itm/363241323895?hash=item5492debd77:g:1G4AAOSwDr9f7iev
From what I have seen online, refilling my existing tank myself may be my best option to keep the grill like original.
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From what I have seen online, refilling my existing tank myself may be my best option to keep the grill like original.
Hey guys here is what (hose and adapters) I put together to refill my 5lb tank (with quick connect) from a 20lb tank. The male quick connect is what came with the grill for filling at distributors. I have not used it yet, but should do the job I believe. I've seen some videos online for refilling tanks and question is it best to open the purge screw on the 5lb when filling? Some do and some don't. Any comments or thought are appreciated.
Attachments
Lee
On my grill Weber it has a regulator after the male 1/4 fitting the 5lb tank connects too. My understanding is having two regulators in series can be a problem. This is why I was looking for a hose, without the regulator or perhaps an adjustable one that worked with the Weber regulator in the grill. I've since gotten a hose/adapter setup that will allow me to refill my 5lb quick connect tank from a 20lb tank. That way I'm not changing anything on my grill and can continue to use the 5lb tank. My 5lb tank has the newer type OPD valve and is excellent condition.
Have you refilled your 5 pound tank from the 20 pound tank?
I'd really like more details on this as I'm in the same boat as you. Almost. I've gotten my 5# tank filled twice at 2 different places - they didn't even look at the tank. But they did charge me the same amount as if they filled a 20# tank.
I'd really like more details on this as I'm in the same boat as you. Almost. I've gotten my 5# tank filled twice at 2 different places - they didn't even look at the tank. But they did charge me the same amount as if they filled a 20# tank.