Regulator mod successful!


 
D

DLogan

New member
After finding Bruce's How To, I ordered the parts Wednesday, they arrived yesterday, and I did the modification this morning, along with a light cleaning and reseasoning. This little Baby Q joined our family in 2009, and this is THE FIRST time I've had to replace anything. It still has the original burner, grate, ignitor, everything, and sits unprotected on our patio year round. All I've ever done is give it an annual surface clean/reseason, and every couple of years, I completely strip it and give it a deep clean. I'm happy with the modification, since it is used stationary. It does burn hotter than before, so, I'll have to watch that, but, i've already tested it out with a couple of good Nathan's beef dogs, which were tasty as usual, and had a better char than before (I like mine burned). I do think it's about time to either paint, or replace the stand though, it's really starting to suffer from sitting out in the sunlight.


Baby Q2.jpg
 
Dlogan: Do be careful with the heat. I converted one and the hose and regulator said it was for gas grills, but it was not the normal pressure. I found several people had expressed the same problem in the reviews after I looked. It burned hot. I accidentally left the grill on over night and the grill actually melted down into the base about 3/4" at each leg. It was great in that it got hot and got there quick, but it was dangerous for sure. You might want to test the inside ambient temp of your grill some time to see if it is getting too hot. Anything over 600 is TOO hot for a Q grill.
 
Yeah there are a lot of regulators being sold as "for gas grills" but IDK what kind of gas grills. Normal LP gas pressure is 11" WC (basically about 1/3 PSI), I'm seeing regulators being sold spec'd at 1 FULL PSI. Basically 3X normal. Most from Amazon/Ebay and the like. All from China. Must be Xi's way of maybe eliminating us :D
 
Bruce said:
Dlogan: Do be careful with the heat. I converted one and the hose and regulator said it was for gas grills, but it was not the normal pressure. I found several people had expressed the same problem in the reviews after I looked. It burned hot. I accidentally left the grill on over night and the grill actually melted down into the base about 3/4" at each leg. It was great in that it got hot and got there quick, but it was dangerous for sure. You might want to test the inside ambient temp of your grill some time to see if it is getting too hot. Anything over 600 is TOO hot for a Q grill.
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I went out and put a thermo probe on the grate, and it maxed out at 550 degrees, but, on low, would only go down to 440 degrees. So, it's probably a good idea to send this one back.

Is there a source I can order one that is definately what is advertised? I'm having difficulty even finding adds for regulator/hose assemblies that list the specs of the regulator.
 
IDK what they're supposed to measure on low. I do think the grate on a Q tends to run hotter than you might expect because the Q operated more on principle of a griddle which is why it has to have such a heavy CI grate
 
Bruce said:
Yah, it is tough to do any kind of low and slow on a Q2xx or Q1xx
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Sorry for off topic, but no, it is not tough to do low'n'slow on Weber Q. Weber has a roasting rack, I've heard they ended up selling this, but you can just buy a $13 rack on Amazon as I did and you're good to go. Here are couple examples of "fried" chicken and smoked ribs on my Q1200.
 

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Just an update, I've done a few cooks on the Baby Q since adding the hose and regulator, and, even on low the temp starts running away. As is, it's good for quick burgers/dogs/brats. A couple days ago, I did some 1" thick chops, and I almost didn't get them off in time before they overcooked. Last night, I was going to do a couple baked potatoes, and a couple NY strips. I put a temp probe on the grate while doing the potatoes, and even on low, after about half an hour, it was pushing up over 500 degrees. So, I ended up finishing the potatoes, and cooking the steaks on my 320, to not risk ruining the steaks. So, the search for a better regulator continues.
 
Misha said:
Sorry for off topic, but no, it is not tough to do low'n'slow on Weber Q. Weber has a roasting rack, I've heard they ended up selling this, but you can just buy a $13 rack on Amazon as I did and you're good to go. Here are couple examples of "fried" chicken and smoked ribs on my Q1200.
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What's the Altoid tin for? Wood chips?
 
I should have a regulator and hose arriving tomorrow to try out. Ordered it from Amazon, it was specifically advertised at 11" WC at 1/2 psi. I'm kind of leary about it, as there were zero reviews on it yet. But, it shipped from Amazon, so should be easily returnable if it doesn't work right. I'll keep the first one I bought, because I can still use it for quick hot cooks. I usually cook over charcoal, but keep the gassers handy for when I don't have the patience for the coals to get going.
 
Yeah you should be. 11"WC is only about .38 PSI not .5 so if it's rated at .5 it's running almost twice the pressure it should
 
Got the new regulator and hose today, installed, and did some burgers tonight. Granted, air temps are about 15 degrees cooler than they had been (mid 60's), but, the cook was more normal for this little Baby Q. When installing this one, I noticed the other one had burned my seasoning off the grate, so, I reseasoned, and let it run on high for around 20 minutes. A probe at grate level peaked at around 520 degrees, it smoked the seasoning, but, didn't burn it off, and left a nice, black, shiney grate. The burgers, about 4 1/2 inch diameter, half inch thick, pressed by hand, took just under 15 minutes, with a great sear, no burning. I'm a lot happier with this one, and feel it'll be just fine for our normal cooks. On low, I was only able to get it down to around 350, which is just fine for me. If I need low and slow, I go to one of my kettles. Here is a link to the one I got.

 
You can restore that cart's plastic with some stuff made for cars. Can't remember what I used but it made it like new.
 
Joe Anshien said:
You can restore that cart's plastic with some stuff made for cars. Can't remember what I used but it made it like new.
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I put some Turtle Wax trim restore on it last year, and it looked good for a couple months. Shortly after posting this, I came across a can of Krylon satin black spray paint in my shed, it looks much better now, lol. Well, with the exception of all the pollen. I cleaned it, took the leg pins out and removed the plastic, and sprayed about 5-6 coats on it.
 
Cooked some 1" boneless chops up tonight, and the new hose/regulator worked perfectly. I was able to put a nice crispy sear on both sides, without any burning, then drop the flame to bring them slowly up to temp, without fear of running over. Chops came off tender and juicy. I know they are right when the wife takes her first bite and rolls her eyes.
 
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