hood style gas bbq grill conversion orifices with different openings
When a gas barbecue grill is being converted from natural gas to liquid propane or from liquid propane to natural gas there are 2 changes to the barbecue that have to be made. The regulators have to be changed.
Natural gas can be pressurized differently due to altitude, length of the gas line run and depending on how many appliances are on the same gas line. However, once the gas is coming into the barbecue grill the appliance regulator is usually going to regulate natural gas at two to four inches of water column. Because we are working with pressures less than one pound per square inch measuring the inches of water column displacement allows denominations of pressure.
Liquid propane can also be under different pressures but as LP gas comes into the barbecue grill it will always be pressurized to eleven inches of water column displacement.
In addition to changing the regulator when converting a barbeque grill from one gas type to another gas type the orifice on each control valve on the BBQ has to be changed. That means the side burner controls, rotisserie controls, the main BBQ valve controls, smoker controls, every control valve will have an orifice on it and every orifice has to be changed. LP gas is a solid liquid that vaporizes (boils) into a gas when it is being used in low-pressure appliances like gas fireplaces, fire pits and barbecue grills. A orifice for LP gas will be drilled with an opening determined by the BTU rating of the BBQ burner.
The image above shows hood-style orifices that screw onto a control valve. When installed into the barbecue the orifice will be inserted into the venturi tube of the gas grill burner and will spit gas into the burner to ignite. The hole in the orifice will determine how much gas flows into the burner and how hot the barbecue grill can become.
control valve to orifice to burner demonstration
In the image showing above the far left hood orifice shows a starter hole which is how a orifice comes when it is brand new. The center image shows the hole in the orifice drilled for 25,000 BTU gas grill. Most barbecues have a burner rating of 11,000 to 13,000 BTU but these orifices were taken from a barbecue that uses a “U” burner which is like having 2 straight pipe burners. The far right image is an orifice made for natural gas. Notice the opening in the natural gas orifice is twice the size of the LP orifice.
spud style orifices will screw into the control valve.
The spud-style orifice showing in this image screws IN to the control valve instead of ON to the control valve like the hood-style orifices showing above. Different manufacturers will use different sizes and styles or spud orifices. Either type of orifice works the same way. All the orifices in this image are new and have starter holes in them. The starter hole, if used would allow approximately 7,ooo BTU of LP gas and if installed in a NG grill no gas would pass through this hole.
The two orifices showing on the left side of this image are both used in different versions of the Turbo STS model gas barbecues. On our site where these Turbo bbq grill repair parts are available the far left orifice is item 31500 and the smaller orifice to the right of the far left orifice is item 31300. The smaller spud orifice is approximately 5 mm at the hex head and the 31500 is 9 mm.
Some gas barbecues will have different orifices in the control valves and other orifices in the rotisserie, side burner or smoker burner so always check to be sure of what is needed. An orifice is basically like the jet in an old carburetor. The gas flow is affected by the opening in the orifice.
viking bbq grill control valves with orifice
As an example this is a picture of a Viking control valve with a hood orifice on it. If this was in a natural gas barbecue and the barbeque needed to be converted to use LP gas this orifice just unscrews and the new one screws onto the control valve. The orifices are not usually visible in the bbq. Remove the cooking grates, the heat plates and lift the burners out of the barbecue. In the front fire wall inside the cooking area is the hole where the venturi tube of the bbq burner goes into the control panel. Using a 7/16 inch ratchet socket the orifice can be unscrewed and the new orifice screwed onto the valve.
If you are on this page you know we build custom outdoor kitchens on-site, for perfectly fabricated backyard grill islands and bars in South Florida. This is our latest backyard and we did a lot of work here. This custom outdoor kitchen is built for a beautiful Firemagic gas grill with infrared burners, cast stainless convection burners, glow-plug ignition electrodes and all the solid features that make R.H. Peterson one of the best backyard accessory fabricators in the world.
custom firemagic outdoor kitchen with blue granite
The Firemagic OCBE is an insert that can be used to install a gas fire pit burner in to any custom designed fire pit structure. This fire pit structure was designed by the homeowner and it was finished using the same granite and stone work to match the house and columns and the outdoor kitchen we built. The gas firepit is controlled with a on/off remote transmitter. The fire pit has natural lava rock stones in the center to radiate heat and allow the flames to move and shift naturally. We also install a stainless ring in our gas fire pits so the heat is shielded from the edge of the custom fabricated granite.
When any gas flame touches a solid object carbon is created and the flame carbon will leave marks on this beautiful blue and gold granite slab. Carbon is usually very easy to wipe-off but most people are not cleaning their built in barbeque grill and gas fire pit every day. We use a stainless ring to push the flame a little bit higher and this saves the granite color. If they choose to hide the ring it can be made slightly smaller and lava rock will rest on the outside of the ring to camouflage the stainless inside the lava rocks.
Custom fire pit with blue granite and natural stone bricks
This gas fire pit is also remote controlled. Instead of natural lava rocks this fire pit has crushed fireglass. The fire glass is crushed black but we also used orange and green fire glass to put a logo for the University of Miami in the fireglass. When the gas fire pit is burning the flames will move across and around the crushed fire glass for a sparkling and colorful effect.
custom fire pit with crushed fire glass university of Miami
This New Years weekend I received a telephone call from a customer who purchased an alternative ventless glass gas fireplace from us a little over a year ago. Her pilot light was burning but she could not get the fireplace to light. She called her installer and he also could not get the fireplace to light. This gas fireplace has an on-off remote controlled valve made by Rasmussen.
Some older gas fireplaces used to have a toggle switch attached to the control valve inside the fireplace. Some more recent fireplaces by R.H. Peterson and Vanguard, Majestic and Superior fireplaces also had toggle switches. The on-off remote control combination of a receiver-transmitter use the same idea as a toggle switch and it is common to replace an old style toggle switch with a receiver box in order to convert a gas log fireplace to a remote controlled unit.
A receiver box acts like the toggle switch turning the fireplace on or off and the hand held transmitter or any other kind of transmitter flips the toggle switch to the “on” or “off” position. The receiver is hard-wired to the fireplace burner control valve and most people leave their receiver inside the fireplace. There is a real danger to overheating a receiver box because the receiver box holds batteries that can be damaged by heat. Often if a fireplace with a remote control will not be controlled by a remote the problem is either low batteries or batteries damaged by heat. If the batteries are damaged by heat while inside the receiver box, inside the fireplace the receiver box is usually irreparably damaged.
The other problem with unvented gas fireplace has to do with the safety features that must be used in every vent-free gas log. The ODS (oxygen depletion sensor) is a very simple function that leaves a thermocouple in the pilot light so the thermocouple will cool and turn off the control valve if the pilot light begins to raise up looking for oxygen to keep it burning. On the sides of any pilot tube are small holes in the pilot light tube that allow oxygen to be sucked into the tube to mix with gas and allow the pilot to burn. Ventless gas fireplaces should be cleaned as part of typical maintenance but when they are not properly cleaned these tiny holes are small enough to be severly clogged by tiny bits of dust, pet hair and pollen in the air.
ventless gas fireplace oxygen depletion sensor
Usually when our service technicians are called to a home because a vent-free gas fireplace will not properly light this maintenance issue is the problem. We bring a small but powerful vacuum and leave it lying against the pilot assembly to cause flowing air to pull anything from these small air holes. Once it has been vacuumed we may also use a can of compressed air. We do not go to the compressed air can first because we do not want to blow the foreign substance into the pilot assembly.
If the batteries are fully charged or new and the receiver box is not damaged by overheating but the fireplace will not light the next thing to check is the receiver codes. A receiver box will have a “Learn” button on it and sometimes when the batteries are changed or if the power is interrupted by heat the code for the transmitter will need to be relearned. Most received boxes are very versatile and will learn tens of thousands of varying transmitting codes. Hold the Learn button for about 5 seconds until a series of beeps indicates the box is wiped clean and “listening. Then press any button on the transmitter for the receiver to remember the proper code for that transmitting controller.
Finally, this specific fireplace valve uses a solenoid control.
This control valve with solenoid is used with remote controlled receiver and transmitter.
Sometimes it is possible the solenoid has become too strongly attached inside the control valve. This could be caused by over tightening at the original factory, by constant heating an expanding and by a combination of these two causes. The solenoid can be removed with a flat head screwdriver. Reinstall the solenoid “hand-tight” so it is not over tightened in the valve.
The solenoid triggers the switch like an internal toggle switch.
Vent free gas fireplaces have always been a popular commodity but with the alternative gas fireplace that display crushed reflective glass colors, stones, shapes and fireballs ventless gas fireplaces are more popular than ever. The limited BTU’s, control options like the ODS and flame patterns are as important as properly maintaining the fireplace with clean materials and fully charged batteries.
The process for lighting a vent-free gas log fireplace involves holding the control valve open manually until the thermocouple is transferring enough of a charge to pull the control valve magnet into the open position. Soon we will explain the process of the thermocouple to help understand the safety features in your vent free gas fireplace.
In order to make a gas log fireplace a legally vent-free gas log fireplace there are some very specific rules to be followed. Unvented gas fireplaces have to have a maximum BTU output of 40,000 BTU. This limit will lower the amount of flames and the amount of dangerous carbon emitted into the room because of the flames. The ceramic logs stack specifically to match the flames of the burner so there is little or no contact between the fireplace flames and the logs.
ODS.
Oxygen Depletion Sensors are alway installed on vent-free gas log fireplaces to ensure safe use in the home. ODS usually consists of a thermocouple and a pilot. A thermocouple is a complex, simple tool for generating energy from heat. With no moving parts it is very rare a thermocouple fails. The tip of the thermocouple has different types of metals that create a small electric charge when heat conducts and transfers across each metal. This small millivolt charge runs through a electric wire in a copper sleeve to a threaded metal bolt that becomes magnetized from the millivolt charge. The threaded bolt screws into the control valve where another magnet is mounted with the reverse magnetic pole meeting the electro-magnet on the end of the thermocouple. When the thermocouple transfers heat to create a millivolt that runs through copper to magnetize the steel the magnets push one another apart to allow gas to flow through the valve. Should the pilot flame go out the tip of the thermocouple cools and within seconds the steel bolt demagnetizes, attracts the inner magnet and snaps closed so gas cannot flow through the valve.
When there is a draft, ceiling fan or when an unvented gas fireplace is installed outdoors there can be some problems with the pilot but the role of this system is to gauge oxygen in the fireplace. Because the pilot os a single weak flame surrounded by large strong flames the pilot is not the first place or the easiest location to reach and burn oxygen. If oxygen is low the first place that will be effected is this small pilot flame. As the pilot flame reaches higher and higher seeking oxygen the flame will lift higher and higher off the tip of the thermocouple and usually the thermocouple will cool and stop all gas flow before the pilot even dies.
Oxygen depletion sensor pilot assembly for gas log fireplace
This is a very simple but very effective way to make the fireplace safe with no moving parts that can break down or get damaged. When a customer calls to complain about the fireplace going out the problem is usually that they have forgotten the process for lighting the pilot. Rarely we will have to clean the fireplace if it has not been maintained. The metal tube that the pilot lights from has a sensor at its base. Depending on the geographical location and depending on the installation there can be dust, dander, pet fur, or pollen build up inside this sensor. A can of air or a vacuum cleaner can usually clear the area within a few minutes.
oxygen depletion sensor for vent free gas log fireplace
This video should show the realistic flame patterns and the realistic logs of the chillbuster brands. These gas fireplaces are made to be safe indoors without the costly work of cutting through the roof or building a chimney.
Each of these burners has several different gas log sets that can be used on this burner. The ceramic logs on a vent-free burner are always designed specifically for that burner and unvented logs from a different set cannot be used with another unvented burner because the logs stack to avoid the flames of each burner configuration.
For more information about chillbuster gas fireplaces or any information about vented or vent free gas fireplace please contact us at Service@Grill-Repair.com and at 954.2.GRILL.2.
Most barbecues are controlled by the control knob that is attached the the control valve. The control valve has an orifice at the tip and the orifice slides into the burner to spit the gas into the burner. However, some control valves are not installed close enough to the barbeque burners to attach in this way.
The orifice is attached to the control valve with compression fittings that seal a gas hose extension.
This barbecue grill from bbq galore stores is such an example. The tip of the control valve does not have an orifice that slides into the barbeque burner. Instead there is an aluminum gas line that extends from the tip of the valve and the orifice is attached to the other end of the gas line.
gas bbq grill control valve for turbo and charbroil grill repair
The control valves we sell at Grill-Repair.com for barbecues like this are manufactured to have an orifice attached at the end of the valve to control the amount of liquid propane or natural gas going into the burner. If this control valve was going to be used in a turbo, kalamazoo, cook on or any other barbecue grill that has an extension gas line connecting the control valve to the burner we can add a compression fitting to convert the tip of the valve into a gas line extension. The instructions for using a compression fitting to add an extented gas line connecting the control valve to the burner follows.
this is the control valve, the compression conversion fitting and the aluminum gas line to be used
The same control valve as the one on the black and white drawing is in the picture above. This control valve can be used on Cook-On barbecues, Turbo models like the Grand Turbo and the Turbo Select and many others. The compression fitting and the aluminum gas line is also shown in this image.
how to attach the compression fitting to the gas grill valve
One half of this compression fitting is female pipe thread to attach to the barbecue grill control valve. The other half unscrews to expose the flared piece. This flare slides onto the tip of the aluminum gas line. When the top is screwed back onto the other side of the fitting the brass flare is soft enough to flare out and seal the connection. Once sealed this flare cannot be re-used but the gas line is now sealed to the control valve. The gas line can be unscrewed at the valve for maintenance later if it becomes necessary to replace the valve. Do not push the aluminum (or copper) tube too far into the control valve.
the gas grill valve now as an extended gas lin attached and sealed.
Compression fittings are available in a wide array of sizes on both sizes. The size of the gas line does affect the amount of gas travelling through but with a low pressure appliance like a gas log fireplace or an outdoor barbecue grill an eighth of an inch to a quarter inch is acceptable unless there is a lot of gas line added for some uncommon reason.
The male side compression fitting used to attach the barbecue orifice.
The compression fitting for the other end of the aluminum gas line has a 1/8 male pipe thread side just like the control valve. This threaded side screws into the hood style orifice just like the control valve would have. This aluminum gas line is a 3/16 line so the other side of the fitting is a 3/16 compression fit.
the compression side of the fitting also comes apart to seal to the gas line.
Again the compression side of the brass gas fitting comes apart to reveal the soft brass flare. The soft brass flare fits onto the aluminum gas line. The flare should fit snug. Like with the female side compression conversion fitting slide the flare about a quarter inch onto the aluminum (or copper) gas line and then tighten the nut back to the fitting. The soft brass flare will spread with the tension and seal the gas line to the fitting.
gas barbeque grill compression conversion to extend a control valve.
The hood style orifice is now attached and sealed safely to the aluminum gas hose that is also attached to the control valve. If the orifice has to be converted at some future time the fitting is still able to be unscrewed from inside the orifice but if the fitting is separated at the center where the flare piece is compressed it is no longer useful. The orifice on any gas barbecue grill has a hole in the tip that is sized to allow a specified amount of gas through to the barbecue grill burners. Liquid propane vaporizes and feeds through the valve in a compressed form so the hole in the orifice is very small. Natural gas is a true gas in its natural state and has more mass so the orifice opening is much larger. When a gas barbeque grill needs to be converted from one gas type to another the orifices can be removed and changed to the proper size for propane or natural gas. When converting from propane to natural gas the orifice can be removed and drilled to the larger size since the natural gas orifice has a larger opening than the hole in the propane orifice. Because liquid propane is always pulled from a reservoir propane is always regulated at the same pressure for low pressure appliances like gas barbecues and gas log fireplaces. Natural gas can be regulated anywhere from 2 or 10 inches of water column displacement but the environmental temperature and the altitude can affect this. Recently we have had a lot of customers repairing gas grills with extensions attached to their control valves. This is actually very rare today but a lot of older barbecues utilized this technique of attaching the control valve to the gas BBQ burners. For additional information about control valves, orifices, gas lines, regulation or any other barbecue grill repairs contact Grill-Repair.comat 954-2-Grill-2.
Right now we are still in summer but the end of summer is on the horizon. We are beginning to consider our gas log business and talking about what we will be bringing on and what we will be doing for the new years fireplaces.
We have a few outdated gas logs that are in our [...]
This Vanguard ventless gas log fireplace is not the kind of vent-free fireplace we stock any longer because of the distribution availability here in Florida. However, the Vanguard vent free gas log fireplace design is a good example of “common” ventless gas fireplace designs.
This is the unvented gas fireplace burner and infrastructure. As you can [...]
This new custom outdoor kitchen and bar was just completed this week in south Florida. The built in bbq grill is an American Outdoor Grill by Robert H Peterson group, the same company who manufacturers FireMagic gas grills.
The AOG built in barbeque grill ships with or without an infrared rotisserie burner and kit so customers [...]
Why did my barbecue grill control valve go bad? This is one question we hear more often than I would have guessed. The barbeque grill valve is a very simple machine that is like a simple ball valve that slide across an oval shaped opening allowing more flow as the pieces slide across one another.
Within [...]
Grill-Repair.com service
This is a new place to locate local service technicians like Grill-Repair.com with barbecue grill replacement parts and with the ability to clean and repair all model barbecue and gas log fireplace.
Check it out.
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Gas Log Fireplace Season is Coming
by grillrepair August 10, 2011Right now we are still in summer but the end of summer is on the horizon. We are beginning to consider our gas log business and talking about what we will be bringing on and what we will be doing for the new years fireplaces.
We have a few outdated gas logs that are in our [...]