Weber Genesis 330 BBQ Grill Convert To Propane or Natural Gas

by grillrepair on

Convert Weber Genesis 330 BBQ Grill To Use Propane or Natural Gas.

 

What is Odd is the editor for this tutorial video had some “problems” with our shots and written instructions.  The result you will notice is some slowed shots but the strangest thing for me is the mispronunciation of the word “valve”.   I did not have them change the voice-over because it would have added a lot of down-time waiting to have the video back and I’m hoping you, the viewer will be able to tell what we’re looking at well enough to receive the support you need for your Weber Genesis 330 model fuel conversion.

If you do have additional questions or need and assistance, contact us anytime with any question.

While most online “stores” Never see, Never touch, Never know anything about the products listed for sale on their web pages (the obvious trend is web sites selling various products which are stocked by import companies who also ship for hundreds of different web-sites who all pretend to be actual professional companies when they’re only telephone answering services) we have been working on gas barbecues, fireplaces, fire pits, and other gas appliances for 3 decades.  We stock our own inventory because we use this inventory on a daily basis.

We work on gas barbecues, grills, smokers, fireplaces and fire pits and there is No Question we cannot help support and provide answers based on 3 decades of training, formal education and hundreds of thousands of on-site experiences!

weber genesis 330 with 4 burners burning propane or natural gas

Genesis 330 models have 4 burners inside the firebox and one side burner range on the side shelf. Controls are in front of the barbecue.

Like converting the type of fuel used in any barbecue grill, converting Weber barbecue grills is not difficult.    As with any gas appliance the essential parts to be changed are the same.  Fuel conversion means changing the in-coming gas connection, changing the regulator for liquid propane or natural gas and then changing each orifice for the type of fuel being regulated.

Getting to the orifices in a Genesis 330 model is typically easier than you probably suspect.   With the cooking grates and flavorizer shields out of the barbeque we are looking at the pipe burners installed front to back.   The control valves and orifices are inside the front control panel so we will need to slowly unscrew the 4 bolts in the very back because these 4 bolts lock in the 4 burner pipes.  We need the burners out of position so we can reach through the inner firewall to remove the orifices as shown in the instructional video above.

unscrew burner bolt to remove Weber Genesis burner

Unscrew burner bolt to remove Weber Genesis burner carefully because the bolts and/or cast aluminum fire box can be easily damaged.

Please Note:  My own experience with these Genesis and Spirit  models from after 2010 is that the level of quality is Far Below those Weber models manufactured when the Weber-Stephens family still owned and controlled the company.  Many times we have unscrewed the burner-bolts only to have the bolt or the threaded aluminum casting crack.  Even expecting weakness and using lubrication, moving slow, cleaning away dirt and grease build-up, Every Single One of these 4 bolts Broke as we slowly unscrewed them to slide back the burner pipes.  Every One Broke!

The image Above shows a heat-resistant liquid welding glue type product to essentially glue the bolt in place.    With the bolt not completely sunk-in to the hole we made sure that 1 — the notch in back of the  burner fit on the bolt so the burner could not be moved and the burner would be perfectly straight and — 2 — the burner is raised about a half-inch so we will be able to twist-lift the pipe burner to still remove the burner if we ever need to remove or replace the pipe burner.

Slide Weber Genesis burner out of way to access orifice in control valve.

Slide Weber Genesis burner out of way to access orifice in control valve. Burners can be partially removed to avoid dislodging the ignition electrode.

Once the burners are out of the way we can access the orifices from inside the barbecue firebox as you can see in this picture.   Also in this image we see the burners were not totally removed.   We prefer to work this was because only moving the burners enough for them to be out of the way means we do not have to remove the ignition electrodes which are clipped to the burner pipe.

Although the Weber igniter electrodes are easy to remove and replace, in a barbeque like this one that is several years old, it is possible the steel tabs that bend to hold the electrode tightly into the groove of the support bracket made be dirty and weak enough to break.  In a well-used Weber model like this one, it is easy to access the orifices and valves without opening up a possibility we’ll damage the electrode attachment in the process.

Weber original orifice and replacement orifice for fuel conversion

Although slightly different, both orifices demonstrate the need for thread sealant and function well in LP and NG fuel conversion.

Once we move the burners we will unscrew the old orifices and thread-in the New Orifices.  The orifices Need “pipe-dope” which is a putty sealant available in any hardware store.  The orifices used as replacements look and feel different.  Just ass you may notice the originals have a lot of putty gas sealant on the threads, the new orifices will also need gas sealant on the threads.

Please remember we are threading brass into aluminum and both metals are soft.  We can easily damage the valve and orifice with very little strength.  The threading Must Be Sealed so fuel only flows through the hole in the orifice so allow the sealant putty to do the work, tighten the orifices without over-tightening and watch the valve-orifice-burner union for awhile after the initial conversion to check your work.

Weber Spirit Genesis valve orifice slides into pipe burner

Weber Spirit and Genesis valve orifice slides into pipe burner to limit NG or LP gas flow in end shared with air shutter adjustment sleeve.

As we see in this image — and video above — we’ll slide the burners back onto the tip of the valve after replacing the gas orifices in the end of the control valves.  The air shutter adjustment will be different for NG as for LP because LP is a vaporized liquid whereas NG distribution allows some oxygen in the fuel.  It is not necessary to remove the steel plate under the control panel Shown In This Image but making these minute air shutter adjustments is a lot easier without removing the burner pipe over and over while testing the flame.

We have several detailed blog posts with instructional videos and images so Contact Majestic Grill Parts for assistance with Anything to do with converting, testing, using, checking your barbecue grill.

Weber Genesis Spirit Summit Side Burner Range Converted for LP or NG

Weber Genesis Spirit Summit all have the same Side Burner Range design so all models are easy to Convert to use liquid propane or natural gas.

As we can see in the tutorial video above the side burner range is the easiest burner to convert.   The orifice is accessible without taking anything apart and this makes the orifice easy to access, change and replace. Fortunately, All Weber side burner range top burners have been this same design in All Genesis, Spirit and Summit models so these are All Usually The Simplest Part of Any Fuel Conversion.

The Weber Genesis 330 side burner and orifice is exactly the same as the Genesis 320 model which is the same as the Spirit 320 model and exactly the same burner design as the Summit models.

Weber LP tank scales should always be used for safety with all models

Weber LP tank scales should always be used for safety with all Genesis, Spirit and Summit models because the tank position, attachment and venting make this the safest location.

Once All the gas orifices have been changed we will also attach the new LP or NG connections to the connection inside the right door where the manifold extension is safely attached to the wall of the barbecue cart.

Tank Scale.

When Weber still owned Weber and still sold a fuel conversion kit for every Weber model of Genesis, Spirit, Summit, Vieluxe, etc and fuel conversion that was going to use a portable 5 gallon LP cylinder Had To Also Include a Tank Scale.

Although the tank scale is convenient by showing the level of remaining fuel by the weight of the tank the Real Reason the tank was considered mandatory by Weber and was specifically defined in Weber’s Safety Certification is Safety.

The tank scale bolts to the side of the barbecue right side wall and the immobilization of the tank makes it safer while also forcing the tank to be in a position away from the grease-drip pan that could cause a fire.   Weber no longer allows or supports or supplies fuel conversion parts so buying the tank scale is not enforced — but it is a Very Wise Idea to use the tank scale with a 20 lb LP cylinder.

Any fuel conversion for any barbecue is simple.  Although Weber makes this difficult, the process is still the same.  The actual replacement parts are available on the Weber grill parts page located at:

http://www.grill-repair.com/weberparts.html

If you have Any Questions or Need Any Assistance, Please Contact Majestic Grill Parts.

[email protected]

954-2-GRILL-2.

 

{ 0 comments… add one now }

Previous post:

Next post: