Thread: BBQs On Natural Gas.

You could just turn it down a bit or fit an adjustable pressure regulator in the supply pipe.

I have converted natural gas heaters to LPG and it's mostly to do with jet sizes, then you adjust the air/fuel by trimming the air slots. If your snags explode in a ball of fire try some smaller jets maybe. Heat output depends on fuel flow rate.

Expecting to be corrected here but here goes anyway.....

The difference between Natural Gas and Handi or bottle gas is the percentage mixture of butanes, propanes and pentanes as well as a smattering of other stuff as to the make up of the gas.

Can't remember exactly but I think Natural Gas has more butane in it, as such will burn more enthusiastically, ergo you need less of it for a given temp so you need to back off the flow (as bee utey said dropping pressure, reducing jet size......) to get the temp you need.

LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) and Bottle Gas (called LPG sometimes but in reality is different to the stuff you put in your car) all have different percentage contents of various hydrocarbons and chemicals.

In the end it all burns, and will make your sausages explode to varying degrees of success if not set up right.

Originally Posted by pando

Expecting to be corrected here but here goes anyway.....

Right you are
Natural gas is methane, CH4. Does not liquefy at room temperature. Available as CNG for cars (compressed to 3000psi)
Bottle gas LPG is propane C3H8. Liquefies at -40C at atmospheric pressure.
Auto gas LPG is propane plus butane C4H10 plus anything else the refinery thinks will burn. Butane liquefies at zeroC at 1 ATM. So don't expect your butane cylinder to work in snow or deep frost.

LNG is cryogenically cooled, only common in supertankers etc. About 30% of the energy of natural gas is wasted to liquefy LNG but the tankers run on the evaporation of it. Unlikely to be seen in a cylinder near you.

I have one of each of the same Weber model
only as I found a bargain NG Weber at at a garage sale having puchased an identical LPG one a couple of years earlier

I reckon the LPG is slightly hotter

could be the jets etc

but for convenience a plumbed natural gas unit is very hard to beat for convenience and running cost..

Cheers

Nobby

all my books arre packed up again for moving but I think from memory that natural gas also runs at a lower pressure?

its an approved conversion.....just use it, i think we might be reading into it a little too much

my distant memory it not about how hot it burns its about the Mj rating, pressures, pipe size, ventilation (if used in doors) etc

the more blue the flame is the better it is for all.....

Why do they say that you should not use auto LPG for your car for a BBQ? Is it a tax thing or is there a risk of poisoning your BBQ guests?

Or is it a case of more refinement required for BBQ gas? This last one is only an issue if the answer to the poison thing is yes!

Originally Posted by slug_burner

Why do they say that you should not use the LPG for your car for a BBQ?

quality,.........you might get away with it on a bbq but em pretty sure it creates havoc with heaters

my uncle use to have an adaptor converted the pump hose at a servo to POL fitting and fill his cylinders at the servo.........crazy