Weber Q grill to low pressure

[SWharton]

Has anyone used the Calore conversion kit for their Weber grill. This kit converts a high pressure grill(all the Webers) to a low pressure grill via adapters on the hose connection. Our MH only has a low pressure connection.

 

http://caloreequipment.com/products/cl/weber-q-1-20-conversion-kit-for-travel-trailers.html

 

Thanks

[Cowdog353]

Before you go to far on pressure problems try to clean the holes in the burner.

I've used a welding tip cleaner.

Mine were plugged off and did not work correctly.

Jim

[B.O.Plenty]

Looks to me like it just eliminates the regulator on the Weber so it will run off the regulator already on your coach. The Weber won't work if you have 2 regulators in line. I would get one if that's what you need.

 

B.O.

[SWharton]

Our problem is that the Weber we have uses high pressure. Normal solution is to get rid of the regulator which Weber says we can't remove the regulator. We are going to contact them again to see if this is their "policy" or is it true. We interpret this item to be able to convert the low pressure to the high pressure Weber requires. I don't understand why the Mh mfg put in a low pressure line, very few barbeques use low pressure. I don't see a regulator in the picture and the wriote up doesn't mention a regulator. We are going to call them also.

 

Our other idea is to move the line to the high pressure side of the regulator.

[SpaceNorman]

I'm trying to understand the "Weber says we can't remove the regulator..." statement. If you own the grill, what would stop you from removing it?

 

I own a Weber Q2200 that I converted to a low pressure grill for use with our coach. Here's how I hooked up my Weber Q Grill. Here are the parts I purchased:

1. A "pigtail" and a 12' quick connect extension hose ( http://www.gashosesandregulators.com/images/100395combo.jpg )
2. A 1/4" FIP to 3/8" Flare adaptor ( Buy 3/8" Flare x 1/4" FIP Brass Adapter )
3. A 1/8" to 1/4" Brass Pipe Bushing ( http://www.warrenpipe.com/hardware-store/scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=20155 )

Step #1: I removed the regulator from the Weber Q Grill (which left a 1/8" male threaded pipe end)
Step #2: I screwed the 1/8" to 1/4" brass pipe bushing onto the 1/8" male threaded pipe end on the Q grill
Step #3: I screwed the 1/4" FIP to 3/8" flare adaptor onto the 1/4" brass pipe bushing.
Step #4: I screwed the 3/8" flare nut end of the "Pigtail" onto the 3/8" flare adaptor.
Step #5: Ran the 12' quick connect extension hose from the quick connect value on the coach to the quick connect end of the pigtail.

Of course - each "screwed on" brass fitting joint needed to have a little "pipe dope" to do it right.

The 3 brass fittings and the pigtail are "permanently" installed on the grill. Future use simply requires running the 12' extension hose and making the connections at the two "quick connect" fittings.

 

The modifications worked like a charm!

 

Faced with making changes to a $200 grill vs making changes to the propane system on my far more expensive coach - tinkering with the $200 grill was a no brainer.

[G&K]

No pipe dope or PTFE tape on the flare fittings please. They are a metal to metal seal that doesn't need any help.

 

Just run some dish soap detergent over everything once you have it pressurized and make sure you don't have any bubbles.

 

Geo

[Yarome]

Our problem is that the Weber we have uses high pressure. Normal solution is to get rid of the regulator which Weber says we can't remove the regulator. We are going to contact them again to see if this is their "policy" or is it true. We interpret this item to be able to convert the low pressure to the high pressure Weber requires. I don't understand why the Mh mfg put in a low pressure line, very few barbeques use low pressure. I don't see a regulator in the picture and the wriote up doesn't mention a regulator. We are going to call them also.

 

Our other idea is to move the line to the high pressure side of the regulator.

 

Actually.. it is "low" pressure. Meaning.. lower regulated pressure than the pressure contained in your LP tanks.

 

It's yours.. you are free to modify it however you liked.

 

The item you linked to does not convert pressures. It is a quick connect line sans regulator. Since your LP lines are already pressure regulated at your tank it isn't necessary to use a second regulator. The hose that comes with it has a regulator because it is intended to be connected directly to an LP tank and wasn't specifically designed for RV use.

 

In a nutshell; you don't want to use the hose and regulator that came with your grill. You want to use the hose you linked to (no regulator) in order to connect your grill using a quick disconnect. If your RV does not currently have a quick disconnect plumbed into your lp lines then one will need to be added AFTER your RV's LP tank regulator.

[BigBus]

How about this :

 

http://www.amazon.com/Camco-59123-Propane-Brass-Port/dp/B0014JG7RQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1446172144&sr=1-1&keywords=camco+propane+brass+tee

[docj]

I have a Weber Q and an unused low pressure line that used to service my Norcold. I've considered converting the grill to run off the MH, but every time I look at the numbers I can't make it make any sense.

 

Here's the way I see it:

 

--At present I use one-pound LP cans. A two-pack costs $5-6 at Walmart. LP is roughly 4 lbs per gallon so I'm paying ~$10-12/gallon.

 

--The current price of propane ranges from $1.00-2.50/gal depending what state you're in and who you buy it from.

 

--Grilling is only one of many ways we prepare meals and I use no more than ~4-5 2-packs of LP per year (and that's a high estimate). So at most I'm using 2.5-3.0 gals/yr at a cost of <$36/yr.

 

--Over the course of a year I'm overpaying by ~$30-35 because I'm using the cans rather than bulk LP.

 

--Putting aside the cost of fittings and a hose, if I make the conversion I have to get a hose out each time and run it over to the grill from the connection in the basement which I think is less convenient than screwing on an LP can.

 

Unless I'm missing something, I can't see doing this just to save $30-35/yr. Maybe some people grill at lot more than we do, but at our usage rate the cost savings is too small to worry about. I drive a MH that gets ~8 mpg so the savings is equivalent to buying another ~12 gal of fuel or another 100 miles of driving. That's one percent of fuel cost this year--just not a big deal IMO.

[SpaceNorman]

DocJ,

 

I understand your rationale. For us, the decision to convert the grill to use the coach propane tank wasn't about cost savings.

 

We grill pretty regularly. It's our preferred method of preparing pretty much any type of meat - 2nd only to cooking over a campfire. It's not uncommon that we use it 4+ nights a week. We converted because we felt it helps us avoid a lot of inconvenience.

• The biggest reason was because way too many times I found myself getting excited about dinner and then discovering that it was only partially cooked because the canister had less propane left in it than I thought it did (... and with the little 1lb canisters - you're "low on fuel" the minute you screw on a new one! ).
• For us - it reduces waste. We found we tend to waste fuel with the 1lb cannisters (swapping them when we weren't sure there was going to be enough to cook the entire meal).
• Lastly, we converted because I found myself having to make too many last minute missions to pick up more propane because the extra canister I thought was there wasn't.

Our coach's auxillary quick connect propane connection is located behind a small access door on the curbside of the coach that provides a glimpse of the fresh water tank and houses the "house" water filter and the propane disconnect. I keep the hose right there ... so there's no digging to get it out. The cost savings is just the icing on the cake!

[Yarome]

Unless I'm missing something, I can't see doing this just to save $30-35/yr.

 

 

I understand your rationale.

 

My solution to the overpriced cost of 1lb bottles? Refill my own from a bulk tank at bulk prices.

 

Not exactly the one I use, but there are any number of them floating around and shouldn't cost more than $8-$10.

[SWharton]

We are not looking to save money, we have tried the small tanks and they run out at the worst times also refilling them isn't worth the effort for us. When we had a 5th we carried a squatty white tank, worked great. First time we tried to hook up to the propane line supplied in the MH we discovered the problem.

 

We are going to call Weber today, we don't want to dismantle our barbeque and have it in destroyed mode, unable to put it back together again. Last time I emailed Weber and may have worded the email wrong or else, as usual, whoever read the email didn't read the entire email. We are both going to be on the line this time.

 

If the MH mfg is going to supply a line for a barbeque it should be at the right pressure for a barbeque. It is not like these are specialty items.

 

Spacenorman thanks for understanding where we are coming from. I will look at whet you did, not too comfortable working around propane.

[ShuperDuty]

We had a 19’ TT years ago that came with an outside grill that hung on the side of the camper and hooked up to the low pressure LP line with a disconnect. The problem I had was the lack of heat made by this grill. It took an hour to cook a burger. I could hold my hand over the top of the grill. So, I don’t know if you will get the same performance out of you Weber when hooked up to a low pressure line.

Has anyone had success with doing this? If so, I would like to use the one I have on my current 5er.

[SWharton]

err

[docj]

We are not looking to save money, we have tried the small tanks and they run out at the worst times also refilling them isn't worth the effort for us.

 

Although this is a real concern, I minimize the problem by weighing them. When empty the tanks weigh about a pound and they're filled with a pound of propane. I have a small kitchen scale which I use for weighing them. I write the weight on the cans with a Sharpie and keep the nearly empty ones for when I don't expect to need much fuel. For example, it doesn't take much propane to grill steaks.

[Jack Mayer]

You are not going to get Weber to tell you to modify the grill. Too much liability.

 

Really, it is no big deal to take off the regulator. You MUST take off the regulator if you want to use your RV low pressure system. There is no alternative.

 

You CAN use a high pressure larger tank like a 20 lb cylinder and leave your grill intact. I would not do this, because it is inconvenient and a "one off". The best solution is the one you have been given....remove the regulator on your grill and be done with it. This does, however, mean your grill is not as portable as it once was. If you like to take your grill to other locations then leave it alone, fill small bottles, or use the high pressure solution with the larger tank. All those retain the greater portability.

[ShuperDuty]

 

I picked up a 10# LP tank because it is easier to lug around. Put it together with a tank stabilizer I found at Lowes so it wouldn’t roll around in the bed of the truck. And now I have a very portable gas grill. I still wish I could use the disconnect under my 5er for those times I would like to use my grill and also an outside burner.

I’m still a year or two away from full time, and then I’ll have to decide if this is “needed” or “stuff”.

[Bobi and Dick McKee]

On out Weber grill I simply unscrewed the regulator, went to a propane dealer and bought a 15'hose with a correct size fitting for the grill and a quick disconnect to match the one that came on the HH.

We've used it for 4 years with no problems.

[SWharton]

We have decided to remove our regulator and just limit the use of this barbecue to the MH. Thanks everyone.

[Retiredin1993]

I put a Tee before our MH regulator and have a quick disconnect and have no problems with our baby

Webber.

[SpaceNorman]

.... you did, not too comfortable working around propane.

 

I'm definitely not the "MacGyver" type - but this modification is one that I was pretty comfortable making. Everything I did was equivalent to screwing on a nut. As far as being worried about working around propane - you're really not. Assuming that your coach already has a "quick disconnect" connection that you're planning to connect to - you'll never be making any changes to anything that has propane in it while you're actually working on it. This is purely an "assembly" task (equivalent to putting a nut on a bolt). The hose and it's connections are commercially produced - all you're doing is basically screwing a couple of adaptors onto the threaded pipe that's left once you unscrew the existing regulator. It's about 10 minutes worth of work ... and that's if you're taking your sweet time. I spent more time digging out the adjustable wrench I needed to tighten things up than I did actually installing the two adaptors.

[stevec]

My Weber regulator is not removable. To replace regulator I must buy an assembly consisting of regulator, manifold and valves. All one peice. This was for Weber Q 320, think my Q100 is also not made to be disassembled. Aftermarket propane hook up (stay and play) is an easy install and then you can use a hose to connect your Q100 grill. I also have a 10 pound tank so can go either way.The arrangement I have also allows me to use an external propane tank for the RV. It is handy if staying where you do not wish to move theRV to get propane.

[SWharton]

Never thought the regulator wouldn't be removable. We are going to look into this next week. Having some work done so we have time on our hands.............

[bobk3d]

• etting excited about dinner and then discovering that it was only partially cooked because the canister had less propane left in it than I thought it did (... and with the little 1lb canisters - you're "low on fuel" the minute you screw on a new one! ).

 

No fooling, that annoys the heck out of me too, and I've been considering the conversion even for stationary use.

 

I'm in the planning stages for the same setup, and this is actually an issue I hadn't thought about. Yes, I guess there would be two regulators in the system if you used the standard conversion hose.

 

The catch is that the regulator on the grill is also your heat control, so bypassing it would lose that adjustment. While I'm not speaking from the experience of having done it, I'd think that connecting to the main LP tanks ahead of the regulator is the way to go.

[bobk3d]

BTW, another option I've considered is simply getting a separate 5lb or 10lb tank for the grill, if there's room to store it.