Building a brewstand - propane manifold questions..

[riored4v]

Starting to feel more confused the more I read. Seems like some people are using 1/2", some 1/4", some have mixed pieces. And there is me.. a total rookie with building anything propane related and not wanting to mess this up.

The build is pretty simple. Three BG-14 burners. All manually controlled.

Looking to build a manifold likely out of black steel pipe to attach to the brewstand.

I was thinking of doing a 90* off the burner but it looks like that might add alot of cost ($15 for each fitting), so I'll likely just run the hose off the burner, down to a needle valve that will attach to the manifold, and then a regulator to attach to the bottle.

Could someone help link me to all the parts needed for this?

 

[ianw58]

Honestly? Lowe's!

I went to Lowe's a couple of Saturdays ago with the orifice from the burner and a sketch. I borrowed a propane connection from the BBQ department and went back to the plumbing/piping section. 20 minutes later (and $100) I had everything I needed from the propane bottle to the burners, including clamps to fix the whole shebang to my new rig.

The parts included black iron, valves, flexible metal hoses, joints, tees, and a couple of rolls of the yellow gas line Teflon tape.

 

[NWAleDad]

Honestly? Lowe's!

I went to Lowe's a couple of Saturdays ago with the orifice from the burner and a sketch. I borrowed a propane connection from the BBQ department and went back to the plumbing/piping section. 20 minutes later (and $100) I had everything I needed from the propane bottle to the burners, including clamps to fix the whole shebang to my new rig.

The parts included black iron, valves, flexible metal hoses, joints, tees, and a couple of rolls of the yellow gas line Teflon tape.

That is exactly what I did when I built the gas system for my stand. Grab the Acme nut from the BBQ section and take the pieces back to the fittings section and piece it together.

 

[riored4v]

Honestly? Lowe's!

I went to Lowe's a couple of Saturdays ago with the orifice from the burner and a sketch. I borrowed a propane connection from the BBQ department and went back to the plumbing/piping section. 20 minutes later (and $100) I had everything I needed from the propane bottle to the burners, including clamps to fix the whole shebang to my new rig.

The parts included black iron, valves, flexible metal hoses, joints, tees, and a couple of rolls of the yellow gas line Teflon tape.

I went to Home Depot the other night and it wasn't very productive. They didn't stock the regulator, they didn't carry needle valves, and the guys couldnt direct me as to what size piping and stuff I should be needing.

 

[ianw58]

I went to Home Depot the other night and it wasn't very productive. They didn't stock the regulator, they didn't carry needle valves, and the guys couldnt direct me as to what size piping and stuff I should be needing.

You're right. Lowe's doesn't carry needle valves. I used a pair of ball valves. With my regulator and the ball valves, I actually get great control.

I set things up for 1/2" lines.

The staff isn't very helpful. Bt,then, I get my kicks in figuring it out for myself with all the options they have for me to choose from.

 

[riored4v]

Are ball valves better than needle valves for control? Which regulator did you go with? I'm also curious which clamps you used to attach it the manifold to the stand?

My biggest concern the sizing of everything. I had read some posts saying 1/2" would cause a loss in pressure and effect the flame, but then it also seemed like most people were using 1/2", sooo...... haha! Thats where my confusion started to kick in.

Looks like my burners should finally be here Friday, so I can take orifce down to Lowe's with my to find some adapters to run the 1/2" flex hose off of.

 

[ianw58]

Needle valves offer more control than ball valves, but, with my regulator, I have found that I don't need the additional control or expense.

Whe I get home, I'll take some photos of the gas plumbing on my rig.

More later...

 

[ianw58]

Loss of pressure going from 3/8" to 1/2" black iron? Yep. But this is pretty much a closed system. The pressure loss is not noticed at the orifice.

The clamps are just 1/2" metal straps. 10 for a couple of bucks.

Pictures...

The burner with battery BBQ sparker...

 

[ianw58]

The flex hose to the burner and the valve coming off the manifold...

The adjustable regulator from my Home Depot Turkey Fryer Burner is on the ground under my filtered water tap.

 

[ianw58]

The manifold...

 

[ianw58]

The strap...

 

[riored4v]

Thanks for all the pics/info. I might end up going this route myself with the 1/2 pipe and ball valves.