[passlaku]

I have this burner stand:


and this natural gas outlet:




What would I have to buy to be able to use this burner with the natural gas outlets available at my house?  Thanks for the help.

[tom]

The orifices for natural gas are larger than propane.  This can be in the individual burners or the inlet.  They can be drilled out (#56 drill size?, I'm not sure) or replaced.

Natural gas is at a much lower pressure than propane so you'll need a larger diameter and shorter supply hose than the typical propane hose.  Check out this chart for the proper size:  http://www.firelogs.com/GasLine.htm

[dcbc]

I can't tell if that's a Hurricane/Banjo burner or the smaller type of outdoor propane burner.  If it's the former, you can buy the orifice for NG from Williams brewing and it will work.  I used 3/4" air hose rated for 200 psi from grainger and cobbled together fittings to attach it to my brew stand.  On my gas line, I screwed in a quick disconnect fitting for NG south of the shut off valve and have the other QD on my air hose.  The air hose is very thick and won't collapse even with my standing on it.  Works like a charm and I have been really pleased with the upgrade.  On my stand, my gas line goes down to 3/8" for about 3'.  My gas pipe is 3/4" from the meter about 20 feet to the edge of the garage and another 12' of hose to the stand.  Plenty of volume as it worked out.

[kramerog]

The propane hose has a pressure drop thingy so that the pressure drops from the high pressure in the tank to a usable low pressure.  You don't need that with natural gas as it is already low pressure.

I think you are better off starting from scratch.  Achieving the proper mix of air to gas depends on the size of the line going into the venturi and the the size of the air inlets in the venturi.  My hunch is the adjustability of the size of the air inlets will work with natural gas, but not well; ideally you would want to increase the size of the line rather than decreasing the size of the air inlets.

Drilling larger holes in the burner may increase the overall heat output but won't effect the proper mix.

[passlaku]

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice, which is why I really like this forum.  I spoke with the local bbq shop/green egg seller and he advised me to avoid natural gas because he said that the BTUs achieved by natural gas are simply not enough.  According to him, it'll take a very long time to get a 5 gallon batch up to a boil.  I don't quite believe him but I suppose that simply buying a propane tank will be much cheaper than replacing the burner on that little stand, buying a new NG regulator, etc. 

[tom]

Seriously?  I am at 5280 feet and my NG works just fine.

I boiled a 13 gallon batch of doppelbock this weekend.  A 10-jet NG burner costs  http://www.bayouclassicdepot.com/618ng-10-jet-natural-gas-jet-burner.htm

Not having to buy propane in the middle of a brew?  Priceless.

[tubercle]

Seriously?  I am at 5280 feet and my NG works just fine.

I boiled a 13 gallon batch of doppelbock this weekend.  A 10-jet NG burner costs  http://www.bayouclassicdepot.com/618ng-10-jet-natural-gas-jet-burner.htm

Not having to buy propane in the middle of a brew?  Priceless.

 I don't run out of propane in the middle of a brew because I have two 100 lb tanks. Use one until it goes empty and switch then get the empty one filled..

 Not having to lug those heavy ba$turds around, now that is priceless. 

 The sad part is I got NG for gas logs , furnance and cook stove. I don't know why I don't tap in

[passlaku]

Seriously?  I am at 5280 feet and my NG works just fine.

I boiled a 13 gallon batch of doppelbock this weekend.  A 10-jet NG burner costs  http://www.bayouclassicdepot.com/618ng-10-jet-natural-gas-jet-burner.htm

Not having to buy propane in the middle of a brew?  Priceless.

With that burner do you only have to hook up the hose (from the house outlet to the burner) to it with no regulator necessary?  Do you really have to have that burner 12" from the pot because it is way too hot?  Again thanks for the response.

[SiameseMoose]

I use NG, and am completely satisfied. Yes, it is a little slower than propane, but not that much. However, I use a larger burner than what you have:

At this size, with NG it puts out 90,000 btu, while the propane version puts out 92,000 btu. Not a significant difference in my book. I can bring 10 gallons to a boil in about 25 minutes. I have a 10' hose connecting it to the pipe outlet. I believe this is restricting my flow somewhat, but it was cheap (closeout NG conversion kit for a grill).
Burner positioning from the kettle is specified to maximize heat transfer. You need space for complete combustion, and the hottest part is the tip of the flame. The line that "Please note: Make SURE your pot is a minimum of 12 inches from the tips of the natural gas brass jets! They will melt your pot!!!!" is total hyperbole.

[tom]

With that burner do you only have to hook up the hose (from the house outlet to the burner) to it with no regulator necessary?  Do you really have to have that burner 12" from the pot because it is way too hot?  Again thanks for the response.

As SM said, hyperbole.  Mine are about 4-5" below the pot.
Natural gas is very low pressure so you only need a valve to control the output.  I use needle valves and others use ball valves.  Because of the low pressure you want to minimize any resistance in the gas line (don't use really tiny or long hoses).  I have some 3/4" black pipe with couplings and a flexible hose to connect to the house gas line out back.

[kramerog]

The true limit to how fast you can safely boil 10 gal of water indoors is how good your ventilation is, not the fuel.  It is not good when your CO meter reads 200 ppm (mine did that once).  The OSHA limit is 50 ppm, but OSHA wants to lower it to 35 ppm.