On Tue, 05 Jul 2005 08:43:19 GMT, "Darek Fisk"
wrote:

I would like to ask for an advice on installing a needle valve (made for
LPG) in to BBQ.
I need to lower the temp on my BBQ from about 275F (present min setting)
down to 225F to do some slow cooking. By opening tank valve with knob-valves
open I can trip safety on my tank regulator in to slow flow what gives me
about 180F but it is non adjustable and can not be increased. I am thinking
about installing needle valve (have one) but I am not sure if this let me
adjust the propane flow so I can regulate temperature in the range lower
than my present minimum. And where would be the better place to install the
needle valve - between the tank and the existing fixed regulator (high
pressure side) or between existing fixed regulator and the knob valves (low
pressure side)?
Thank you for response.

Well, if you were to use the same burners then the needle valve should
be placed after the the regulator and before the valve in the BBQ.
But, the burners and valves are made to operate at a minimum pressure.
The gas must exit the orofice with sufficient velocity to mix properly
with the air. If the gas moves too slow then the flame won't burn very
clean. Can you instead remove one of the orofices and shrink the hole?
It probably has a brass orofice. Using a small ball bearing placed
over the hole and tapping it gently with a hammer will reduce the
orofice diameter. If it was me, I'd go to the store and buy a cheap,
small BBQ and remove the burner and valve assembly. Then, mounting
this assembly in you larger BBQ should give you a burner system
designed to have a lower BTU output and still burn properly. Also,
since you would be using a complete system there should be less chance
of the burner blowing out at the low setting, which could, and
probably will in a windy spot, happen if you run the larger burners
much lower than their designed output. If you don't think any of these
solutions can be done by yourself and still insure safety then maybe
an electric burner would be best for you to use.
ERS