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Greenthumb
01-25-2014, 07:13 AM
We bought a new stove for our house this winter. I took the old one to the sugar shack and thought I would use the burners to finish our sryup. I had been using a turkey fryer to heat sap to finish on a pan after it came off the half pint. My question is how to convert a old stove to lp. It is set up for natural gas. It a 20 year old stove so I don't know if I can get parts do I need to convert if all I'm doing is using the burners


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lpakiz
01-25-2014, 07:23 AM
I am sure that to convert, you need to change every gas orifice. Our new range came set up for natural gas, along with a kit to convert. The kit was nothing more than all the different orifices. Sorry, can't tell you if they were bigger or smaller, nor by how much. Was not a big job to unscrew the NG orifices and re-install the LP orifices. Perhaps the appliance store that handle that brand could find what you need, even if the range is obsolete.
The actual orifices are just brass sleeve, threaded on the outside and a specific hole size on the inside. Every different BTU burner had its own special sized orifice, and the oven and broiler also. They are about the size of a pencil eraser.

twin6
01-25-2014, 02:59 PM
I'll second that. Gas stoves are sold new with both sets of nozzles, and once the stove is set up, the nozzles not used just go on a shelf or more likely, get tossed (at least by the homeowner). You might try contacting an appliance repairman and see if you could get a set for nothing. We've moved our old gas stove into the sugarhouse for finishing, and have rigged up a BBQ grill tank with regulator, and a fitting I scrounged. IIRC, natural gas has fewer BTU's than LP, so the orifice is larger. Good luck - I hope you can find a set for free, a key part of having fun in the world of DIY sugaring.

lpakiz
01-25-2014, 03:25 PM
Twin6,
Do you know if these orifices were all made the same to the same specs by every manufacturer? I mean, were they interchangeable from one brand of appliance to another? Or did each manufacturer make their own size, shape, diameter and thread, only with the appropriate orifice size?

Paperman
01-25-2014, 03:41 PM
NG will have a larger orifice than the LP. Hooker up and try it. You may have to dial it down more. You can buy orfices but you don't know what size it would need for LP.

herman
01-25-2014, 10:47 PM
depends on the age ofour old stove, the LP orifice might be taped underneath or inside a back panel.

lpakiz
01-25-2014, 11:15 PM
Again, I converted our new range several years ago. I changed all 5 surface burners, the broiler as well as the oven orifices.
That's 7 orifices to change. But there could be a zip-lock bag taped to the unit with the LP orifices. I don't know about "dialing it down" if you mean the regulator pressure. If it were that easy, manufacturers wouldn't supply 2 types of orifices.

jpcole
01-26-2014, 06:37 AM
There are a few different things to consider when converting a stove to LP. LP runs at a higher pressure so you will need the correct regulator set at the correct pressure. Some stoves come with regulators that are convertible. The orifices will also need to be changed or adjusted. LP uses a smaller orifice due to the high pressure. You may want to talk to a appliance repair person help you or have them convert it. LP is nothing to play with.

Paperman
01-26-2014, 07:25 AM
My thought behind the size difference was due to LP having more btu per unit than NG. The mfg rates a burner at a certain btu output they need to reduce the amount of NG delivered to match the btu of LP. Delivery pressure doesn't mean a whole lot as the dial meters the pressure down stream, the actual pressure the orifice sees. I'm not advocating this is the correct way to run but if you are simply using it for finishing and can't find the correct parts, try it.

Sugarmaker
01-26-2014, 08:01 AM
Same theme but different:
Friend had removed a full size electric 30 inch stove from his camp and was going to bulldoze it under. I scrounged it from him and he also gave me a roll of heavy #8 wire wire for it. So that was a project I did after Christmas week. I had to purchase a 50 amp breaker and a range female plug. All the burners work and it is a glass top unit. We now have a place to make confections a lot easier and safer than a hot plate. Nice to make improvements to the sugaring operation!
Sorry for highjacking the NG now LP stove thread I know this did not help:)
Regards,
Chris