Burners for finisher

[Ragged View]

I am making/having made a 16x24 finisher, similar to the manufactured ones, w a dual burner setup. The more I look into burners, the less I seem to know. The manufactured ones of that size, as I recall, have adjustable regulators, which from the sales info I read on the interweb leads me to believe that they are high pressure. But I could be wrong.
I would like to buy the burner & regulator, if not the hoses & valves, from the same outfit. Anybody dealt with a knowledgeable human out there? I don't want to spend more than I need to but am also not looking to cheap out.

Maybe what I am asking is will 2 low pressure burners w a preset regulator be a good setup?

Additionally, what is the correct way to run/regulate the burners? The tank valve is wide open. Then there might be an adjustable regulator (only if high pressure?), the inline valves to the individual burners and the shutters on the burner. That's at least 2 and possibly 3 ways to adjust.
Thanks for any help.
Mark

[Ragged View]

Also, is a $20 burner better than a $10 burner?
Thanks,
Mark

[maple flats]

Go by the BTU ratings. The finisher Leader makes at 16" x 34" has 2 burners @ 60,000 BTU each. For a 16 x 24 you may want a total of about 70% of that, or about 84,000 BTU total/2 in about 42,000 each. When I had a 16 x 4 finisher I never fired it at max. so you might be good at a little less. If it is too big, you can slow it, but if too slow you can't turn it hotter that it's design BTU's. I would suggest somewhere between 2 @ 45,000 and 2 @ 35,000. If you look at Agri Supply they offer several and each will either come with a regulator or will specify which is needed.

[Locust Farms]

you may try this site.
http://www.tejassmokers.com/castironburners.htm

[Ragged View]

Thanks.
I spoke w Tejas and sent them pix in an email (w my phone #) on 2/13. Have heard nothing yet. I may just say the heck w it & go w Agri Supply. Their Low Pressure burner they rate @ 70k BTU. Another website says the burner has no inherent rating, it depends on the regulator.
http://www.cajun-outdoor-cooking.com/610-cajun-classic-short-stem-low-pressure-cast-iron-fry-burner.htm
This is a "low pressure" burner and they suggest a 10 psi regulator but do not say what heat output that would generate. They have a dual tank set up w a regulator "preset" @ 10 psi that they describe as high pressure!
Typical internet sales I am afraid, lots of info but not much in the way of straight answers.

It would be nice to know if here are different quality burners & whether they perform differently.

I'll figure something out.
Mark

[SDdave]

Ragged View,

I had ordered from the Cajun outdoor website and had good luck. If you do buy the burners alone (without hoses and regulator) you WILL have to order the orifices. I had a propane company fab a burner system out for me (black pipe, hose, regulator, what nots). They told me that propane is high pressure and natural gas is low pressure. I think like 11 water column vs. 4 or 5? water column. And like Cajun they said the BTU's depends on orifice and regulator size. Just all depends on how much you want to burn. The propane company did have a chart with BTU ratings with orifice size and regulator PSI.

Hope it helps and have a great season.

SDdave

[TommyPancakes]

I'm trying to figure my setup here too but I can speak to the burners. I use both low and high pressure burners from Agrisupply. the high is good for wide open operation. You can dial back the fuel but they then burn dirty and tend to blow out. The low pressure one on the other hand still burns hot but can be controlled a lot better. I use them in an all grain brewing system i have fabricated.

They sell your regulators and are great to deal with. Cajun has some really nice control valves if your plumbing into black pipe or whatever. As the nice lady who answers there phone says "you can boil mud bugs or make a cup of tea with it sugar". ;)

On an unrelated note check out the dot thermometers from http://www.thermoworks.com/products/alarm/dot.html

[Ragged View]

Just a followup on what I did. I bought from Tejas Smokers. Good to deal with, pricier than some places. I like to think I got good value, hard to tell.
I went w the low pressure burners "LPCAST"(http://gashosesandregulators.com/castironburners.html)and the Low Pressure Propane Regulator Duo Combo double hose & valves. I mounted the burners the recommended 4" below the bottom of the finisher & that worked well. Plenty of heat.
I will do something more permanent about casters and a tank shelf before next year1172111722
The complete pan & stand were built for me by a local welder, Brendan Newton. He is interested in doing more of them. He is good to work with. 603-470-3265.
Thanks for all the input.
Mark