Converting Stove for LPG

[fido]

I just wondered if any of you have experience in re-jetting a stove to run on bottled gas, for example butane / propane mix, instead of methane? Am I right in thinking the jets are smaller for LPG? If this is the case it means you can't just drill them out slightly (assuming suitable drills were available).

At the moment I'm using a stove that I think must be wrongly jetted, although it was already set up with a regulator for bottled gas when I bought it secondhand. The minimum size flame is too big for normal simmering and I also get soot forming on the bottom of the pans. It is an obsure brand called Gala so I don't think there is any chance of buying conversion jets. I remember seeing gas stoves for sale in UK with the LPG jets included but here in Hungary / Croatia you have to pay quite a lot extra for them. It would be good if I could just buy any stove I liked the look of and then jet it up for the bottled gas. I am in a small village with no mains gas and the electric supply to the house does not have the current capacity to run an electric cooker.

 

[stevet]

LPG gets smaller orifices

Because LP gas usually runs at a higher pressure than Natural gas, the orifices are correspondingly smaller. LP usually runs at 10"W.C.(water column) and Nat gas at 3.5" w.c. At least on this side of the pond. So if your stove came originally jetted for Nat gas, and you are running on LP, then yes, even at a minimum level, you would have way too much gas coming out of the burner and soot is one of the results of that. It can get rather messy in the oven as the soot can accumulate very quickly and will take a long time to clean up and will make a mess of the over bottom and most likely the burner as well.

You may want to check with the company that can supply you the bottled gas. Sometimes they can do the re-jetting for you or contact the manufacturer and see if they can sell you the proper orifices.

The other possibility is that your appliance is set up for LP as but the regulator is not properly adjusted or it is missing so you are getting full pressure out of the tank which can cause similar problems.

 

[norgeway]

Most American Ranges

Have adjustable orifices. all you do is take a wrench and turn them in all the way for propane, but I don't know about non American ranges, it is a simple adjustment, I have done it many times.

 

[fido]

Thanks, I had not thought of trying a different regulator but will give that a go in case the one on the stove is faulty or whatever.

 

[fido]

It looks like I have found the answer by looking at Ebay listings for jets. It appears they have pretty much standardised the thread size etc on European cookers and mine are that type (M6 x 0.75mm with 7mm AF hexagon). Ironically the supplier is in Hungary but sells on Ebay US and UK. Even if the set of jets for conversion do not do the trick they can be used on a new cooker to convert it. If I buy a new one I will probably go for the dual fuel type with electric oven.

 

[fido]

Oven

Well, I fitted the new jets to the hob and then wondered if one of the old ones would be the right size to convert the oven. I had never checked out the oven but it also runs too hot and makes soot. It is just as well I took off the burner cover today though, as there was a large build up of soot under it. I cleaned that out, put the cover back and fitted a jet from one of the medium size hob burners. I tried it but I'm still getting orange flames coming up out of holes in the cover. I think what must have happened is the edge of the burner has rusted away at the seam where 2 sheet steel pressings meet and gas is coming from the resulting gap. I might see if I can repair the burner by welding, otherwise the stove is probably destined for the scrap heap.