propane burner in a reverse flow

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Also to elaborate on one of my ideas... have a standard V RF plate with the middle 3rd removable and have your burner/deflector just above the RF plate. When you want to use the burner, remove that middle section, flip it to ^, and slide it to the bottom of the pipe. Again, you'd need to have gaps along the edges but when in normal RF mode that part would be the overlap and whats resting on the solid RF sections. This idea requires you to move parts depending on what you want to do but when in RF mode you'll have normal space underneath so no airflow restriction or hinderance from the burner, and when in burner mode, you'd have the grease away from the burner.
 
I was thinking the top view of the plate would look something like this, and I would loose a lil bit of grill area on the right side. Red being the pipe burner and the deflector plates not shown.

Having another plate seperating the grease from the burner is a good ideal,  I was thinking sliceing some sections from 6 inch pipe  might work better than angle,  I could do the same with the top deflector, just have to use much bigger pipe or roll a piece.

Its starting to look more promising , thats for sure.   Im thinking this might work ,,,,

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Looks good... my only concern is enough space for airflow and RF opening. You could almost just have the RF sections end several inches away (except for maybe a damn at the very bottom to prevent drainage overflow from going in) and maybe also not have your deflector plate solid on that end just to help that little bit more as well.
 
 
Just to elaborate on my last idea, and using your first image... the green is the removable section while in RF mode and the blue would be the removable plate flipped for the grease drain while in burner mode.

 
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I think I need to change the firebox end, or it will have a hot spot hitting that plate, it will need to be a v shape , or rounded.

I think this will fall into place when I start fabricating, I just like to have all the basic problems worked out and material list sorted out.

But I am liking this, especially how it will give me full length grates with out choking the reverse end. I think as long as I have more sq inches at the reverse flow end than the firebox opening, it should flow good.

Who know, sometimes you just have to build it and see what she does....right?
 
I see where your at with the depth of the trough and keeping the grease away. Have you thought about cleaning...not the grease but the bits and pieces that are sure to accumulate? Just a thought. Is the "deflector removeable?
 
I'm thinking the center piece that spans the two reverse flow channels would be removable , just sitting on top there. as well as the flame deflector above the burner.  I'm thinking of using perforated metal or slotting the center piece with the plasma to let the heat through along with the occasional flair up that you want with a gas grill.

What do you think?
 
Here's mine
  • Test run no RF plate
  • This burner was made removable.
  • Locking plate.


Reverse Flow plate installed.I only have one pic but the way it is designed is there's a plate with a hole for the pipe then there's a 1/3rd piece of black pipe that angles upward from the bottom of the pit to just below the circle in the plate.

This allows me to THREAD the burner in place if it is removed.


Hope this helps.

  • Full blast no RF Plate yet.
  • Drain/Intake hole in bottom I added this for two reasons, First was to drain and 2nd was for extra air intake if needed, I was afraid the flame would choke under the RF plate.

Log Lighter, this s removable as well

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Thanks SQWIB

Looks good and I have a simular burner in #19, 

But Im trying to do something different with this one, so as it actually performs more like a gas grill.  #19 gets plenty hot with the propane rod, but the reverse flow plate does not allow for that occasional flair up that your get from a real grill.  Thats why I want the burner above it, ..or what Im thinking I want.

Who know, but we will find out here soon, got everything ordered for it yesterday.
 
Thanks SQWIB

Looks good and I have a simular burner in #19, 

But Im trying to do something different with this one, so as it actually performs more like a gas grill.  #19 gets plenty hot with the propane rod, but the reverse flow plate does not allow for that occasional flair up that your get from a real grill.  Thats why I want the burner above it, ..or what Im thinking I want.

Who know, but we will find out here soon, got everything ordered for it yesterday.
Mine does at around 400 degrees.

I'll see if I can get a pic doing burgers or something.
 
I have a propane burner that sits on top of the reverse flow plate in my 120 gal trailer cooker. I have a removable 5 in wide 1/4 plate that is raised on "legs" above the burner to deflect the grease and also "spread the heat" a little. I can get the grill hot enough to cook steaks, and have never had a fire as I can remove the burner and top plate for cleaning if needed, but you have to be very careful if you try to lower the flame to "supplement" the fire box during a smoke, as the whole principal of "retaining heat and smoke" works against having enough secondary oxygen to support a clean burn. Worst case is the burner goes out, and spews propane into a hot cooking chamber and wait there for a little spark.... Only time it happened to me was in the test burn phase, and I no longer use it in conjunction with the smoker.... 
 
 
Lots of prices and parts to fit up, but it seems to make sense to me. Maybe q.d. the propane hookup to encourage unhooking it when not in use noting the potential danger SQUIB pointed out ( nice work there btw, SQUIB)
 
I can see having the burner go out, Usually in my large pits, its used to pre-heat or to keep warm after the cooking session. Ive never ran it with a good size fire going.

Got me thinking though, .....I'll probably go with an oversized drain valve, this will help pull in o2 from the bottom of the tank when running the burner, and it will need to be open anyways to keep the grease from building up.
 
Also, every pipe burner Ive ever made has been high pressure, and Im leaning towards that on this one as well, ..but.. gas grills are always low pressure, and Im not sure why??  I get good heat control with high pressure, do you think its just to regulate the BTU so as not to melt the thin grills they make?
 
Just a thought, but, if you plumbed in 3 or 4 drains, spaced down the entire length of the burner ( all connected to a single large valve for grease capture ) you would possibly have better air distribution for all of the flame??? I am toying around with a sliding vent system that is right above the reverse flow plate on mine to accomplish the same thing. ( close it up when using the fire box for smoke and open when I want to grill at higher temps )
 
I have thought about the sliding vent ideal as well....would be my second option. .........I aslo thought about very small holes in the reverse flow plate simular to the new infrared grills, and not having an opening on the reverse end......  But..... I like the smoke to come down onto the meat rather than up through it.....thats why I like the reverse flow design to begin with.
 
So, I decided to go with my design and see what she will do...

Got a cooking chamber cut open and install a dampner , I never felt a need to put one in before, but for this project I felt it might have an advantage. Didnt turn out too bad for my first one.

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