Increasing heat for a gas grill

[pmarc]

By the way would you disadvise me boring out the orifices greater than the 14%?

 

[bill1]

The orifice diameters do NOT scale with pressure drop!!!! As I said, use the chart, extrapolate for 6 vs 7 and that difference works out to an optimal size a couple mils (.001") large than you have. The drill that would enlarge your holes by that small an amount does not exist. SO DO NOT DRILL THEM. You could use a wooden toothpick I suppose. But it sounds like you've already decided on a new grill.
I can see the picture fine. I am "surprised" by the spacing of the holes, and hence the design of the burner, but given that, the flame height looks reasonable. And it could be an optical illusion thing, but the flame does not look fully developed circumstantially on the inner burner??? Like there's no blue flame in the front, away from the feed? If that is true, yes there is a gas problem.

 

[schlotz]

Agree with getting a new grill at this point. Stay with a well known brand. Remember, you usually get what you pay for....

 

[pmarc]

The orifice diameters do NOT scale with pressure drop!!!! As I said, use the chart, extrapolate for 6 vs 7 and that difference works out to an optimal size a couple mils (.001") large than you have. The drill that would enlarge your holes by that small an amount does not exist. SO DO NOT DRILL THEM. You could use a wooden toothpick I suppose. But it sounds like you've already decided on a new grill.
I can see the picture fine. I am "surprised" by the spacing of the holes, and hence the design of the burner, but given that, the flame height looks reasonable. And it could be an optical illusion thing, but the flame does not look fully developed circumstantially on the inner burner??? Like there's no blue flame in the front, away from the feed? If that is true, yes there is a gas problem.

 

[pmarc]

I ran it again, after sun down and the burners generate the same flame. BUT!!! I just noticed an oddity with the control knob . The outer burner's flame rises and diminishes as you adjust the knob. As you'd expect. And incrementally from low to high. But the inside burner TURNS OFF completely at a certain point! And sometimes turns back on as you reverse the knob's direction. Sometimes, not. And remember, there's only one knob for both burners. I never noticed this because when I'm cooking the food and the grate obscure the burners. There's about a 50/50 chance I can re-light the inner burner by toggling the control knob. This is somewhat fixed by merely turning the unit to high and keeping it that way. Edit: Fuego’s reply to this says its normal, for this grill:

“Anywhere between the 3 o'clock position (off) and 12 o'clock position (high) should have both burners going with 12 o'clock being the strongest. Once you turn the control knob to over the the left side, 9 o'clock to 11 o'clock position would be just the outside burner (inner burner is off)". And my response to this feature - I'd love to meet the Einstein who designed it.


THANX EVERYONE. YOUR MISSION - TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM BLOWING THEMSELVES UP - WAS ACHIEVED. THANK YOU!

 

[bill1]

...But the inside burner TURNS OFF completely at a certain point! And sometimes turns back on as you reverse...

I had no idea this grill with two burners with two orifices only had a single control knob. When the inner burner goes off, but then comes back on, it's because the gas is building up until it "explodes" into lighting again. That is not all that safe. It could be that if you had 7 inchWC instead of 6 that "feature" may not be as prominent or gone completely. Still, commercial gas appliances should be designed to have a greater operating range than that!
I normally suggest to people on this forum to "use it up and wear it out"...heck, it's the way my Folks raised me. But this Fuego sounds like a poorly designed product to me. If you have the resources to replace it with a Weber or something reputable, that's certainly my suggestion.

 

[pmarc]

Thinking the same. The 6 pressur

I had no idea this grill with two burners with two orifices only had a single control knob. When the inner burner goes off, but then comes back on, it's because the gas is building up until it "explodes" into lighting again. That is not all that safe. It could be that if you had 7 inchWC instead of 6 that "feature" may not be as prominent or gone completely. Still, commercial gas appliances should be designed to have a greater operating range than that!
I normally suggest to people on this forum to "use it up and wear it out"...heck, it's the way my Folks raised me. But this Fuego sounds like a poorly designed product to me. If you have the resources to replace it with a Weber or something reputable, that's certainly my suggestion.

 

[pmarc]

Was thinking the same that the 6 is too low for burner 2 to be stable but I can avoid the problem by never allowing it to go off. Noting a little bit beyond 12:00 the knob turns it off. I could also make a “stop” to limit the knob’s range.

 

[pmarc]

Was thinking the same that the 6 is too low for burner 2 to be stable but I can avoid the problem by never allowing it to go off. Noting a little bit beyond 12:00 the knob turns it off. I could also make a “stop” to limit the knob’s range.

 

[bill1]

Was thinking the same that the 6 is too low for burner 2 to be stable but I can avoid the problem by never allowing it to go off. Noting a little bit beyond 12:00 the knob turns it off. I could also make a “stop” to limit the knob’s range.

Sounds good. I certainly use a lot of work-arounds myself. But how hot can it get now when keeping the lid closed? Not enough heat is what started your concern with this thread, right?

 

[pmarc]

Sounds good. I certainly use a lot of work-arounds myself. But how hot can it get now when keeping the lid closed? Not enough heat is what started your concern with this thread, right?

Well since I'm not turning off anything LOL it gets to 400 deg in 4 min and 550 deg in 5 min. Given another 5 min it'll get even hotter.

 

[bill1]

The primary charm of gas grills is grilling...putting a sear on a steak. What counts there is the temperature of the grill grates, not so much the ambient temperature of the air which is passing through. 550 is hotter than I can easily get my pellet grill (and it takes longer than 5 mins to get there) and yet it's my go-to cooker for anything up to hamburgers. Why not buy a couple of steaks and see if you don't have a satisfactory grill now? Take 5 minutes to heat it up (and sanitize things) put on your steaks for 5 minutes (leaving the lid closed) then flip them over and take internal readings every two minutes until you get the internal temp (130-150F) you like. A couple of these make that easy to do without opening the lid.

FANTAST meat thermometer/timer, digital black - IKEA

FANTAST meat thermometer/timer, digital black Magnet on back - sticks to a refrigerator etc.

www.ikea.com

 

[pmarc]

I test with my thumb. I’m not worrying about losing 50 deg upon lifting the lid - you’re right the grates temp doesnt change much.

Actually I’m a wood-fired griller not a gas guy., But wood is an art and very challenging. Gets tiring for just a few ppl - not worth it. You can barely talk to your friends managing the wood, esp if the friends arent gathering at your fire. You cant leave the fire for long. So Now with just me n the wife its gas time.

But Monday I have a men-only gathering. (8 of us). So I’m using my steel firepit . I construct a tee pee of 3 electrical conduit lengths tied at the top and hang a 10 lb rump for 6 hrs over the pit. I also have a Patagonian cross… I pin a pig to it and roast a couple feet from the wood fire.

The correct rubric for wood-fired is “primatve cooking“. You throw only salt on the meat. Zip. Nothing else. No bbq sauce or anything, even at the table. Because the wood flavors the meat. And I’m not talking about smoke, which you avoid creating at all costs. Argentinians dont like smoked food. This is an entirely arcane method very unfamiliar with americans. Thats why its so cool to do. Guests are always intrigued. Its a great show. I’ll post tee pee videos here , next week.