Propane kettle conversion for pizza . Building a burner .

[chopsaw]

I've been tossing around pizza oven ideas for awhile now . I had some pipe parts from tables I've been building .
So I thought I would build the burner .
I have some experience with gas piping , but I'm thinking I should ask , or show someone that knows about this stuff what I have going .
You know , before I blow something up . Like myself .
Basic idea . 15 inch pizza stone goes in the middle .
I was going to buy a venturi from Tejas , but they are out of stock .
So I made that set up just to see if it would burn .

Burner will be let into the side of the kettle , then an opening cut in the lid .

3/4 pipe , 1/8 " holes drilled 1/2 " apart .
The hose is from a turkey fryer . Has an adjustable regulator on it .
Says for use with high pressure propane tank , but i need to check the package .
I took it outside and cautiously lit it . So bright I can't see the flame .
I'm not pushing it , had the regulator at about half . I can hear parts of the burner are lit and parts are going out and relighting .
So I finally figured , it's wide open to the air . As long as it doesn't burn back should be ok .
I opened everything up full , tank and max pressure on the reg . Put the kettle lid on at an angle .
Still can't see the flame , buy it's rippin' . That lid gauge pegged left to right in the blink of an eye .

I'm sure there is some ratio for the number of holes / size to pressure ,, maybe .
I just figured I better slow down and find out if I'm over looking something .
Might try to relight it when it starts getting dark so I can see what going on .
If you see any concerns from what I've posted , I'd love to hear them .
Thanks .

 

[SmokyMose]

My first thought is that 1/8" is too big and 1/2" apart is too close.
Second thought is that you need fewer holes at the bottom of the horseshoe and more towards the ends. You need an even
pressure all around and most of the gas is going out the middle before it gets to the ends.
Third thought is be the hell careful Rich!
I worked HVAC many years ago and have a healthy "respect" for gas, especially propane.
Get yourself a pizza oven if you want one....
Dan

 

[motocrash]

As long as it doesn't burn back should be ok .

Yes.

I'm sure there is some ratio for the number of holes / size to pressure ,, maybe .

Yes.

I just figured I better slow down and find out if I'm over looking something .

Yes.

 

[chopsaw]

I worked HVAC many years ago and have a healthy "respect" for gas,

Me too . Got a call for " noise when furnace comes on " I thought it was the duct work flexing when the blower started . Set it to call for heat . Waited , waited . Nothing . Furnace was in a laundry room , bottom fired burner . I walk in there and kneel down to have a look . I smelled the gas . Too late . Boom ! Blew me up against the drier . Burned my eyebrows off .

Get yourself a pizza oven if you want one..

I can certainly do that . Just kicking this around .
I might just buy the burner that goes with the hose and try that first .
Thanks for the reply .

 

[kilo charlie]

Might not be what you're looking for but the Asian Market near me has some serious burners.. most of them cast iron .. likely for Natural Gas but I saw similar burners there on a camp stove that ran on the little propane bottles.

I'm guessing they are meant for Woks and such but I understand your need for high heat for the pizza oven.

I do like experiments, safety first as always, but I'm watching to see how this turns out !

 

[SmokyMose]

Me too . Got a call for " noise when furnace comes on " I thought it was the duct work flexing when the blower started . Set it to call for heat . Waited , waited . Nothing . Furnace was in a laundry room , bottom fired burner . I walk in there and kneel down to have a look . I smelled the gas . Too late . Boom ! Blew me up against the drier . Burned my eyebrows off .


I can certainly do that . Just kicking this around .
I might just buy the burner that goes with the hose and try that first .
Thanks for the reply .

I didn't even get a chance to smell the gas. Got a call about a rooftop unit on a motel. Ran a ladder up and the pilot was out.
Lit the pilot and it fired just fine, but when the blower kicked in it blew fire out at me. About fell off the ladder and it took a week for my eyebrows and mustache
go get back to normal. Leaky heat exchanger....

 

[chopsaw]

Yup . The one I had was blocked burners by the timing rail . Gas was flowing out the far end .
So , not sure what to do with this . I guess just abandon the idea . I could shorten it up . Probably to much heat as it is .
I would like to see the flame . After I shut it off , the pipe in the middle was way hotter than at the end off the horse shoe . So that confirms what you're saying .

 

[kilo charlie]

Saw these elsewhere.. thought I'd share.

 

[smokin peachey]

I think you have a good plan in place. I’ve made several propane burners for myself and others to use when starting our offsets. Instead of drilling holes I made cuts into the pipe works great. Here are a few pics

 

[chopsaw]

I’ve made several propane burners for myself and others to use when starting our offsets. Instead of drilling holes I made cuts into the pipe works great

OK . Cool . I have seen the slots cut . I can't believe the 1/8" hole is more volume than the slot .
Looks like you're about 1/2" apart on the slots .
Like I said I could not see the flame , but I could hear it . Full pressure and wide open on the tank sounded right .
Putting some eyeballs on the flame will tell the story . I might have to lose the length of the horse shoe and plug it at the second 45 . My worry right now is burning back to the tank .
Also , if I fire it up and light it at the incoming tee and it self lights to the ends , that will make me feel better .
Any and all thoughts are welcome BTW .

 

[Brokenhandle]

These guys are of way more help than me... but I'd name it the Wile E! And here, hold my beer and watch this!

Ryan

 

[smokin peachey]

OK . Cool . I have seen the slots cut . I can't believe the 1/8" hole is more volume than the slot .
Looks like you're about 1/2" apart on the slots .
Like I said I could not see the flame , but I could hear it . Full pressure and wide open on the tank sounded right .
Putting some eyeballs on the flame will tell the story . I might have to lose the length of the horse shoe and plug it at the second 45 . My worry right now is burning back to the tank .
Also , if I fire it up and light it at the incoming tee and it self lights to the ends , that will make me feel better .
Any and all thoughts are welcome BTW .

Just don’t light it in an enclosed room. If you light it at night you will be able to see the flame better. Most regulators are set up to avoid it burning back into the tank.

 

[chopsaw]

These guys are of way more help than me...

For sure . I forgot more than most people know . I am however smart enough to ask .

 

[chopsaw]

Just don’t light it in an enclosed room. If you light it at night you will be able to see the flame better. Most regulators are set up to avoid it burning back into the tank.

OK . Thanks for the feed back . That's why I took it outside . Damn rain moved back in , so maybe tomorrow . I'll keep you posted .

 

[JckDanls 07]

I too made the pipe burner with slits... I made it for my smokehouse... but since you have to get such low temps (small flames) it kept blowing out... I quit using it ... I turned the pipe so the slits were on the bottom.. it helps keeping all slits lit ...

 

[chopsaw]

Thanks Keith . All the replies from people that have done these helps .

 

[gmc2003]

Sorry I can't offer any advice Rich, but if it can be done safely I know you'll figure it out.

Chris