gas valve for burner

[kylesmi]

getting close to setting up our brewhouse and trying to figure some of the parts out before Im in the process of hooking it up. I have a Honeywell fluid powered gas valve (V4055A) for my burner on the kettle. Does anyone have any experience with this valve? My question is originally it was set up for Natural gas and just wondering if I have to get a new valve for propane or is there a way to convert this valve over? Also does this control shut off? can you set this up to a timer to turn on? Im not really sure how this valve works? Any help would be appreciated!!

Thanks
Kyle

[Moonlight]

Yes it is fine for propane with no conversion, can be set on a timer-CAUTION: Be sure it is wired to activate only AFTER the pilot sensor recognizes there is a correct pilot! It does shut off all the gas (best to run pilot separately).
Be sure it is mounted perfectly level as sometimes it won't sense that the valve is fully open and will keep trying to open. It will growl and probably is not a good thing in the long run.

[kylesmi]

Thanks moonlight

Hey thanks, just what I was looking for! Appreciate the help

Kyle

[Diamond Knot]

Eeerrrrmmmmm...........

Just to clarify, Ky, that Honeywell unit just controls the flow of gas. If you are using a conversion burner you will need to change the jets in the burner assembly when going from natural gas to propane.
Natural gas and propane have differing BTUs/cu-ft capacities and you can't go from one fuel to another without changing out these jets.

[kylesmi]

Thanks

Hey thanks Brian, Yea I just recieved my jets for my burner a few weeks ago. Wow!! I didnt think they would be that hard to track down. Good thing I started looking for them a few months ago. Cant wait to fire that burner up, It must sound pretty impresive!

Kyle

[Diamond Knot]

The 300K unit we have at B1 on our 7 Bbl rig makes the floor rumble!

[Moonlight]

My 880k BTU propane burner can be a thrill, too. Mine is an atmoshperic burner, not a forced air one-not knowing which you have, the following may be relevant. While you are in the midst of burner mindset, find out exactly what orafice size you have and order the (probably "wire-sized") drill bits from McMaster or wherever, so that you can accurately hand ream out the jets from time to time. Mine start to plug after wet conditions like hosing under kettle, overboils, or humid weather. When cleaned, all 88 jets ignite nearly in unison with a succinct roar. When they are badly fouled, it can be quite a few scary seconds before all the gas finally explodes to life. The height between the jet tips and the kettle bottom is the most critical adjustment involved, and changes will give you astounding differences in efficiency. Hope this helps.

[Diamond Knot]

We have an "Economite" conversion burner that uses a squirel cage blower to ram in air and mix with the fuel. Tuning the air/gas ratio is a hoot since you have to look into the combustion chamber to see the flame properties. Did you ever see the old "Batman" series from the 1960s? When he started the Batmobile up and this roar and flame would shoot out the back of the car's exhaust? That's exactly what the conversion burner is like.

Yeah........I'm with Moonlight........direct fire is all like.......fun....and stuff.

Our jets don't foul like the atmospheric ones do, so I have yet to sit down and clean them.

[Sir Brewsalot]

After reading this, I'm wondering if my jets are fouled. I have a low-fire and hi-fire setting on my panel (which really just switches on the second of the two 200k BTU burners), and I've noticed that the sound no longer changes when switched to high.

I still get a nice vigorous boil, but I suspect it's taking me longer to get there.

Any other way that I can confirm this is the case? At first I thought it was a drop in pressure on my main gas service. (It has a squirrel cage blower, by the way.) Or maybe I've burned out a control relay.

Thanks,
Scott

[Diamond Knot]

You may have to open the chamber and take a look for yourself. Have someone switch it over while you crack the access door slightly and peek. Don't forget to put water in the kettle first!

[Moonlight]

If you have no change when adding the second burner, I'd venture that something is not working with the second burner-like the "gas open" solenoid. If your jets were fouled I'd think it would be crappy heating with one, and double that with two. Not knowing your kettle firebox design, can you reach a mirror under/in to help see the burner? Often with fouled jets the flames will be more yellow, the side holes (air intakes) may have flame visable inside instead of just gas, and the flames may drift off some jets or not even all will have flames. A flue thermometer is useful, too, as incompletely burned gas can continue burning in the flue and can be detected by the therm. I don't understand why all kettles don't have a way to see the burner in action.
Note- My jets usually need it 2 to 3 times a year. If you have never cleaned them it may be worth it. Careful not to distort the cylindrical hole bored in the jet as its shape is like a (smooth) rifle barrel in directing the gas in just the right way.

[Sir Brewsalot]

Thanks guys. I'll let you know what I discover. It is definitely NOT easily accessable. If I can manage to pull the cover off without burning myself, I'll see if I can stick a mirror (or as said with local accent "mere") in there and see what's going on. I wasn't exactly sure what to look for, but now I do!

Maybe it's the solenoid too. I seem to remember some chatter as the high flame mode was in it's last days. Just didn't get a chance to look at it until now.

Thanks,
Scott