Hello All,
I have a problem with the grill I purchased @ a sidewalk sale @ my local lowe's store. I bought the jenn-aire grill shown in the title line of this post. I was able to buy this grill at a good price, but at the time I didn't realize it was the natural gas model, and not a lp gas model that I needed. As we don't have natural gas in our subdivision, isn't there any way to convert this grill so I can use lp gas with it ? Thanks,
David

Hi David,

Welcome to the BBQ Source Forums. Congratulations on the new grill. To bad it isn’t the right type of fuel though.

As you may have guessed, the question of conversion has come up more then once. Here is a LINK that might help some of your questions on converting.

Glad you found us here at the BBQ Source Forums.

Eric D

Dear Eric,
Thanks so much for a reply, had I been a bit more careful when buying this grill I wouldn't have caused this problem. When I opened the door of the grill cabinet and just saw the gas hose without a regulator, plus not any place for a lp gas bottle I should have realized something was different. I guess I was just excited about getting a good price on my grill ( $ 225.00 ). I've contacted the manufacturer about a conversation kit, and at first they weren't too cooperative, but in a second reply from them they said they were " looking into my problem to see what could be done to remedy my situation". Hopefully, I will be able to find the parts I need to 'modify' my grill for use with lp gas.
David

Davy,

I'd think about being the squeaky wheel here and perhaps go back to Lowes and tell them that the salesman sold you the wrong grill and you want it traded out for the LP model...

I mean really the salesman should have made sure you were getting the right grill for your installation...

My bet is that Lowes will trade it right out for you...

Bluesin

Dave,

I agree with Bluesin here on the salesman should have made a point that it was NG. It would be worth the try. However, it doesn’t workout, converting it wouldn’t take much work and at $225 you really got a super deal. In fact, you might have the record for the best deal to date on this forum for a new Jenn Air.

Please keep us posted on how things workout for you,

Eric D

Hello All,
Thanks SO much for the replies and trying to help me with this problem. I actually created my own problem....sort of. I work for the lowe's store where I bought this grill. We had a sidewalk sale this past weekend, and this grill had been special ordered by a customer and then never picked up. And since it was a natural gas model they decided to put it out on our sidewalk sale to get rid of it, I guess in my excitement to get a good deal, I failed to realize it was a natural gas model. I have received another response from the grill manufacturer, and they have agreed to supply me with the need conversion parts if I agree to sign a waiver.I'm going to see if I can add this into my post here:



280 Machlin Court, City of Industry, CA 91789 (Tel) 909-718-6128; (Fax) 909-718-1949

Conversion Agreement

In order to receive a conversion kit from The Grill Services Corporation (TGS) for your Jenn-Air Grill, the consumer agrees to the following by signing and returning this agreement to TGS:
 
Ø Only a qualified plumber or gas technician may install the conversion kit.
Ø The consumer assumes full responsibility for the cost of installing the conversion kit.
Ø It is understood and agreed that the failure to have the conversion kit installed by a qualified installer can cause a gas leak or other malfunction which can result in a fire or explosion.   
Ø It is understood and agreed that there is a risk of serious personal injuries or property damage if the conversion kit is not installed by a qualified installer.
 
Please print your name and sign and date the Conversion Agreement where indicated below, and return the Agreement to TGS at the address listed above.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
 
Print:______________________
 
Sign:______________________
 
Date:______________________

Also,
They gave me these prices for the conversion parts:

Cost: orifices: 25 + shipping and tax

Not including

$20.00- regulator
$ 38.00- 12’ hose

Does this sound reasonable ?
David

David,

Taking into account what you paid for your grill, the price of having Jenn Air's conversion kit that will maintain the warranty would be a good thing in my books. I would go for their conversion deal.

If their option was not available, I would opt to go the regulator change mentioned in the link sent to you in earlier postings. Seeing you will need a regulator, I would highly recommend the two stage over the normal Nexgrill regulator.

Regards,

Eric D

Dear Eric,
I just wanted to say that I'm SO glad that I joined this forum...I faxed the waiver form today. I agree with you, seeing how much I paid for my grill, it would be rather stupid on my part not to spend a small amount of additional money and get it to the point at which I can actually use it. I see your point..I could just ( get by ) by just purchasing a two stage regulator and not even changing out the orfices. But wouldn't the grill still burn too hot and use more gas than 'normal' ? Thanks again for ALL of the help and comments.
David

David,
No, your grill will not use more gas or burn hotter with the two stage regulator once it is adjusted properly. As stated in the writeup in the link, you have to adjust the two stage regulator to 7" of WC. This will control the btu output to match the same as if you were using natrual gas.

Hope you will be grilling soon,

Eric D

Dear Eric,
WOW....now I'm really getting excited about buying my grill !! You said previously:
" David,
No, your grill will not use more gas or burn hotter with the two stage regulator once it is adjusted properly. As stated in the writeup in the link, you have to adjust the two stage regulator to 7" of WC. This will control the btu output to match the same as if you were using natural gas.

Hope you will be grilling soon,

Eric D "

So it sounds like to me the folks @ nexgrill are trying to rip me off, saying I need to purchase new orifices, etc., etc. > Now if I can just obtain a good two stage regulator here locally, it sounds like I'll be all set. I'm not sure if lowe's sells a two stage regulator or not.
Thanks again,
David

David,

I don’t think Nexgrill is trying to rip you off. Liability is a big issue, part of the reason they have you sign the waver. Messing with natural gas or propane can be hazardous. I really think they are trying to discourage people converting by keeping the price on the higher side.

Chances are you will not find the Marshal two-stage regulator locally. If you read through all the postings in the link in the earlier posting, it will give you ideas where to purchase one.

Eric D

Eric D,
As we have several bottled gas companies here, I think I'll try them first, tomorrow. Also, we have several rv dealers locally, another place to try. Have a great evening..and of course, thanks again.
David

p.s. The regulator is shown here:
http://www.squibbtaylor.com/brochures/marshallgascatalog.pdf

David,

You’re on the right track. The link you supplied shows their whole line. Excellent link! It even shows the tank hoses. If you go with the 290 regulator be sure to back off the (counter-clockwise) the regulator adjustment and best to use a monometer to set the 7 inches of WC manifold pressure.

Please keep us posted on how things are going.

Regards,

Eric D

Dear Eric,
Once again....I just want to thank you and the other members of this forum who have been trying to help me correct my little mistake. I called one lp gas company this morning and asked for the specific brand/model of the marshall two stage regulator (#290-00), at first they said they had them, but upon looking at their stock they discovered it was a different brand. I explained what my problem was, and what I was doing to correct it. At first they were somewhat skeptical, but after I had a chance to BRAG about this forum and the information available in it, they said it DID make sense in what I was trying to do. They said to come by and look at the regulator. I think I'll keep looking for the marshall brand as directed. PLEASE, have a wonderful day !!
David

David,

Please keep in mind, the biggest issue in this type of conversion, in my opinion is if you were to sell your grill or if it ends up with someone else owning it and not knowing that you have changed/added a propane regulator by setting it to 7 inches instead of the normal 11. The reason why, if the regulator failed at some future date, and someone other then you replaced the regulator without setting it to 7 inches of WC, they could end up with a very HOT grill.

My point here, if this is the type of conversion you end up going with, PLEASE mark the regulator and grill with something permanent indicating that it needs to be set for 7 inches of WC. It might save someone down the road some real excitement that they really didn’t expect.

Happy grilling,

Eric D

Dear Eric,
That's why I keep coming back here...such great information, and dealing with people that actually care.
If I would ever get rid of my grill, ( although not likely ) I would either mark everything or just return the grill to it's original state. It came with a nice hose/fitting for hookup to natural gas line. By the way...I know one business I sure won't recommend: http://www.bbqgalore.com/ , supposedly they are supposed to know quite a bit about grills,etc. . The location I called here in jacksonville,fl wasn't much help at all, the person I talked to there said he had worked at that location for over 5 years..and he'd NEVER heard of a two stage lp gas regulator
David

Dear Eric,
I just came in from looking at the grill, I hadn't noticed before but there is a regulator installed on it. There's a tag attached to the gas line stating the regulator is set at the factory for 4 wc pressure. The gas line is labeled for lp or natural gas. Interesting.
David

David,

The regulator that is on your grill can only be used with natural gas, not propane, due to the differences in the inlet pressure. The regulators for propane are designed for tank pressures that can be from 100 to almost 200 psi. The one currently on your grill is design for no more then about 10-psi inlet.

As you pointed out, the hoses will work for NG or LP on the low-pressure side of the regulator.

Eric D

Dear Eric,
I hadn't posted for a few days, but since I saw that you added another comment, I thought I might add a followup comment. Where I work ( Lowe's ), we have a man that works for us part-time. It just so happens that his full-time day job is working for a local lp gas company. Yesterday, he asked me to bring in my gas hose that came supplied with my grill, which I did. Even though it's plainly labeled " for natural or lp gas ", it's also labeled " max. pressure 1/2 lb. psi. . My friend said the only way that hose could be used if I do indeed install the proper type of regulator, and use that hose on the low pressure side of it. As of yet...I haven't ordered/purchased the marshall #290-00 regulator that is described here in the forum. But I might as well do so, as that's the only way I see to fix my problem. I really wish I knew more about gas, etc. .Thanks again for the help. By the way..I even obtained a copy of the lp gas serviceman's manual that my friend carries on his service truck. Have you ever seen a copy of it, if you'd like I could attach it as a link here. Have a GREAT week.
David

David,

Thanks for the offer on the manual, but if you look through the forums, you will find we already have a link for the suggested manual along with others dealing with NG and LP.

Yes, a special, higher pressure line is needed for the tank connection. Most new grills do not use a hose for the high pressure connection. They hook the pressure regulator directly to the tank using a solid fitting, no hose. On the low pressure side of the regulator just about any hose design for gas will work fine.

Eric D

Dear Eric,
Just thought I'd let you know, I think I might have mentioned in a previous post that I have a friend/co-worker that works at a local gas company. He furnished me with a hose assembly with a adjustable marshall regulator on it. It's not the two stage model, but it works fine. Another friend gave me a full tank of gas to use. I backed the adjustment screw out several turns on the regulator, hooked up the tank of gas to the grill, and light the grill on the first try. This grill has three main burners, a back burner, and a side burner. We were able to cook on it tonight, and my wife was so happy. Now I have to get educated on to properly clean all the parts of it, mainly the grates. Thanks again for your help as well as the other forum members. have a GREAT weekend.
David

David,

Really glad to hear you got your grill up and running. I'm sure you will enjoy it. As far as the cleaning goes, here is a LINK to the grill cleaning thread. You should find everything you need to keep your grill looking good.

Happy Grilling,

Eric D

Dear Eric,
So far that's some of the best money I ever spent for a grill, thanks for the cleaning link. So far, it looks like what I call the drip deflectors are going to be the biggest 'challenge' to get/keep clean. I did purchase several items that hopefully will help me get that done. Have a GREAT week !
David

I just moved from FL to the Northeast. In FL, I had a NG line direct to my JA grill. I now have to convert the grill to lp. I am following the instructions left above and have already received my Marshall 290. I am trying to find the fittings that Eric D. used in his excellent instructions. Looks like it makes for nice and clean install. I was at my local HD and couldn't find anything that even resembled the brass fittings he was using. Thanks for your help.

BTW, this is a great site, wish I would have found it earlier. I could have worked on the grill over the winter and not lost 3 weeks of grilling season so far.

robk ...

See if you have an Airgas or a Granger in your area ... they should carry what you need.

BG in WV

It looks like I have both stores about 20 miles from my house. I will be checking them out this week. Thanks for the fast reply.

HD will have the brass fitting, for some reasons, brass fitting are located in two sections, plumbing, and another small sections, maybe gas appliance.

Well I was finally able to get all the parts I needed to make the connections. Some from a local plumbing store and I finally found the lp tank connector at a Tractor Supply Corp. I wasn't able to get them at Airgas.

Now I have run into another problem, I cannot get the Marshall 290 down to 7' water column. I followed the instructions for the homemade manometer. I have the adjustment screw out to the last bit of threads. I am looking at somewhere between 8 & 9 inches. I am getting orange flames even with all the burners on.

Is there anything else I can do to get the pressure down?

thanks for your help

THis post is based on my experience with:

Jenn Air 730-0164 with side burner.

Bought this at Lowe's as a display model, it must be a bit older since it still has the cast brass burners -all the newer models use stainless tubes. I wanted the brass -bad enough to bet on this conversion.

Tried to convert to LP via the Marshall 290 2-stage regulator.

Verdict: The conversion did not work. Yes I was able to get a flame, but was unable to adequately control the flow and subsequently the heat. The Marshall 290 could not give me the recommended WC of 7 (much less 5) inches WC. It was capable of giving a fair increase in pressure, but this was hardly useful for the NG to LP conversion (from what I've read, it seems to be a fair investment for LP grills regardless). The flame on the side burner would remain about 3 inches in height even at the lowest setting.

While any fire will cook, conversions done in this manner will not give you full control of your grill IMO. So either get a proper kit, or get a new grill. Nexgrill (or Lowe's Jenn-Air), DOES NOT sell conversion kits. You will not be able to buy the proper orifices (to convert from NG to LP) from them.

Don't buy one assuming you can convert it! There are Companies out there that make NG-LP conversion kits for their grills, but Lowes Jenn-Air isn't one of them. And if there's any other reason you need to convert, I highly discourage the simple regulator replacement route. You may be able to get custom orifices drilled, but I have no experience or completed research in this.

Good Grillin!

Hick

P.S. I should mention that I don't claim any sort of expertise or above average knowledge of the intricacies of NG or LP gas. I learned a lot from reading this forum and appreciate the time and effort put into the many hints/tips etc. I don't want to seem to be too negative about this, since I can't say for sure that it will not work for anyone. Again, this is based entirely on my experience with a specific grill. If anyone has successfully made this same conversion, I'd be interested in hearing about it -that I might determine where I went wrong!

Hick,

Thanks for your input. I have also come to the conclusion the simple regulator switch will not work. I am at a point now where I have to decide whether to buy new orifices (blanks custom drilled from a propane dealer) or a new grill. If I can get the (4) orifices for around $100, I will go that route. I am not worried about converting the rotisserie. Has anyone gone this route?

thanks

I have read this NG - LP conversion (of a JennAir grill) with great interest. Bought a NG JennAir (4-burner - Mod 750-0141) from Lowes about 6 months ago and find myself now in the need of a Propane grill - hence its time to convert. Went through the spiel of contacting the manufacturer (no conversion) and searching on-line .... eventually frond this thread.
I started with the 2 stage "adjustable" regulator (as described in this thread) but was unable to get it below 11" or 12" WC - flames are way too large, too yellow and essentially not controllable. This approach does not work!
It occurred to me that I could switch the supplied NG regulator in series with the 2 stage regular to further reduce the pressure - so setup would be as follows: LP bottle -> (high pressure) -> 2-stage regulator -> (11" WC) -> NG regulator -> (6 - 7" WC) -> grill.
Question - is there any reason I shouldn't try this?
Alternately I need to change the orifices. Wonder if anyone has a suggestion on a) where to find "blank" orifices that I than can drill (with #59) or already drilled orifices that fit this grill? Or is there a way to close the existing orifices (i.e soldering?) and re-drill (with #59) - has anyone tried this? If so, how and with what success?
Appreciate any insight - Thanks!
Klaus

I was given a Jenn Air 730-0164 NG grill today. I need to convert it to propane. I have been reading threads on this site and I hopeful that I can do it. My concern is that the reason he stopped using the grill is because it would get too hot in the front of the grill. A potholder would have to be used to open the grill.

After taking the grill apart, I notice two burn holes through the metal ledge that is part of the grill pan. Looks like he made have had a flame coming out by the valve and it burned holes through the metal and that's why the handle got do hot. Has anyone had an experience like this with their grill?

The burner have corrosion towards the back (seems common for this grill from what I have been reading)

Any suggestions would be great. Thanks!