Convert Any Propane Heater to Natural Gas / Dual Fuel - Simple Mod

[@burntheblueskies9724]

I just used the info from your video to mod my propane fire table that I'd pretty much given up on being able to convert over to natural gas cheaply and it worked. I drilled out the port hole and covered the vents with tape and it works just like it did on a propane tank. You're my hero! Going to convert my patio heater next! 🙌

[@leer.watson4673]

This is one of those “Ideas (dreams) that Come True” videos, which you were praying to find on KZbin. Funny how so many of us think alike.

[@bigtxbullion]

I know Im late, but this is such a helpful video. We did something similar to our grill 15 years ago. Just bought a bit set from Harbor Freight for like $10 and drilled the jets slightly larger. Worked like a charm. Cant wait to do this to my heater towers and stop refilling these tanks after a few uses.

[@emanresutla]

I just bought a new patio heater which forced me to have to buy a propane tank for the first time in 15 years. And it’s already nearly empty. What a pain in the butt. The heater is sitting 2’ away from a NG line for my grill so this conversion is a no brainer. I have one of those top-hat looking heaters, but I suspect the jet is similar so I’m going to tear it apart tonight. Thanks for recording this.

[@hankhill4254]

Justin, please don't give up on propane.

[@P3tonka]

Hey did this work?? I have the same geater

[@emanresutla]

@@hankhill4254 Sorry Hank. Propane and I are no longer partners on my outdoor heating needs.

[@emanresutla]

@@P3tonka Yes! I worked perfectly. I forget the exact size I needed to drill out the orifice but I think it was 9/32". I am so happy with the conversion. I have two of these heaters now and 4 gas ports on my patio - so I can have two on one side, two on the other, or split them up as needed...or I could buy two more heaters :-)

[@P3tonka]

Justin Lake that’s awesome, I’m gonna try it out, thanks 😊

[@吳澈天]

*Very easy to set up and use, attractive but be sure you understand the height it's not tall. The heat is not overwhelming, but steady and pleasant **fireplace.homes** It's quiet, too. I like the possibility of easily moving it from room to room in the event we want supplemental heat elsewhere. Definitely a good buy.*

[@robertpitt8418]

I'd love to take that square surrounding mesh safety guard off and simplify it , and just have the bare glass tube showing : ) interesting video thank you very much.

[@Vinnybrain]

Great How To! love the total DIY sprit in the "Lets see what happens when we try it back the other way!" Cause I know I would've been thinking of doing the same thing!! Right on...very informative.. Im going to see if I can accomplish the same success on my two Mr Heater 18,000 btu roll-around garage heaters--- youre right, taking those propane tanks back to the 'Blue-rhino or Amerigas" exchange is a P,I,T,A,....and not cheap either at $20 bux a fill.... Natural much cheaper, and I kinda think you may be getting more BTU / gallon on natural vs propane.... Have Fun!

[@ModsAndProjects]

Thanks for the feedback =] I had a great time with this mod!

[@my_channel_44]

What did you end up doing to convert the 18k btu heaters?

[@jimlwolfe-empty-midwest]

Great stuff, just bought a propane fire table, gonna convert to nat gas now!!

[@TheStrikeChanel]

Slim, QUIET, works great. I wanted modern and out of the way. This is it!

[@perrymyers9632]

Excellent video with great detail and explanation. Education and well done. Also I turned out to need a 90 degree angle gas pipe fixture in order to allow the hose to be used as it was too tight to make it work. Curving the hose was not possible so I had to order the 90 degree elbow.

[@janodi1155]

Perry, where did you get the 90 degree elbow. I think I'm in the same boat, but haven't been able to find that part.

[@davidtucker3626]

Thank you for this video posting. I made this conversion on neary identical Hiland and Hampton Bay units. The flame is perfect, with a slight amount of carbon soot; however, the pilot doesn't stay lit. It cuts in and out. I'm curious if you experienced this and whether you had to increase the size if the pilot ofifice as well.

[@gwyoung3509]

Best KZbin video I’ve seen in years! Curious what brand patio heater you’re using for this test?

[@philg4116]

Any propane heater, just not indoor types, thanks for clearing that up at the very end.

[@tedtolentino4955]

Is the conversion for indoor heaters not the same? and if not, why?

[@philg4116]

@@tedtolentino4955 I was being sarcastic, but maybe his lawyer stepped in at the last second and told him to add that disclaimer to avoid liability. But seriously, I suppose one could apply the described conversion on a catalytic heater and create a monoxide problem. Methane has less energy than propane and the converter might not burn hot enough, especially on a low setting.

[@justinb5178]

Thank you for this! you are a god among men

[@josephhanson8049]

Would this work with one of the Mr buddy infrared pan heaters you know the ones that screw on top of the propane tank and look like a round metal bowl and heat up the infrared area and turn it orange?

[@realdamageboy]

good, but what if You add salt crystals at the base of burner, it must give more yellow flame

[@shanegilbert5400]

Used the texhniques you showed here to convert my fire pit. Great demo. Thanks for the help!

[@suketupatel2995]

What type of fire pit? I am thinking of converting my cypress fire bowl into NG.

[@daviddenig3031]

Great Video, thank you, can't wait to change mine

[@1u2bsurfer]

I have the same unit as you. I tried with just connecting the natural gas line first, couldn't get a pilot light. Tried propane to confirm thermo coupling works, yes it did. Maybe not closing the air vents would cause no pilot light? I don't know. Hope that works.

[@oRIDDLERo]

Really cool! So simple and basically FREE to convert.. crazy. (after you buy the hose) They came out great, Subbed!

[@kenwynthomas9686]

Hello great video.. I have the same triangle patio heaters n a natural gas fire pit n I split my natural gas 3 ways n my natural gas fire pit works fine but both triangler heaters won’t light.. now I have block of the vents or drill the bigger hole on the valve. So I’m not sure why I can’t get the heaters to light.. can u show me how you split your lines that feed the natural gas?

[@jaytheplumber100]

nice work my guy! will try this

[@ColettaHughes]

Wonder if a right angle inside the element would cause the flame to spiral up the glass tube like you see in a firestorm?

[@ModsAndProjects]

That's a very interesting thought. however, the actual gas is distributed evenly across a 4-inch plate on the top burner so it would be difficult to route the gas in such a way where it would spiral in my opinion. Another modification I thought of that was crazy but would be a lot of fun is to introduce another gas tank to supplement the natural gas to change colors of the flame

[@Cigarweekly-Real]

@@ModsAndProjects Put a spiral of copper wire in the flame to get 'green' fire...

[@noticeabletruth4547]

Can you make a video doing a conversion with a Mr.Buddy heater?

[@meblake7359]

Great job, but what if you find a pipe sleeve to fit over the vents, thread a hole in the side and put a long bolt into the threaded hole and cut out a slide hole in the case to slide the vents closed or open as needed per fuel?

[@ModsAndProjects]

Great idea.. that would also make it easier to adjust the air fuel ratio to get it perfect

[@addneed122]

Great beats in the background haha👍🏻

[@sproketjennings]

Good video! Thanks! Nice yard!

[@marianor1969]

Silly question...: did you use the same gas line that was feeding your BBQ? If yes, how did you split it in 3 (considering you have a BBQ and 2 NG heaters)?

[@pbrstreetgang1787]

Ok so I converted my outdoor heater with glass tube. Works just like in the video but soot build up in glass tube. Can I add small vent holes in the area I blocked off with the foil tape to help eliminate the soot?

[@ModsAndProjects]

It's just a matter of adjusting the air fuel ratio until you get a yellow flame with not much soot. You might want to try something like a hose clamp so you can slide it and adjust it more easily

[@UH786]

Fantastic video. Very helpful thank you.

[@infotechsailor]

but why did you get 2x 2packs of 3/32 drill bits?

[@timetriad6199]

Wouldn’t just replacing the gas jet/nozzle be cheaper and easier than buying several drill bits for drilling a larger hole? Plus you could always put it back if you decided to use it somewhere else where a gas line is not an option. I’ve never done this and not sure about how much they cost, but for others seeking a similar solution might want to weigh their options...

[@toddjc1999]

Has anyone found an appropriate orifice/jet/nozzle online? I'd be great to experiment with one of them (and keep the originals so that things are 100% reversible)

[@eddiespaghetti4317]

@@toddjc1999 ratio is 1:2.5 propane being 1 to find proper size 4 application

[@markwest5928]

I followed exact directions. I fires up. Flame just reaches top but it puts itself out after a few minutes likes it's getting choked out. Suggestions?

[@ModsAndProjects]

either air fuel mixture, or possibility that the flame is not touching some kind of safety thermal probe. depending on your model, thermal probe needs to stay hot to keep the fuel flow going.

[@markwest5928]

@@ModsAndProjects Thank you for the quick response. This is the heater which appears to have the exact burner you show.Pyramid Patio Heater, 48,000 BTU Outdoor Heaters. I used foil tape and closed of vent holes. Could i need to maybe open up a small area?

[@cherylabel2250]

Can you convert a propane patio heater to a propane fire pit?

[@shawndo9453]

Everything works perfectly, however the tube glass get black after several days. How do I avoid that?

[@cosmomonteleone1927]

Hey really great video. Tried converting my patio heater but I’m getting yellow flames. It’s a 48,000 btu patio heater. It has a big gas ring at the top not a glass tube. I want the blue flame just like the LP. My yellow flame is leaving a little soot on the top reflector. Any help would be great

[@ModsAndProjects]

Hello friend, it's all about the air fuel ratio just try and fine-tune it and you will wind up with a clean blue flame if that is your goal.

[@michaelkuzmin]

Thanks for the video. I am going to be trying this on the Venturi Spiral 40000 BTU. according to my calculations, the correct size for mine should be 7/64, but I will start with 3/32 as per your recommendation and work my way up.

[@edwardjackson5169]

This was very good info. II have 2 of the same heaters both running off propane. I actually wanna run them off a larger tank instead of 2 small tanks. I'm looking to buy 2 new ones but 1 of them runs off NG and the other propane and I wan them to both work off propane also. So I was looking to get them to run on prpane also. Thanks for the info.

[@janko4775]

Thank you Boss I have the same One , now I know what to Do

[@Darius91777]

Great explanation. Thank you!

[@surgio98]

Warning. Look up the pressure. My plumber told me there are times he needs to remove a valve with no way of shutting of the line. One time he found the line has very high pressure . It does happen but it's rare. Still worth checking.

[@perrymyers9632]

I purchased a 91" Hilbrand (same as yours) triangle shaped heater and just finished the conversion and followed your advice. I am not getting much heat at all. In fact, I can place my hands on the metal grates that protect the glass tube and barely feel any warmth. My question is what can I do to get more heat from the unit? The flame goes up about 3/4 to the top with some jets reaching the top. Flame is orange but I am wondering if I need to drill a larger orifice in order to get more heat? I look at the Lava lamp images and those appear to be glowing red towards the top of the heater. This one does not glow at all. Thanks in advance. Perry

[@michaelscanlan4070]

I am interested in this response too as I am considering this conversion soon.

[@perrymyers9632]

@@michaelscanlan4070 So I think it is the design. The heat is not getting to the intended target which is people. A couple things I think may be the issue. The height of the unit (91") makes the hottest part of the heater taller than most people. I am 72" so that's 19" above my head where the most heat is located. The heat in the open sky is zero. I would guess a smaller. lower to the ground unit would be much better. Also, the heat deflector on the top of the unit is very small. Heat rises so the 12" x 12" deflector is hardly enough area to push the heat back down. The glass tube is not allowing much heat to escape. It's very pretty but is more like a candle and not a heater.

[@Pushrod54]

I tried it with my almost identical heater. Drilled the oriface 3/32” and blocked the vents. The unit runs about a minute our two then the whole unit shuts off. It might be the pilot is shutting off causing the thermocouple to shut the gas off but not sure. Any ideas or updates on this mod? I just noticed there are 2 vent holes on the pilot light gas line. I taped off both of of those holes, fired it up and now the pilot will stay lit keeping the thermocouple nice and toasty. More hours of testing will be the real test. After running the unit for an hour it appears I will need to increase the oriface size to 1/8”. 3/32” only gets the flame up to about 2/3rds of the way up.

[@ModsAndProjects]

Interesting, sounds like the thermocouple to me. When the unit turns itself off is the pilot light still on?

[@Pushrod54]

ModsAndProjects no the pilot light is off also. Actually when I have the pilot knob held down and hold down the electronic igniter the pilot light is so clean and blue I can hardly see it unless it’s dark outside. I’m thinking about taking the whole box off and firing it up outside the tub but ignite the pilot only to see what is going on. Maybe opening up the air mixture a bit. My gas psi is 12 and supply line is 1/2” with a quick connect. So far very puzzled. I have a second heater too but don’t want to mess with that one till I get this one working.

[@jim4556]

@@Pushrod54 you have 12 psi gas? Thats unusual. 0.5-1 psi is the normal. You might be blowing out the flame with since its so much higher than it was originally intended for. You will need to put a regulator on it to get a simular pressure to what the propane fuel had.

[@aupitt8792]

Great vid. Well done. 👍

[@chriscolella7490]

Do I need to use a regulator after converting to NG?

[@ModsAndProjects]

You could always add one for extra safety but generally the pressure to the house is regulated after the meter and is low pressure.

[@DjMetalmike]

Wow that’s awesome? Any advise on converting a 38,000 btu stand up heater with the round hood on top. I bought it at Home Depot and it goes thru propane really fast. Here’s the model HDMiRAGE10. Any advice or input would be appreciated. Thanks !

[@ModsAndProjects]

Same exact procedure.. you just need to locate the orifice as seen in the video and very slowly increase the diameter of the jet size until you find the appropriate spec.

[@DjMetalmike]

Ok thanks so much !

[@wineman4]

@@DjMetalmike Hey, Mike. I have an HD heater too. Did you locate the orifice? I don't want to take too much apart to find it.

[@SF-ku2hp]

Propane and propane accessories

[@rogjackson]

Good info. Great video!!

[@PhilBourgeois]

Thank you

[@Andre-yw6yx]

I have the exact same model of the outdoor gas heater as the one shown in the video. I'm using a natural gas hookup. I went ahead and drilled the jet by 3/32 and it did increase the height of the flame. However the flame doesn't go as high near the top. I live in Colorado and the elevation is higher and I'm thinking it is because of the altitude. I'm debating if I show use a bigger drill bit to compensate for it. Does anyone have any thoughts or recommendations with this problem? I'm concerned that once I drill the hole bigger, I can't go back to the smaller hole if let's say it didn't work out.

[@ModsAndProjects]

Pretty sure you could find a replacement jet threaded for the same size as the one in the unit if it wound up being too big of a hole just go up in very small steps as far as the diameter of the hole

[@Andre-yw6yx]

@@ModsAndProjects Thank you. I'm not sure I have the right tools to be able to determine the size of the jet. It's rather tiny.

[@ModsAndProjects]

If you are going to convert your heater from propane to Natural gas you are going to need a Gas hose and a quick disconnect. Please consider using my Amazon Affiliates link to grab a quality unit at a fair price - Link for the Gas hose (includes quick disconnect!) = amzn.to/2TA20Ps Other lengths in description!

[@greghamilton5632]

Did you notice any loss in heat output after the conversion to NG?

[@ModsAndProjects]

Slight decrease in heat output I'd say 10-15% if I had to guess. You could probably cut the heat loss to zero by increasing the jet size for more flame to offset the decrease in BTUs:volume of Propane:NG

[@朱書賢-p3y]

Why doesn't rain come down a chimney?

[@Knarf14]

What about a propane fore pit ?

[@davidp18]

Same concept. Depends on the delivery pressure from your gas meter. Just adjust oriface size until you get the desired result.

[@emanresutla]

I decided to attempt this on one of my patio heaters from Costco. Once I found the brass nozzle, I drilled it out 1/32nd of an inch larger than it was before. It fired up on the first try and it’s putting out heat, but it’s clearly not matching the output of the propane one. I suspect I need to expand the opening a tad more but I’m concerned with going too far. Any suggestions on if that’s the right course of action? Or if I’m missing something else? Here’s a video of the two for comparison. 1st up is stock setup with propane, 2nd heater is the one I converted to NG: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZ3UZZx5ibqhhLM

[@ModsAndProjects]

Just take it one step at a time in the smallest possible increments and you should be fine. if you happen to go a little bit too far you can always regulate the output using the variable control valve via the knob.

[@emanresutla]

Ok, sounds good. I’ll go up one more bit size and give it a whirl. I’ll report back here with a comparison to let others know. Thanks

[@jim4556]

If you go to far, its brass so it takes plumbing solder well. Solder your hole closed, just don't mess up the threads. Then just re-drill your plug to the smaller size.

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

Do you have to neck down the pressure to the NG pressure of ~35 g/cm² (as opposed to the propane usual into the 100s) for running off propane again?

[@gwyoung3509]

Wondering if it would be more optimal if some of the air vent instead remained open? Stoichiometric air-fuel ratios of common fuels Fuel By mass By volume [1] Percent fuel by mass Gasoline 14.7 : 1 - 6.8% Natural gas 17.2 : 1 9.7 : 1 5.8% Propane (LP) 15.5 : 1 23.9 : 1 6.45% Ethanol 9 : 1 - 11.1% Methanol 6.4 : 1 - 15.6% Hydrogen 34 : 1 2.39 : 1 2.9% Diesel 14.6 : 1 - 6.8% Wood (0%mc) 6.1:1 source: wikipedia, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoichiometric

[@ModsAndProjects]

Yeah I'm sure you could do some experimentation with drilling some holes in whatever you close the vent with to introduce a bit more air into the mix. Particularly in my units you get some slight sooting on the glass which may be an indication more air is needed for a cleaner yellow flame

[@gwyoung3509]

@@ModsAndProjects Thanks, I'm an ME, so I'll experiment and let you know! This is such a great video! I'm thinking of a sliding sleeve mechanism that I can lock in place after an optimum color(temp)/height is reached. Of course a blue flame indicates 100% combustion which is required for heating indoors, where the cooler yellow and red flames are incomplete combustion and producing unsafe CO levels for indoor use without a flu to carry the Carbon monoxide out of the house. My guess is the higher the flame, the longer combustion has been delayed. Now I have to figure a way to make the flames dance more... I'm thinking regulating gas flow is hazardous for risk of flameout, potentially followed buy uncontrolled combustion....but if I could vary that supplemental air, that might do the trick safely?

[@ModsAndProjects]

@@gwyoung3509 yeah sliding sleeve sounds like a great way to make an adjustable air valve! I would love to find a way to introduce another gas to change the color of the flame to red or something else interesting that would be lots of fun

[@ModsAndProjects]

the two heaters on my deck have been working well since I implemented this modification the only complaint I have is slight sooting after you leave them on for a long time like six or eight hours and then you just need to wipe it off with a rag. I'm sure if I took the time to play around with the air ratio I could probably get the sooting down

[@joaquinsolorio6810]

Looks good

[@ModsAndProjects]

Thank you!

[@alyssadziminski7034]

Wow

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

I like blue flames better :v

[@bdeemter1234]

You need to be on the radio

[@ModsAndProjects]

What do you mean? lol

[@bdeemter1234]

@@ModsAndProjects you got a voice for it. Smooth, entertaining, and deep (but not too deep).

[@ModsAndProjects]

@@bdeemter1234 Thanks for the compliment man :) I

[@宇梁-m4k]

I'm the production plant has more new products that you can work on together

[@palmtree5544]

You shouldn't tell people they don't need regulators . Many gas meters put out 2 psi and not .5 psi

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

Mmm

[@davidp18]

false

[@mikewurth]

You need a regulator. Propane runs at 13" WC column where natural gas is 7"WC.

[@beachbums2008]

It's not called a jet,its called an orfice.

[@davidp18]

ya that’s the only thing that slightly irked me as well though.. it was a great video otherwise. I’ve done this to all my outdoor appliances for years.

[@hankhill4254]

No! Stick with propane. If you run dry, your local propane dealer will be more than happy to top your tank right up. Keep it propane and taste the meat, not the heat.

[@davidp18]

That boy ain’t right

[@hankhill4254]

@@davidp18 that's all I've been trying to say