Genesis Gas conversion advice

[Narmnaleg]

Hi all,
as you may know, I'm the proud owner of a Genesis E320. I've had it since July and am using it quite regularly and I absolutely love it.
When I bought it, I decided to go for the LPG version as I didn't know exactly where I wanted to keep it on my deck and I thought it would be good to be able to move it around.

Here's my issue:
I'm already on my fourth bottle of gas (the 8.5kg ones) and am getting a little tired of getting them refilled every few weeks. (I do have two bottles to always have a spare, but it is a hassle to get them refilled so often). So I've been thinking of getting the Genesis converted to natural gas for convenience, but have a few concerns.

Weber said they can convert it for $195 (parts and labour), my plumber can setup my outdoor gas outlet for around $150-$200, so I'm looking at a cost of $350 $400 for the conversion.
I'm worried that the Genesis will no longer be as hot as it currently is and perform as brilliantly as it has so far. Is this likely in your opinion? (using the Sydney metro gas supply)
If I ever need to temporarily move the BBQ away from that area for a day or so (for example if I have to work on that part of the deck) is it easy to disconnect and reconnect or would I need a plumber every time?
Are there any other warnings you would give me in converting?

Cheers,
Fab

[urbangriller]

Hey Fab,

The plumber should give you a tail (1.5m usually) with a Bayonet fitting so moving it is no problem.

The theory says, with the right kit installed, the heat should be the same, I say theory, because I've never been happy with the way a Nat gas BBQ behaves.

You can get larger fibreglass tanks (made for boats).

Cheers
Chris

[Narmnaleg]

Hey Fab,

The plumber should give you a tail (1.5m usually) with a Bayonet fitting so moving it is no problem.

The theory says, with the right kit installed, the heat should be the same, I say theory, because I've never been happy with the way a Nat gas BBQ behaves.

You can get larger fibreglass tanks (made for boats).

Cheers
Chris

Thanks for that Chris, I wish I could get one of those LPG tanks that servos use to refill my bottle

[Narmnaleg]

Armed with Chris' and the Captain's advice, I've taken the plunge... Actually, more just dipped my toe in...
My plumber has installed the gas outlet on my deck (using a 3/4 inch pipe because that's the size of pipe I had coming to my meter). He said there should be heaps of pressure in the pipe.
I've arranged Weber to do the conversion and can't wait as my gas bottle is running out.
I'll let you all know how it goes.

For everyone's reference:
- $150 for the plumber (ran 6.5 metre gas pipe and installed bayonet fitting)
- $195 for Weber (they'll do the conversion, including replacing a few bits and installing a 2m tail)

Fingers crossed....Geni be a good bbq and don't get cool on me!!!

[daddyo]

Hey Narmnaleg,
I have a Genesis 320 that i bought ready for natural gas, and while i cant compare it to the LPG version, i haven't had any problems at all. It gets plenty hot, and cooks infinately better than my old LPG 4 burner. Plus, the best part is i'll never have to do the annoying trip to the servo to swap expensive gas bottles, so as a result im cooking on it a MINIMUM of twice a week, mostly 3 or 4 times, even through winter. The wife and i use it instead of our old electric oven too, because it works so much better and produces better flavour. The other bonus is, i dont need to worry about my 18 month old son turning the gas bottle on when its not in use, cos its so easy to disconnect the bayonet fitting and make it safe.
I dont regret going with natural gas at all.

[Narmnaleg]

Thanks for that Daddyo,

Weber will be doing the conversion this week for me. I'm looking forward to it even more based on your experience.

[Narmnaleg]

It's done!!! Seems to get just as hot as before (nudges the 310c mark). Is anyone else able to confirm that this is the normal highest temp for a genesis in normal weather (20c outside temp)?

I'll be trying it today to make sure it's all ok. I have a sneaking suspicion that the front burner is a little weaker than the middle and back burners. Since the Weber tech will need to come back (he didn't have the valve for the wok burner)I'd appreciate any advice anyone has on what I can do to check for hotspots other than cook a steak in each corner

[daddyo]

I cooked some scotch fillets on the Genesis last night for four of us, and i put the bbq on to heat up and got distracted, and it hit over 300c, then my bloody drip tray cought fire! Was pretty embarrasing, especially since it has never done that before, and the first time was in front of guests (who thought it was very funny). I guess its a result of cooking so many fatty and marinated things on it recently, needless to say i might give it a more thorough clean! Fortunately, despite the embarrasing flame show, (my beer put it out!), the steaks came out great, even the (shudder) well done one for our pregnant friend. But i guess its fair to say, 300c is hot enough...

[Narmnaleg]

I thoroughly cleaned the whole barbie before the conversion, then realised I hadn't cleaned the drip tray. I looked at it and thought it was a job for another day (very crusty). Thanks for the reminder that I need to get onto that

Before I grill steaks, I always let it warm up to 250c-300c.