Griswold gas burners....

[spiveyman]

Good evening all ! I have one more question for you (for now !) ..... I have seen the little Griswold gas burners come and go for months now. I really think I'd like to have one, but looking at pictures of them, I dont think I've ever seen a connection ( for lack of a better term ) for the gas input like is on these burners. Can anyone tell me about these burners and what it's gonna take to get one working again? what type of gas will they take and what fittings and such to get them cooking !? I'd really like to get some and put them in the outdoor kitchen at the family farm ! Thanks!

Andrew  ;)

[C. Perry Rapier]

Andrew, you need to talk to Jesse Dunfee on here, what he don't know about these stoves ain't worth knowin.  ;)

[Jesse and Kim Dunfee]

I get to much credit for knowing these stoves. I got 2 members I call to answer questions about them myslf.... :)

I don't know what kind of fitting you are talking about. Most of the ones I get have a Pipe "Union" on them.

[Jesse and Kim Dunfee]

Some have the orginal brass valve that a gas hose just pushed on and was clamped tight

[Jesse and Kim Dunfee]

very few have a fitting like this.......you can buy these in any hardware store. You want to reduce from 3/8 or 1/2 npt down to a propane connector size, Different stoves have different gas pipes, usually 3/8 or 1/2 npt

[Jesse and Kim Dunfee]

If your going to use propane you need a fitting like above and a regulator like this. Lowes Item, 15 bucks I think

[Jesse and Kim Dunfee]

If you are going with natural gas, 99% of these stoves are set up for that and its just a matter of plumbing it in and adjusting the air plates on the frount of the burner to get the best flame.
If your going with bottle gas I use the regulator and adjust the air plate for the best flame. You can sometimes get a correct gas nozzle to change from Natural Gas to Propane but have not found this to be really necessary. These stoves work like your modern Gas Grills... Hope this helps and others can give input or correct me if I am wrong...... :)

[livens]

Whatever you go with, make sure you do a thorough leak test before firing it up.

Im in the process of restoring one of these and I found several issues. My gas manifold (the pipe the valves screw into) had to be replaced because the threaded holes for the valves had rusted a bit :(. Also the valve grease inside the valves was almost gone... i took me forever to find that stuff! Every hardware store in town tried to sell me faucet grease, not the same stuff.

Be sure to post some pics when you get one, we love pics :)

[miniwoodworker]

Andrew, I have a #202 with the fitting in the 3rd picture.

If you're not sure about what's needed to hook up, take the stove to an old-fashioned hardware store, where folks know what they're talking about. They're good at working out the fittings that you'll need to hook up the stove. The ones around here also have the regulators. Might cost an extra buck or 2, but it's well worth it for the service they're giving.

Jeremy, good advice on checking for leaks. I have a bottle of test fluid. Said to be less corosive than soap and water. Jeremy, please tell me more about "valve grease". One of the valves on mine has a tiny leak (barely throws a tiny bubble), so I'd been wondering if there was something that would work like pipe dope to curb it.

TIA,
Lee

[livens]

Lee,

Valve grease is a thick grease that will not dry out or break down when exposed to hydrocarbons or mild heat. The grease is what seals the valve and also lubricates it.

I found alot of misinformation online when I started my search for it. Even more questionable advise from local hardware stores. No hardware store or appliance parts place in Louisville, KY carries it anymore. I dont think newer gas valves need it, so there probobly isnt much demand. I did find an industrial supply company that had it, but they refused to sell it to me unless I was HVAC licensed.

But I did find some online. The first one was here:

http://www.antiquestoves.com/toac/valvec1.htm

Seems like it would work but I couldn't find any info about what is was made from. So I chose this one:

http://www.oilybits.com/lubricants/dow-corning-molykote-1102-gas-cock-grease/prod_174.html

A tube big enough for 1000's of applications and I trust Dow Corning products. Unfortunatly I could not find a USA distributor for the stuff, so I bought from this UK store. Even with shipping it was less than $20.

Now my valves open and close really smooth like you would expect them to.

[spiveyman]

Excellent ! Thanks all - that's a lot of good information you have given me. I really appreciate it. The stove I'm looking at has a fitting like in the third picture. Jesse, you make it sound easy enough to get them going again. I really appreciate it ! Take care !

Andrew  :D

[livens]

Good luck Andrew,

Just please be carefull, especially when hooking a stove meant for NG up to Propane. If you leave the orifice sizes on the valves the same you will have WAY too much propane going to the burners... ie. you can easily get a 1 to 2 foot high flame coming off of it, no kidding. Could be disasterous if you tried to light it inside, next to some curtains, and weren't expecting it.

[spiveyman]

Yeap, Jeremy. I figured these were originally NG..... that's why I wanted to make sure  ;)  

[Jesse and Kim Dunfee]

Go with what you feel safe with Andrew. I have never changed an orifice and used the regulator on the propane bottles. I was able to find new orifices at the Propane store here that sells Propane appliances and fills bottles. Sometimes you find a burned up one. I had to replace one on Perry's stove. So far no problem but that doesn't mean something couldn't happen. I have 6, 3 burner stoves operating in the Wheeling Feeling Chili Cook-off this week end. Or rather ones I have went over and sold. There nice handy things to have and disply. Just check it all over like Jeremy  says.

[Jesse and Kim Dunfee]

I forgot to mention that some of the gas valves are adjustable for both gases. Those are nice...... :)

[Joe Babb]

yea I just got some of those valves!