House Hacking Project: Tankless BBQ

 
Continuing the backyard theme this week, we turn to one of the most clever hacks available: natural gas plumbing conversion for your BBQ! I think it has happened to all of us: dinner is on, grill is humming away. You go to flip your burgers/chicken or what have you, and the grill is cold. No sweat! I’ll grab my back up tank. Shoot, that’s empty too… Dinner is salvageable on the stove, but the original timeline is thrown out changing tanks, and moving the cooking back inside.
First, you will need a grill that is convertible between the two fuels. This is due to the fact that natural gas has less than half of the BTU output per cubic foot. A compatible grill will have removable jets in the burners to compensate for the addition fuel flow needed. Being in the market for a new grill gave us this option from the start, which was handy considering the grill needed assembly and all alterations could be made at one time.

Conversion kit for a Char-Broil grill, includes quick connect and hose, and assorted goodies.

Second, having access to a natural gas line that is close to your preferred grill location. Ours could not have worked out better. We needed to purchase a ball valve for the hardline, and installed the quick connect fitting directly. This allows us to disconnect the line and move the grill if needed without having to shut off gas to the entire home.

Knob indicators installed. (Wow, the grill needs a solid cleaning!) Making all of the changes was a breeze during the grill assembly.
The finished product has provided years of grilling enjoyment, without any of the work maintaining tanks. Or the anxiety of running out of gas. It’s the little things, isn’t it?
If you have any questions, post a comment, send a text to (760) 814-1850 or email info@1850realty.com