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Picked up a used Ambex YM-5 with a SOLO4824.....I need help!!!
Boss99er
Top  #26 Print Post
Posted on 08/21/2015 9:54 PM
Hey bud, my roaster already has a pressure gauge, so I'm good there.

Is there a way to tell which orifices are installed? I can easily remove one, if needed. Is there something you measure to tell if its LP or NG? I can do the same on the igniter orifice too.

I'm going to be using it on NG, so thats what i'd like to get it all set up for. Is there any way to get a tank of natural gas? If I remember correctly, NG cant be compressed like LP can. If I could at least get gas to this thing, I could fire it up and do some live testing before my roasting space is ready to go.
 
Boss99er
Top  #27 Print Post
Posted on 08/21/2015 10:03 PM
Uhh......so I pulled out one of the orifices. I'm pretty sure thats an LP orifice...would you agree? http://imgur.com/...

So how the heck did the previous owner run this thing on NG for almost 2 years?!?! He would have had a tiny flame at all times...at least I would assume. I bet it took forever to roast!
 
allenb
Top  #28 Print Post
Posted on 08/22/2015 8:43 AM
In doing some further reading of the pdf on the honeywell smart valve, it looks like the model you've got is factory set for the intended gas (LP if info from previous owner is to be trusted) and isn't selectable but you may want to inquire of honeywell to make sure. If the smart valve is set for LP which would want to see around 11-15" H2O gas pressure entering it, then sending it natural gas at a typical pressure of 5 to 7" H2O, it may not give you the flow you need regardless of orifice size adjustments. To find out would require a lot of experimentation and if you're not experienced with gas controls it could be risky from a safety standpoint. You may end up needing to replace the smart valve with one intended for natural gas.

I know I stated that the maxitrol valve should work with either natural or propane which is what I've been told, but you may want to call them again to ensure it is able to handle the flow needed by the roaster in lbs/hour or btu's/hour.

Unfortunately, when dealing with multiple components that have to work in concert with each other (burner and pilot orifice, incoming gas regulator, pilot/safety control valve and main burner control), it can be like herding cats to figure out what needs to be done.

Allen
1/2 lb and 1 lb drum, Siemens Sirocco fluidbed, presspot, chemex, cajun biggin brewer from the backwoods of Louisiana
 
Boss99er
Top  #29 Print Post
Posted on 08/22/2015 10:21 AM
Well, the previous owner said it was set up for natural gas, not LP. He said it worked great, it's just that the Maxitrol just didn't provide very good flame control. I sent my orifice pic to Paul Ribich from Roaster Dynamics (used to be with Ambex) and he thinks that still might be a NG orifice. He's going to send me measurements based on my jet count (24 jets).

I'm just NOT experienced with anything gas related, so this is pretty frustrating. Thanks a TON for your help!!!
 
allenb
Top  #30 Print Post
Posted on 08/22/2015 3:01 PM

Quote

Boss99er wrote:

Is there a way to tell which orifices are installed? I can easily remove one, if needed. Is there something you measure to tell if its LP or NG? I can do the same on the igniter orifice too.
I'm going to be using it on NG, so thats what i'd like to get it all set up for. Is there any way to get a tank of natural gas? If I remember correctly, NG cant be compressed like LP can. If I could at least get gas to this thing, I could fire it up and do some live testing before my roasting space is ready to go.


It's easy to determine if a given orifice will provide a burner with the necessary cubic feet per hour of propane or natural gas as long as you know the diameter of the orifice in thousandths of an inch and pressure entering it. See link below for my post showing link to btu calculator on Ron Reil's site

http://forum.home...post_45284

The problem is being able to determine the pressure entering the pilot and burner orifice. To do this you need a a gauge capable of reading inches of water column and you'd need to be able to attach fittings at the right spot. The smart valve is dropping the pressure to the pilot output and main output and this would need to be measured.

So, to answer your question on if there's a way to tell which orifice is installed? Yes there is but it's not easy to accomplish without the proper gauges and fittings.

On bottling natural gas in liquid form? No, it's not possible that I know of.

Allen
1/2 lb and 1 lb drum, Siemens Sirocco fluidbed, presspot, chemex, cajun biggin brewer from the backwoods of Louisiana
 
Boss99er
Top  #31 Print Post
Posted on 08/22/2015 10:28 PM
Man.....not sure what to do next on this. I mean, I just need to get it hooked up I suppose......but I'm going to hate paying for space without my roasting being ready to roll. I guess I have the Huky I can use for a while...but I'll roast myself insane using that thing. Ha ha.
 
allenb
Top  #32 Print Post
Posted on 08/23/2015 10:59 AM
That sounds like the best course of action and is exactly what I'd do. Hook it up and run it to see how it functions. Then take the dc voltage readings from the valve terminals on the maxitrol board while you dial the manual control from min to max to see if you get the needed 0-20 volts and if not, we can take it from there.

Allen
1/2 lb and 1 lb drum, Siemens Sirocco fluidbed, presspot, chemex, cajun biggin brewer from the backwoods of Louisiana
 
Boss99er
Top  #33 Print Post
Posted on 08/23/2015 9:18 PM
Yep, will do! I dont have my official roasting space yet, but the neighbor has NG to his garage. I'm going to replace the little feet on the bottom with some caster wheels and try rollin my roaster over there. I'll be sure to take my multimeter over with me. I'm really just hoping the previous owner had no idea how to operate it correctly and all is good. :-)
 
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