$40 Summit need some advice

[jamesnomore]

Score an S450 Summit for $40 from a guy that abused this poor grill. 1st it's NG with a propane regulator attached also. 2nd all the flavorizers were installed NOT over the burners so they are all completely gunked. He said it always had flair up issues LOL no shit!

I'd like some advice on completing a conversion to properly use propane. I've never done it so any tips no matter how basic I'll take it. I'll pull it apart and clean out the burners, they all look cleanable and should be fine.

What about the infared? Cleanable? I found the serial number but still can't figure out age. Tips?

Some pics



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[getlego]

Nice find for the money!

First off I will say that is probably a 2008 model. If you can't read the serial number look for a two letter code on that sticker. Mine is a DZ. There are date codes you can google for Weber grills.

Secondly based on all the soot in the cook box the burners are not working right. That makes perfect sense having two regulators and the wrong gas. I would also be real suspect of the soot marks on the front coming through the vent holes of the console. My neighbor had a big box grill that eventually caught on fire there. There are small rubber gaskets between the fuel manifold and the burner tube valves. If that part has been abused or overheated those gaskets may be torched and leaking. Easy enough to test with a soapy water spray. Remove the knobs and the two screws under the console to gain access to the fuel rail. There are instructions available for that model on Webers site. You can get the schematics and most of the time download the owners guides. It is actually spelled out in the manual to do this procedure even on a new grill. They say it's tested at the factory but things may come loose in shipping.

So I would start there and get it all safe before even putting a flame to it. You can use the pressure from the propane tank to check for leaks.

As far as I know there is no cheap easy way to convert those to propane. NG orifices are much larger than propane. If someone had the knowledge they could be drilled out to go from propane to NG but not the other way around. Your options are to replace the entire manifold with a propane setup but you still have two other orifices for the side burner and the IR burner that would need to be replaced. You can try to find replacement orifices but they seem to be very expensive. I cant recall but I found a site that was selling them for like $7.95 each for the main burners but they didn't have the other two. The ones on ebay were like $100.00

Weber never sold or condoned converting these grills.

So bottom line is the only major difference is the orifices and the regulator setup. NG has one in the cabinet and propane is on the tank hose. Start with a good leak check to be safe. If that manifold is toast you may have to replace it anyway. In that era of Summits they made a cheap version without the IR and side burner. You might get a better deal on that manifold but you would not be able to put the accessory burner knobs on.

[jamesnomore]

Thanks for the info, I found a decent video showing a way to drill brass screws with heads cut off to March propane. It's a DZ so 2008 and likely out of warranty. I'm in no hurry so will take my time and do it right. Once I get it apart I'll know more and if I put in a $100 to really do it right I'm still making out like a bandit. Then maybe a flip and keep my 90's genesis or keep it and sell the other.


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[getlego]

Man, if it's a flip just keep it all NG and save your money. Propane will not be such a deal breaker as to sink all that money converting it. If you keep it, spend the money and enjoy it. But the difference in sale price would be minimal. To restore it to NG all you need is the flex hose supplied by Weber with the grill. They are available pretty cheap since it's a safety issue. I guess squirrels and rabbits chew on them. I think the hose and fittings are like $25.00. Just take off the propane hose and screw in the NG hose. Now that's easy!!! I'm guessing that grill all cleaned up is worth $400-$500 in the right market.

Also is there any reason you can't do an NG hookup? A few pipes and fittings are not that expensive. If you live in an apartment that may not be an option but generic parts are way less expensive than name brand parts.