Hooking my performer up to a big propane tank?

Started by bwb, May 29, 2014, 05:08:39 PM

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cbpeck

Ok guys, a quick review of that Bayou Classic 4 ft braided stainless hose. This one:
https://www.amazon.com/ADAPTER-HOSE-BAYOU-CLASSIC-MfrPartNo/dp/B00M26G432/ref=sr_1_4?s=lawn-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1534899910&sr=1-4&keywords=bayou+classic+hose
I've had mine for about four months, and it was working beautifully. I had it attached to a short and squatty 11 lb propane tank that fit nicely on the lower wire shelf of my 3rd gen Performer. The tank is just like this:
https://www.amazon.com/Manchester-Tank-Equip-10393-1-Propane/dp/B000C77UYA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1534897835&sr=8-1&keywords=11+lb+manchester+propane+tank
It worked great until a couple of weeks ago when I was grilling a lot of chicken over direct high heat to serve teriyaki to a group of about 40 people. The kettle in the Performer got so hot that the black plastic knob on the Bayou Classic hose melted and deformed around the tank valve. The fitting was about 6-8" away from the bottom of the kettle, but apparently that wasn't far enough. It's deformed to the point that it's no longer usable. I called Bayou who said the fitting was repairable, but they weren't able to help me beyond selling me a new hose. I've checked a few local shops including a commercial propane outlet who builds hoses as well as a hose & fitting supplier. Both had complete fittings, but nothing that would fix the Bayou hose. It's looking like my only option is to replace the hose entirely. I wanted to share my experience here in case it prevents someone else from having the same incident.
I've since looked at the Weber hoses with the green knob, product #6501, and though I can't say for sure, it sure looks like their knobs are made out of a heat resistant nylon, unlike the Bayou knob that's plain black plastic. I'm not sure what I'm going to do going forward. I may just buy another Bayou hose and relocate the tank further from the kettle.