Can anyone give me some basic direction how to figure out how much propane my pizza oven will drink if converted tp propane? I want to set up my Blodgett 981 for travelling to on-site demos and events. Low vlolume affairs, but I want to run in on propane tank. I need to figure out how large a tank to rent to meet the needs, and see if I can get one small enough to be moveable with a hand truck.
Anyone in the know? It is a 50,000 BTU oven that I intend to run about 5 or 6 hours to start . . . and would like to have a guess on 10 hour consumption at some point.
Hopefully Tom will chime in himself, but at NAPICS the good doctor related having to fire the ovens at a show ( I think it was the NYC show) using those little 2lb propane bottles b/c of “regulations”. It amazed him that they were getting 15 minutes of good burn time out of a single bottle! Don’t know about your particular oven but I’m guessing you could do some of that fancy cyphering and get a pretty close estimate.
so, 8lbs would burn for an hour . . . . 5 hours would need 40 lbs . . . 10 hours needs . . . . 80 lbs. I got time to wait for the good doctor to jump in . . . . or some other propane experienced pizza wonk. Anyone use propane on a concession trailer??
A gallon of propane has 91,600 BTUs and a standard 20-pound grill tank holds about 4 gallons. I just converted my home grill from propane to natural gas, so the numbers were sitting right in front of me.
Nick, it’s quite possible Tom was using 120,000 BTU ovens… possibly even a double stack of them?
Based on the BTU numbers, 80lbs would be 19 gallons of propane. That’s 1,740,400 BTUs; enough to run your ovens at maximum input for 34 hours. And I’m guessing you don’t run your ovens at maximum input.
THANKS RICHARD! I hoe someone will come in and give us some confidence in all this math
Then, using their specs . . . .
a 30# tank containing 7.1 gallons of propane would provide 653,200 BTU capacity; which should theoretically drive my 50,000 BTU burner for 13 hours.
a 20# tank containing 4.8 gallons of propane would provide 441,600 BTU capacity; which should theoretically drive my 50,000 BTU burner for 8.8 hours.
This is all for continuous burn, I believe, and is speced for a generator under load, but I belief the math and theoretical should hold . . . . a BTU is a BTU.
I forgot to say… when I changed my grill to NG from propane I had to change all of the orifices out. Do you have to do the same with the Blodgett ovens?
I knew someone would bring reason into my assumptions. So, the 20# or even a 33# forklift tank would be gracious plenty to start with. Will I get the conversion harware from Home Depot? Or do I need to track it somewhere else? I figure I’ll as kwhike I have you on the line.
Nick,
I don’t have any idea of how the gas pipimg is laid out in a Blodgett oven but I am in the process of getting natural gas run to our store. when it gets here I will have to convert my lincoln 1450’s. To convert these I will need to replace two orifice on each oven, 1 main 1 pilot and a spring. I will have to tweak a control screw in the oven to dial it in. I am getting parts and guidance from MF&B. If they are traveling through during the window I have to make the switch I will have them do the work. Otherwise I will do it.
I would get the parts from somebody that routinely works on Blodget ovens just to be safe.
As far as gas consumption, I think the BTU / gal # quoted is probably the actual BTU value. You have to take into account the efficiency of your oven. I can not give you exact numbers, but , as you can tell by looking as energy savings with newer designed ovens, the older ones were pigs when it came to efficiency, sort of like a 1975 Ford Thunderbird
But then again, like Piper said, you are only pulling those BTUs while heating up and then intermitantly while maintaining temp. I would steal the tank off my gas grill as back up untill I got a good feel for it.
The info provided here is pretty much spot on, the only thing I would add is be sure the oven is properly convereted and leak tested. You can use a 20lb propane tank and it should provide at least 10 hours of run time unless you are over working the oven. As far as where to get your necessary supplies, any competent propane supplier in your area should be able to supply you with a flexable hose and properly sized regulator.
