I’m setting up my new homebrew stand; it has two BG14 banjo burners. One of the burners I recently purchased from NB just won’t let me tighten the brass orifice all the way into the port. I had to get out a wrench, and still wouldn’t tighten all the way in; I could use more muscle, but I was risking stripping it as it is.
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I was able to tighten the other all the way in just using my fingers…
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Is this okay? Or is it a safety and/or operational issue? See the photos for a comparison. Thanks.
I realize this brass into aluminum or stainless, but metal on metal usually binds without tephlon tape. This is more true for two hardened metals like stainless on stainless. I have an SP10 and I read the instructions, didn’t mention tephlon tape. That said, I don’t even think I needed to use a wrench. You can definitely over tighten with a wrench.
Maybe take it out and inspect the threads, then do the soapy water test after you hand tighten. I wouldn’t worry about how far it threads in, as long as the seal is good. It is possible that the female threads are stripped.
You’re not trying to bind, you’re trying to seal. Brass to steel can seal w/o tape, I always use tape on steel to steel (except hydraulics).
To Silentknyght, it’s a threaded casting, don’t worry how they compare to each other, unless it’s cross-threaded. You want them tight, not hand tight.
I believe four wraps min. are recommended for NG and propane.
Yes, binding/stripping is not good. That’s what I was implying. At least trying to :oops:
The problem is that it could bind if over tightened with a wrench and no tape, it really doesn’t neeed to be tight tight, just cinched up after hand tightening.
Okay, so… forgive me, I don’t quite understand your recommendations.
It looks like (from the Blichmann instructions) that it’s okay if it’s not all the way screwed in; and it looks like no teflon tape or other thread sealant is needed.
I think my case is going to be okay. Did y’all agree, or did you recommend something else?
[quote=“Silentknyght”]Okay, so… forgive me, I don’t quite understand your recommendations.
It looks like (from the Blichmann instructions) that it’s okay if it’s not all the way screwed in; and it looks like no teflon tape or other thread sealant is needed.
I think my case is going to be okay. Did y’all agree, or did you recommend something else?[/quote]
Haha, well, I don’t think using teflon tape is bad for that type of connection, but like the instructions infer, not necessary. You definitely don’t need to screw it in all the way, that’s not how you get a leak tight connection. The leak tight connection comes from the mating of the threads.
I am not currently using tape or sealant and my seal is fine. Hand tighten, then cinch it up until you know it has made a good connection through the threads.
I believe the reason you don’t absolutely need tape is because brass is malleable and will create a seal through deformation while threading. The malleability in the brass also will cause the connection not to bind also. Binding is bad for repeated thread in, thread outs, but in this case I am assuming that you are only threading it once (not every time you brew).
So yah, if you need absolute answer, you are OK without tape. When in doubt, leak test with soapy water.
I don’t put that brass orifice in very tight. Since the flame is at the burner (hopefully). There will be suction at the inlet where this fitting is so you should be fine.
Did you try swapping fittings on the burners to see if it’s the fitting or burner? Is it a straight thread or pipe thread?
[quote=“Silentknyght”]Okay, so… forgive me, I don’t quite understand your recommendations.
It looks like (from the Blichmann instructions) that it’s okay if it’s not all the way screwed in; and it looks like no teflon tape or other thread sealant is needed.
I think my case is going to be okay. Did y’all agree, or did you recommend something else?[/quote]
You’re OK. It should be a pipe thread, so one could be tapped deeper than the other.
Just an observation, does it really need it to be airtight/sealed when you have those two giant openings less than an inch away? As mbg said, it should be drawing air into the burner to feed the flame at the burner face… you should be fine.
Its not drawing air up those openings until the burner is lit, and any danger comes before/during the action of lighting. You don’t want to light it at the brass fitting, believe me.
However, Blichmans version of the banjo (which was mentioned earlier) have set screws on their shutters, which almost indicates that they intend them to stay open even when lighting? Regardless, the shutter does in no way make a seal as teflon wrapped threads would. I still think the “slightly-past-finger-tight” is perfectly fine for the banjo.
