Finally managed to come up with a drop-in dual infrared burner replacement for the amazing Snow Peak Double BBQ Grill. This was quite a learning experience, which am happy to share with you all.
So first question, why do it?
I was looking for a portable and compact grill that can be used for camping trips, but also in my small patio. The Snowpeak double bbq fits perfect for both situations, combined with the Snowpeak torch it has performed beyond my expectations for its size. It can feed dozens with just few amount of charcoal, very impressive.
Basically charcoal is great for grill, but setup time, temperature adjustment and cleanup is always an issue. Although Snowpeak makes it easy on all fronts. The other big factor is the no fire warnings in California, so may not be able to use in all camping situations. Hence the propane entry!
Easy choice was to buy another propane grill that will fit inside the Snowpeak IGT frame, but my SUV is already getting packed to its extents so space issue was a big one. Snowpeak also is not into Propane grill yet (hoping !) I also realized that the use is going to be either charcoal or propane, not both in most of the situations.
So first option was to add a burner tube or two into the box, and make it detachable. Adding the tube would have been straightforward, but then need the heat shield as well as tray to go along. The SP double bbq is barely 4.5 inches in height, the internal space is approximately 17 x 13 x 3.5 inch so not much to play around. In my search came across Infrared burners, and their advantages. Originally developed by TEC, but now available through multiple vendors both in Ceramic and Steel.
The key advantages I could see, is the temperature range is like 900 to 1000 deg unlike any propane tube burners which peak at 450 to 550. The burners are self cleaning, and the form seemed suitable for the Snowpeak bbq height. I checked availability, price and size of different infrared burners but most were over 5 inches in height (Used Bing Image Search feature). The burners range from $18 to over $180, depending on the source, material and brand. The burner most suitable was from VAPA burners, the ceramic one is around $45 while stainless steel is around $90 for small quantities.
The fitment turned out to be simple, a 2 x 2 aluminum sheet from Amazon (2.3 mm thick), which I cut to size (Approx. 17 x 13) and had two cut-outs for the burners. Initial thought was to have 3 holes made for the tubing, two for valve heads and 1 for inlet. So just slide the tray in, connect the side line to propane and you are in business. Unfortunately it did not turn out that easy, the burners come with inlet that is 90 deg to the orifice and making that turn inside the bbq was not possible in the space available. So had to figure other option, which I will describe shortly. So here are the pictures, the original charcoal grill and the drop-in propane replacement.
Let me know your thoughts and feedback. I will be testing this setup over the weekend, will have to do some trials to get feel of the temperature.
Do PM me for anything specific
So first question, why do it?
I was looking for a portable and compact grill that can be used for camping trips, but also in my small patio. The Snowpeak double bbq fits perfect for both situations, combined with the Snowpeak torch it has performed beyond my expectations for its size. It can feed dozens with just few amount of charcoal, very impressive.
Basically charcoal is great for grill, but setup time, temperature adjustment and cleanup is always an issue. Although Snowpeak makes it easy on all fronts. The other big factor is the no fire warnings in California, so may not be able to use in all camping situations. Hence the propane entry!
Easy choice was to buy another propane grill that will fit inside the Snowpeak IGT frame, but my SUV is already getting packed to its extents so space issue was a big one. Snowpeak also is not into Propane grill yet (hoping !) I also realized that the use is going to be either charcoal or propane, not both in most of the situations.
So first option was to add a burner tube or two into the box, and make it detachable. Adding the tube would have been straightforward, but then need the heat shield as well as tray to go along. The SP double bbq is barely 4.5 inches in height, the internal space is approximately 17 x 13 x 3.5 inch so not much to play around. In my search came across Infrared burners, and their advantages. Originally developed by TEC, but now available through multiple vendors both in Ceramic and Steel.
The key advantages I could see, is the temperature range is like 900 to 1000 deg unlike any propane tube burners which peak at 450 to 550. The burners are self cleaning, and the form seemed suitable for the Snowpeak bbq height. I checked availability, price and size of different infrared burners but most were over 5 inches in height (Used Bing Image Search feature). The burners range from $18 to over $180, depending on the source, material and brand. The burner most suitable was from VAPA burners, the ceramic one is around $45 while stainless steel is around $90 for small quantities.
The fitment turned out to be simple, a 2 x 2 aluminum sheet from Amazon (2.3 mm thick), which I cut to size (Approx. 17 x 13) and had two cut-outs for the burners. Initial thought was to have 3 holes made for the tubing, two for valve heads and 1 for inlet. So just slide the tray in, connect the side line to propane and you are in business. Unfortunately it did not turn out that easy, the burners come with inlet that is 90 deg to the orifice and making that turn inside the bbq was not possible in the space available. So had to figure other option, which I will describe shortly. So here are the pictures, the original charcoal grill and the drop-in propane replacement.
Let me know your thoughts and feedback. I will be testing this setup over the weekend, will have to do some trials to get feel of the temperature.
Do PM me for anything specific
especially the valves and connection setup 
