Installing a 1 Kg. Gas Roaster in my home/garage

[docdvm]

Live in a cold climate and house is heated with NG. Getting a propane/NG TJ-067 to replace my HotTop. Did not realize that this would be so complicated!

Firstly I thought I could use it like a Bar B Q with a portable tank. I would just keep it outside and connect it before the roast leaving it just outside my garage door. Would also run the vent pipe under the door to exhaust the smoke, vacuuming after every roasting session as I do that anyway with the HotTop. I would use a wheeled cart for the roaster and the cyclone thus allowing me to gain experience and decide on a more permanent solution. Is that a reasonable option? Has anyone on this forum used a 1 kg. roaster like this? Is it safe. Of course it is below freezing here so I would only crack the garage door open enough to slide the vent pipe under the door. Just how much more smoke does the roaster produce compared to the HotTop? I am only roasting for personal use so am planning to go commercial ever. Just an enthusiastic hobbyist.

As I already have a NG line to the house it might be easiest to just run another line to the garage and connect the roaster. I can then go through the wall with a vent and the installation would be complete. Cost of running the NG line $350.00 and then the vent.

Anyone have experience that could help me. I know that diameter of lines for propane and NG are not the same nor are the fittings but the installer can deal with that. Do you think it is unreasonable to just use the roaster like a BarBQ for a while? Am I risking a fire?

What kind of Fire extinguishers are you using?

Any recommendations?

 

[peterjschmidt]

Check to see what mods you'd need to do to the roaster, jets etc, to convert to NG.

 

[docdvm]

From what I understand the NG parts come with the roaster. Is it difficult to install the exhaust vent through the wall? How much smoke will there be for 800 gm to 1 kg. ? Much more than the HotTop? Will my neighbours notice the smoke? Worse than a Bar B Q?

 

[docdvm]

The North TJ -067 comes with propane and NG orifices which are apparently easy to convert.
But should I consider just running a propane line from a portable 20 Lb. tank under the garage door to the roaster and the exhaust from the cyclone under the garage door? That would maintain the roaster as a portable unit like a Bar B Q.

 

[chast]

Install it wrong and when the house goes up in flames kiss the insurance good buy! Any type of gas has to be properly vented for indoor use. If you are going to mobilize it and run it out side like a grill then you can have a propane tank sitting there with the roaster. Neighbors shouldn't complain about what little smoke will come out. No difference than a Gas Grille. I would install a 24" stack just to get some draft for the roaster, if you are going mobile.

 

[MillCityRoasters]

It's not a chimney. No draft is required.

I'm confused about what you mean by "Any type of gas has to be properly vented for indoor use"?

If you are referring to venting the regulator in case of malfunction, regulators aren't typically vented, they are simply installed outside. If you mean combustion gases need to be exhausted, why don't you need a chimney for your gas stove or oven?

There's not much of a problem running a torpedo heater in a garage with a propane tank attached. Is that same propane tank with the valve shut in the garage any more volatile than the gas tank in the automobile it's sitting next to?

I'm not bagging on you, Chast. I just don't think roasting in a home setting (as many of us have done for many years) is all that fraught with peril.

 

[chast]

you cannot run a torpedo heater in a home garage with a propane tank legally. propane cylinders cannot be used indoors where there is a flame. This is code from coast to coast...look it up. Although many do and I have years ago, it is illegal and if something happens, the insurance does not have to pay. If you are telling your customers that you can use one of your roasters inside their home with a propane tank legally then I hope you have a good law firm backing you up. My gas stove is vented...plumbing code requires it, along with my dryer. Like I said, some inspectors look the other way and even some fire departments but you cannot use a propane cylinder inside your home with an open flame device. The largest size propane tank that can be used indoors is 1lb, like the ones used for Coleman stoves

 

[docdvm]

you cannot run a torpedo heater in a home garage with a propane tank legally. propane cylinders cannot be used indoors where there is a flame. This is code from coast to coast...look it up. Although many do and I have years ago, it is illegal and if something happens, the insurance does not have to pay. If you are telling your customers that you can use one of your roasters inside their home with a propane tank legally then I hope you have a good law firm backing you up. My gas stove is vented...plumbing code requires it, along with my dryer. Like I said, some inspectors look the other way and even some fire departments but you cannot use a propane cylinder inside your home with an open flame device. The largest size propane tank that can be used indoors is 1lb, like the ones used for Coleman stoves

OK so I was considering keeping the roaster and Cyclone in the garage. When I am roasting I wheel it near the door so that I can connect the tank and leave the tank outside.
After getting more familiar with the roaster I could then decide whether to connect to NG which is already in my home or leave it on propane so that I could have the option to roast outdoors with a portable tank.
Another alternative is to drill a hole through the garage wall and install a PVC pipe through which I pass a copper 1/2 inch pipe which would be attached to a regulator and the propane tank. In that way it would be fixed.

The Cyclone blower would vent under the garage door using a 4 inch diameter flexible pipe. The cooling try could be made to vent the same way. At some point I could have someone drill out the wall and put in a thimble for the 4 inch pipe.

would that work?

 

[MillCityRoasters]

If you are telling your customers that you can use one of your roasters inside their home with a propane tank legally ...

Of course not. Using a propane cylinder and regulator inside your home would be ridiculous. During operation, the only thing holding back 30 PSI gas is a rubber diaphragm. If that goes bad or doesn't seat, it vents the tank at the regulator. That's not automatically, but certainly potentially, catastrophic. Especially if you happen to be lighting a cigarette at the time.

I don't know of any requirement to vent stoves where I live, although I'm sure we will have one someday. I'd be a fool to argue that the nature of bureaucracy is anything but towards enforcement.

 

[cafdud]

What I did is installed a 6" dbl wall exhaust pipe threw the shop wall, located my chafe collector and LP gas tank outside, very little noise from the fan motor. I have it setting on a wooden pallet for now plan on pouring a little concrete pad eventually. Been covering it up with a tarp for now, will build a better enclosure some day. Maybe a little smoke when I dump the beans but that passes in a couple of minuets. I have a couple fire extinguishers close by, never needed to use, just keep up with your cleaning that is important from having a fire. Easy to do your self or find a handy man to put it together for you. Hope this made sense. Good luck

 

[chast]

Steve that was my point just as you just posted. I apologize if I misunderstood your post and I know you have an excellent reputation. Most states do not even allow a gas grill on balconies if you live in an apartment so depending on his town and inspectors maybe they will be ok with it. I couldn't even install my roaster in my commercial building unless it was listed on the MA gas appliance approved list!! propane or NG did not matter. My only point was propane cylinders cannot be connected and used within a home or commercial building even though many people and companies do. You can store the tanks in your garage but not use them. Just going by what the national fire code states.

 

[chast]

CafDud talk to your plumbing inspector or building inspector. All gas work like you mentioned needs a permit and a licensed plumber. Be safe

 

[cafdud]

My neighbor double checked my work, he is a licensed plumber, my LP tank is outside 8' from my roaster, he said I did a stand up job on my installation. Building inspectors in some cases are bureaucratic idiots, i will exceed code requirements just to be safe + I don't want anybody know what I am doing except family and friends, I only run about 100 pounds a month, easy keeping it small kinda under the radar.

 

[chast]

then you are all set!! Happy Roasting!!

 

[docdvm]

then you are all set!! Happy Roasting!!

I can understand everyone's concern for safety. After all we don't need a fire. But in reality , in my home, I have a NG stove, furnace, hot water tank, and 2 fireplaces. All those appliances are used more and get hotter than my roaster will. I roast for personal use only , likely less than 10 kg. a month. Don't expect to do more than 2 or 3 back to back roasts. Let me say than my stove this Xmas had way more use than the roaster will in a year. Is it vented outside? no! It is a professionally installed stove in a new home. Now the fireplaces are direct vent and I suppose the furnace is. Not sure about the hot water tank although it is exhausting outside.
So what is the big deal about running a line into the garage and roasting with the exhaust gases vented to the exterior? I can crack the garage open for fresh air and add a CO detector, have a couple of fire extinguishers handy too. The garage is sealed from the house and certainly there are more dangerous fumes in a garage than the roasted coffee.
Really the propane tank is the biggest concern if I were to go with propane over NG. It needs to be installed outside and I prefer a solid copper line rather than a rubber hose. Might be easier to just go NG . Of course it would be installed by a licensed HVAC installer who knows what he is doing. I do not plan to fool around with that.

Still what permits did you get for your BarBQ? How is that different from the roaster? I see all kinds of pics with people having their roasters in their basements or porches with propane tanks under the benches. So how many of you have done that? Is it OK?

Then I beg to ask how many of you have paint, turpentine, gasoline cans, oil, solvents, etc. stored in your house or garage? Is that not dangerous? I that car parked in your garage not a risk too?
So you wonder just where do people draw a line. What is acceptable for a home roaster. This is not a business which roasts 8 hours a day. It is jst a sample roaster you might find in a little coffee shop. That is the kind of volume we are talking about.