# Lowes Dual-door Master Forge Smoker to natural gas



## baddaybeav

Ok, so I picked this up a few weeks ago and spent that time smoking and doing some research.

I didn't take pictures, but it's not the most advanced thing in the world to take apart.


Lay it on it's back, and remove the front legs.

Remove the whole assembly that holds the gas regulator handle and the starter.

remove the copper piece from the front assembly.

I used a 1/16 inch drill bit since I have a 7" water table gas line (call your local company to ask), so I went from 15,000 btu to 14,100.

Drill out the oriface on the end.

The next part is the interesting one.

Once you remove the propane tank hose (this is extremely tightly bolted on).

You'll see that you have a 1/8 inch end.

You'll need from Lowes or anywhere else:

Included are the lowes part numbers where I have them...

1/8th female to 1/4th male (71486)
1/4th female to 3/8th male (75603)

3/8th female to 3/8th male 90 degree angle (83057 I think, can't quite read the bag).

This part is the confusing one that took me and 2 empll

3/8th FIP female to 3/8th Flare male

Then grab just the hose line from Charbroil's conversion kit (it's availble near their full kits)

make sure that you get the Quick Disconnect end on it, at the store I was at, they were missing like 4 of those, but had the rest of the hose.

From there it's as easy as hooking it up to your gas line at your house.


The only thing of note is that the starter won't quite fit 100% correctly, so you'll have to remove it, then reseat it after putting the whole assembly back on. 

--
Mark


----------



## gene45

Its actually a straightforward process. I did it on new Broil Mate  a couple of years ago. The interesting part in hindsight is some of the advice that I got. 
From my Gas company,  I was told that they did not handle any propane fittings. (I had to convert from the fittings on the smoker to the fittings on the gas company's line) and they sent me to a plumbing store, who also did not have any propane fittings, and sent me to a hydraulics store, 

"because they have both gas AND propane fittings".    

At the hydraulics store,  the man said:

 "there is not such thing as propane or gas fittings.  There are just fittings. What do you need?"

And it worked fine.


----------



## tclark

I had had enough of my old electric smoker, so I started looking for a gas-fed smoker. I converted my Holland grill to natural gas about four years ago when we did a kitchen remodel and I had my contractor run a n.g. line out to my backyard.  I was very happy to get rid of the propane tanks, and was not about to start that again...

Needless to say, I was sorely disappointed when I saw the minimal selection of gas smokers.  I checked out the Master Forge smoker at a local Lowe's but could not get any information as to its convertability to natural gas.  So I started searching the web, and found this thread.  I have plenty of mechanical aptitude and am comfortable working with gas.  Bought the smoker and the various parts mentioned above, and did the conversion.  I decided to do the change before assembly to make it easier, and I took pictures...

Here is the unaltered control valve and ignitor assembly:








I removed the four screws holding the valve and ignitor assembly to the burner portion, and pulled the orifice out of the tube that transfers the gas and air to the burner.

Pull the black knob off the adjusting dial, and unscrew the two screws that hold the trim ring and valve to the metal frame:







Now you have the raw valve and orifice, with the propane hose still attached:







I put the end of the hose in my vise, and used a pipe wrench to turn the valve body off the fitting:







Put the valve body in the vise, with the orifice pointing up.  Use a 1/16" drill bit to enlarge the hole in the orifice.  It doesn't take much to do this:  the metal is soft, and a sharp bit will expand the hole in no time.  I then made sure there were no metal shavings inside the body.







Using the various fittings described above, assemble the modified body.  Be sure to use teflon tape or dope on each connection.  Again, I put the body in the vise and attached each fitting.  I used flare nut wrenches, but you don't need to.  Insure that each fitting is firmly tightened.  You will need to repeatedly check the 90 degree fitting to be sure that when the valve is put back in the smoker body that it is pointing down.  Don't loosen the fittings if you go too far.  Gently tighten further to get the proper alignment.







I found in reassembling the valve into the smoker that I had to loosen and spin the ignitor ground wire about 90 degrees to clear the new valve configuration.  Also, the ignitor body (the part behind the button) needed to be turned slightly to accommodate the valve.  Everything went back together smoothly and looks completely original. (except for the now 10' ng hose).

Do not put tape or dope on the hose fitting when attaching it to the valve body.  It uses a flare fitting, and that is what makes the seal.







Before putting the modified valve/burner assembly into the bottom of the smoker, I attached it to my gas line, made sure the smoker valve was off, and turned on the gas from the house.  I sprayed soapy water on all my newly assembled fittings to be sure that there was no leaks (any bubbles indicate that there is gas coming out).  Only then did I proceed with the rest of the smoker assembly.

I guess I am lucky: during the break in, I used a calibrated digital thermometer to check the accuracy of the one that came with the smoker...by all indications, I am within 3-5 degrees of the actual temperature in the box.  Woohoo!!!

Thanks to those that figured this mod out, and posted it here.  I am already impressed with the smoke this box produces, and not having to worry about charcoal or propane tanks makes it a great deal.

Tom


----------



## tclark

I had had enough of my old electric smoker, so I started looking for a gas-fed smoker. I converted my Holland grill to natural gas about four years ago when we did a kitchen remodel and I had my contractor run a n.g. line out to my backyard.  I was very happy to get rid of the propane tanks, and was not about to start that again...

Needless to say, I was sorely disappointed when I saw the minimal selection of gas smokers.  I checked out the Master Forge smoker at a local Lowe's but could not get any information as to its convertability to natural gas.  So I started searching the web, and found this thread.  I have plenty of mechanical aptitude and am comfortable working with gas.  Bought the smoker and the various parts mentioned above, and did the conversion.  I decided to do the change before assembly to make it easier, and I took pictures...

Here is the unaltered control valve and ignitor assembly:







I removed the four screws holding the valve and ignitor assembly to the burner portion, and pulled the orifice out of the tube that transfers the gas and air to the burner.

Pull the black knob off the adjusting dial, and unscrew the two screws that hold the trim ring and valve to the metal frame:







Now you have the raw valve and orifice, with the propane hose still attached:







I put the end of the hose in my vise, and used a pipe wrench to turn the valve body off the fitting:







Put the valve body in the vise, with the orifice pointing up.  Use a 1/16" drill bit to enlarge the hole in the orifice.  It doesn't take much to do this:  the metal is soft, and a sharp bit will expand the hole in no time.  I then made sure there were no metal shavings inside the body.







Using the various fittings described above, assemble the modified body.  Be sure to use teflon tape or dope on each connection.  Again, I put the body in the vise and attached each fitting.  I used flare nut wrenches, but you don't need to.  Insure that each fitting is firmly tightened.  You will need to repeatedly check the 90 degree fitting to be sure that when the valve is put back in the smoker body that it is pointing down.  Don't loosen the fittings if you go too far.  Gently tighten further to get the proper alignment.







I found in reassembling the valve into the smoker that I had to loosen and spin the ignitor ground wire about 90 degrees to clear the new valve configuration.  Also, the ignitor body (the part behind the button) needed to be turned slightly to accommodate the valve.  Everything went back together smoothly and looks completely original. (except for the now 10' ng hose).

Do not put tape or dope on the hose fitting when attaching it to the valve body.  It uses a flare fitting, and that is what makes the seal.







Before putting the modified valve/burner assembly into the bottom of the smoker, I attached it to my gas line, made sure the smoker valve was off, and turned on the gas from the house.  I sprayed soapy water on all my newly assembled fittings to be sure that there was no leaks (any bubbles indicate that there is gas coming out).  Only then did I proceed with the rest of the smoker assembly.

I guess I am lucky: during the break in, I used a calibrated digital thermometer to check the accuracy of the one that came with the smoker...by all indications, I am within 3-5 degrees of the actual temperature in the box.  Woohoo!!!

Thanks to those that figured this mod out, and posted it here.  I am already impressed with the smoke this box produces, and not having to worry about charcoal or propane tanks makes it a great deal.

Tom


----------



## buck futta

Interesting, I wonder what it would take to make this work for an indoor NG gas line setup. We have more than adequate hood ventilation at the restaurant for exhaust. But I highly doubt a modified smoker would be covered in our insurance policy if it went up in flames.


----------



## drjqh

These were GREAT instructions from beginning to end and it went smooth as silk for me, thank you for posting this, it's much appreciated.


----------



## fish smoker

I just tested my smoker after following this thread and it works beautifully!  The extremely clear instructions made this conversion a snap.  Thanks!

Fish Smoker


----------



## shawdog

Thanks for the excellent information. Lowes was out of one of the fittings, so I ordered a custom fitting.

3/8 Male Flare to 1/8 FIP Elbow - $6.44, too bad shipping was $7.50. Though, I did get the fitting via UPS in 2 days.

http://www.fastfittings.com/product/10318







Also purchased two packages of fireplace gasket rope from Menards, and installed those on the doors.

$14 - Fitting

$2 - Pipe Dope

$35 - Natural Gas Conversion Hose

$15 - Gasket Rope

----

$66 in improvements

Thanks again--


----------



## jstanford

I gotta try that one, The perfect solution. Never messed with gas lines but if I check for leaks hard enough it should be fine... Thanks


----------



## ethanw

Great post and great description for the modification. I was wondering why no one tried modifying the other end of the gas hose, the end going to the tank? I plan to hook up mine to NG and rather than getting all those parts for going on the burner side, why not just get an adaptor for the other end and then hook it up to the NG line.  Does the entire hose have to be changed to something bigger in size or the original one is fine?  What do you guys think?


----------



## jim from texas

baddaybeav and tclark - THANK YOU!

The folks at Lowe's didn't know much about the conversion to ng, so they sold me the conversion kit which only works for half a dozen of their grills - but NOT the smoker.

Your instructions and pictures made the conversion itself a simple, straightforward job - once again the internet is awesome - try to get this info from a library book.

I did find a part that made a slight shortcut - 3 parts on the smoker instead of two.

Watts actually makes a 1/8F:3/8M - that worked fine vs. the two different parts shown.

Here's what I used with great success (the two turkeys and ham are already done for Thanksgiving):

1/8F:3/8M bushing   Lowes Part #34949   $2.13

3/8F:3/8M street elbow   Lowes Part #34952   $4.03

3/8F:3/8M Flare   Lowes Part #027598   $2.22

The use of only 3 connections took less space, and fit nicely uner the hood!  The igniter did have to be rotated a bit, but the ground wire was fine as is!

And (after going to three Lowes) I did find the separate Car-Broil ng hose Part #206469  $33.22.  (They do like to sell the more expensive kits).

The hardest part for me was getting all the stuff to connect to the house line.  Another "opportunity"!  The house was built with a ng line thru the center of a brick porch column extending neatly out one side near the base, so very convenient.  I already had installed a 3/4" quick connect for my gas grill - but this conversion (Murphy wins AGAIN) required a second quick connect (5/8) - nothing simple!

So, let's see - I now have a super smoker.  $149 original cost; plus about $20 for wheels; plus about $28 for heat rope kit for the doors; and this mod for another $60-ish!  No more propane to fizzle in the middle of cooking!

Thanks again guys!  My wife was even impressed by your guided instructions with accompanying pictures each step of the way!


----------



## jim from texas

My guess would be the difference in pressure ratings, but that's only my guess!


----------



## arh757

When I converted my gas grill to NG, the hose came with a regulator, do I need a hose with a regulator for the smoker conversion?  The photo seems to indicate I do not.  If not, can you tell me the make and model number of the hose?  Thanks.


----------



## jim from texas

You are right - no regulator!

Hose and quick connect kit are from Lowe's -
[h1]Char-Broil Natural Gas Connect Kit[/h1]
Item #: 206469  |  Model #: 4384203

http://www.lowes.com/pd_206469-451-...&gs_upl=&langId=-1&storeId=10151&rpp=24&gs_sm=

Tried three Lowe's stores before I found one in stock.

Can order online, but of course I was in a hurry to get smokin'!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Good luck - you can also get all the fittings at Lowe's, too!

See above discussions for specifics.


----------



## harleysmoker

Was the Teflon tape you used for gas connections or just regular plumbing tape? The reason I ask is all the tape for gas I have seen is usually yellow not white. I have read that the regular white stuff will deteriorate with time from the cold of the gas flowing.

To check for leaks a spray bottle with soapy water works, if you see bubbles you have a leak.


----------



## jim from texas

Yes, I used the yellow teflon tape - the white is for regular plumbing (water) - yellow is for gas.


----------



## harleysmoker

Good, I just asked because the picture it looks white, and its good for others reading that there is different types.


----------



## redclaymud

Kitbashing is a great thing when you have the skills to do it, but I wouldn't recommend this modification for inside a restaurant.  Too many things that can go wrong and the worst is a fire your guests won't be able to write home about.

Restaurants have their own rules and they are for the public's safety.  I for one am in favor of that.


Buck Futta said:


> Interesting, I wonder what it would take to make this work for an indoor NG gas line setup. We have more than adequate hood ventilation at the restaurant for exhaust. But I highly doubt a modified smoker would be covered in our insurance policy if it went up in flames.


----------



## chadwick

Hey guys, I too did the conversion and it worked great... for awhile.  I bought and converted my Master Forge early last year (April 2011) and was a big hit at family gatherings.  I made some great brisket and pork shoulder.  Then later in the year, I really struggled to get my smoker up to temp anymore.  My last smoke I had to finish in the oven as I could not get it over 200F.  I put it away for the winter and now finally getting around to getting it working again.  I did a dry run today and it still can't get over 200F.  I confirmed with a second thermometer.  I did not make any changes to the smoker or my gas lines.  I tried playing around with the vents, both all open and all closed, with little effect.  Any ideas???  My dry run was with water in the pan, but no wood in the box or food on the racks.

Here is the picture of the flame on full, does this look normal or is this too small?  I can't remember what it looked like when it was working good.







Thanks for any tips.

Chad


----------



## chadwick

Sorry for duplicate post...


----------



## sprky

check your venturi tube and orifice. a small critter nay have built a nest in there. also make sure your burner is clean.


----------



## sgilbert2

I am having the same problem with my Master Forge - interested in the answer.  Do you open the bottom vents?  I closed them hoping more heat would stay in the box.


----------



## harleysmoker

That flame is way too low if it is on High. My flame is at least 2 inches on full blast. I also installed a needle valve regulator on mine to fine tune it.

Check for blockages like mentioned above. When you turn on the propane tank, turn it on real slow, and off also,  so the safety valve on it doesn't set. If that don't help you could try a different tank to make sure that one is not bad.


----------



## dspracing

FYI - I  purchased a Lowes Master Forge smoker in mid February.  I finally got around to switching over to natural gas and noticed that they no longer use a threaded fitting to go from the valve assembly to the hose.   The hose is now crimped onto the valve assembly.  What I ended up doing was cutting the hose and adapting it with a 5/16" hose barb x 3/8" NPT and coupling that to a 3/8"NPT x 3/8" flare fitting.  Less parts, less money, but the downside is that if the factory hose ever rots or gets destroyed, the entire valve assembly will need to be replaced.


----------



## shadetreesmokr

I am having the same problem - at the full high setting the smoker will get to about 225 degrees and no higher.  Could the problem be that the orifice needs to be enlarged more than 1/16"?


----------



## cdldriver




----------



## shadetreesmokr

I've been checking some of the posts related to the Master Forge propane smoker.  Several people have posted that they can't get the temperature above 225 degrees.  It appears that there are 2 potential issues - one has to do with the regulator (which we don't have if we've converted to natural gas) and the other has to do with the water pan.  The water pan covers the entire box from front to back and there is only a small amount of clearance on the sides to allow the heat to rise.  Several people have cut 1/2" off of the front and back lips to allow more heat to rise into the cooking chamber.  A few have drilled holes in the lips to achieve the same result.  It appears to help. 

As a test, I went and removed the wood box and the water pan and fired up the smoker on the highest setting.  The thermometer reached 375 in about 10 minutes.  I turned it off, put the wood box and the water pan back in, added hot water to the water pan and fired the smoker back up.  After 45 minutes, it got to 225 and stayed there. 

The burner is obviously putting out enough heat as it gets to 375 pretty quickly without anything in the way.  My next step will be to drill holes in the front and back lips of the water pan to allow more heat to rise to the upper chamber.  I'll let you know how it works.


----------



## shadetreesmokr

I went and got a step drill bit and drilled about 10 holes on the front and back lip of the water pan.  I fired up the smoker without the woodbox or water pan and it got to about 400 degrees in just over 10 minutes.  I put the woodbox and newly modified water pan in, added hot water to the water pan and waited.  Success - after about 35 minutes both of the oven thermometers that I bought and the door thermometer were reading 300 degrees.  Smoked 4 racks of baby back ribs at 240 degrees and even had to turn down the heat about an hour in to the smoke.  I just have a little finishing work to get rid of the burrs around some of the holes and I'm good to go.


----------



## arh757

The built in door thermometer is complete garbage and I have been using a digital probe but it sure would be convenient to have an accurate thermometer in the door.  Anyone have any suggestions?  Pictures?


----------



## jarjarchef

I do not have one of these smokers. I am looking at building something similar for my dad. I need to learn how to weld and he needs to make proper ribs. Something about baking them and marking them on the grill does not scream BBQ Ribs to me. 

Ok to why I posted.
  Modifying these for commercial indoor use is not safe. The biggest is fire suppression system not being effective for the amount of grease. But if you really want to try it  get with the Fire Marshal and see what they have to say. We have a small electric smoker we use for doing our in house Chef Table smoking. Yes our Fire Marshel has questioned it even thoe it is under the hood system. 

We also use 6' gas grills in our location for outdoor cooking. They have 10 burner tubes and will put out some good heat. Every now and then when we light them they have a very low flame with only one tube lit. So we check to make sure no dirt or little critters have made their way into the nozzles  before reconecting to the propane tanks. But One of the crazy glitches they have is sometimes you have to wiggle the regulators as you are connecting them to the tanks. Don't know why the wiggle works, but it does.

I was wondering about the air flow for my build. Thank you for the info Shade. I have seen some use sand in their water pans. Does this really help with the temp recovery?


----------



## tclark

Under high pressure gas situations, the yellow tape is a must.  However, the pressure has already been reduced significantly at your meter, and the gas running through the line is at ambient temperature...not cold like coming out of a propane tank can be.  As long as you use tape appropriately, the white tape will work...the yellow tape is thicker and you don't need as many wraps as the white.  For this use, either will work fine.

Glad to see so many enjoying this easy mod!


----------



## armand

Great posts! Very helpful. Jim from Texas (I'm in Texas too! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





) can you give a little more detail about the wheels you used. Sounds like a great idea.

Thanks!


----------



## armand

Is using a 1/16" drill bit to enlarge the hole in the orifice okay in most cases? Is it necessary to contact our local gas company to find out water table information?


----------



## tclark

If you are connected to a typical municipal system, your 1/16" bit should be perfect...


----------



## armand

Thanks for the info dspracing. I was getting all geared up to go out and buy one of these smokers and convert it to NG. It seems strange that they would all of a sudden change how the hose connects to the valve assembly, but I'm sure stranger things have happened. If they no longer use a threaded fitting, what do they use? You mentioned that the hose is now crimped onto the valve assembly, what is coming out of the valve assembly that they crimp on to? You wouldn't happen to have any pictures, by chance?  Thanks to all for all this great info...very helpful!


----------



## armand

Thanks, tclark. Very helpful.


----------



## jsphoto

I just picked up one of these units yesterday and started making they typical recommended mods.

The regulator on my unit was also crimped so will be sourcing a 5/16" hose barb x 3/8" NPT as indicated above.

Can anyone confirm the Watts part number for it?

Thanks to all


----------



## jsphoto

I ended up using a 3/8" barb to 3/8", it fit tighter than the 5/16".

Then to a ball valve to the hose.
[h1]*Watts A-298 3/8-in Barb Fitting *












38 barb.jpg



__ jsphoto
__ Aug 25, 2013


















_8232767.JPG



__ jsphoto
__ Aug 25, 2013





[/h1]


----------



## bigcountry134

Wow great post! I will be converting my Smoke Hollow 44" lo smoker to natural gas now. Will post some pics once complete!


----------



## bigcountry134

I got the Smoke Hollow converted to Natural Gas. Took about an hour and was really easy. Drilled t he orifice out to a #54 bit and have 6.5 water column and 2 12000 btu burners. Holds temp within 5 to 10 degrees in cold weather. Here's a pic of the turkey I just smoked today!! Love the natural gas 













IMAG0260.jpg



__ bigcountry134
__ Jan 2, 2014


----------



## acefred

I just went to my local Lowes (Canada) and the new version of this must be different again...You can screw a natural gas BBQ line right on to the valve extension now...I didn't get to look at the orifice but drilling seems to be an easy option.  $179 cnd.


----------



## acefred

Picked up this smoker this week on sale for $139 cnd...Found a free used hose, drill out the orifice and had it seasoned. The only thing I am not sure of now is the temp.  I have ordered a probe thermometer to use but the door thermometer would only show this thing getting up to 280 - 290 on high for an hour...how hot should this smoker get on NG?  I drill to 3/16 should I go bigger yet (the flame looks good)?  Looking forward to sealing the doors and running this all summer :)


----------



## tclark

3/16 is WAY too big...that could be part of your problem. With a normal municipal NG supply, you should only use a 1/16" bit.


----------



## acefred

tclark said:


> 3/16 is WAY too big...that could be part of your problem. With a normal municipal NG supply, you should only use a 1/16" bit.


Sorry 1/16 is what I did...


----------



## adamvsmaximvs

I realize this is a bit of a thread necro, but I just purchased this unit and noticed it's changed a bit and it's much easier to convert to NG now. I've attached some pics to show the differences













DSC_0058.JPG



__ adamvsmaximvs
__ Apr 22, 2015


















DSC_0058.JPG



__ adamvsmaximvs
__ Apr 22, 2015





ou can now directly attach a NG conversion kit hose to the feeder tube using the flare fitting end. It's a piece of cake. 












DSC_0060.JPG



__ adamvsmaximvs
__ Apr 22, 2015






You'll need to remove the black steel support plate and the brass bracket to access the valve orifice 













DSC_0062.JPG



__ adamvsmaximvs
__ Apr 22, 2015


















DSC_0064.JPG



__ adamvsmaximvs
__ Apr 22, 2015


















DSC_0065.JPG



__ adamvsmaximvs
__ Apr 22, 2015






You can see in the next pic, I've reattached the support and feeder tub and it's directly attached to the NG line. You don't even need to buy any teflon tape anymore. Literally all you need is a drill and bit.













DSC_0068.JPG



__ adamvsmaximvs
__ Apr 22, 2015






Of course, if you have a NG grill as well, you can make yourself a simple splitter/header so both can run at the same time;












DSC_0067.JPG



__ adamvsmaximvs
__ Apr 22, 2015






Voila NG smoker (and BBQ!)












DSC_0069.JPG



__ adamvsmaximvs
__ Apr 22, 2015


----------



## klago

how did you do that?


----------



## adamvsmaximvs

It's just a basic splitter/tee header. I've got a much more complicated setup at my new place, since I've got a NG fire place too and a bigger Napoleon with a 3/4 gas line.

Basically you just want to make two branches from your NG line, and this isn't the only (or even best) way to do it. In this case Start with your vertical run going from Nipple-Reducer-Nipple-Tee all screwed in and threaded. You can't attach the branch nipples as you wouldn't be able to thread the unit in.

Once you've got the vertical run in, use a couple pipe wrenches to thread the horizontal nipples and quick connects in place. Strictly speaking teflon tape isn't necessary, and there's probably a type of brass 'pipe' dope you can use if you prefer (just only dope the male threads). 

You could also use a union on the vertical run that allows you to create the horizontal run whole, I was just going off what was available at my local hardware store at the time which didn't have any unions.


----------

