Yoder Log Lighter Upgrade

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Yoder Log Lighter Upgrade

Postby slamkeys » Fri Feb 16, 2018 8:37 pm

(This is a re-post of a modification that was deleted from the Yoder Community forum this week)

The Yoder log lighter assembly has been very helpful for lighting my oak splits without resorting to charcoal. It gets your fire started quickly with minimum hassle. The burner bar is heavy duty and will last forever if you keep it clean and prevent it from rusting. I remove mine after each use and wipe it down with cooking oil for storage, just to keep it in "like-new" condition.

Installed on the new Loaded Wichita:
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My only disappointment with the unit was the lousy regulator that comes with it, which is marketed elsewhere as the "Bayou Classic" 0-30 psi regulator. Mine never really worked properly and made my flames jump up and down sporadically, and eventually die out if I didn't stand next to the pit and monitor the output so I could adjust it when needed. The adjustment knob is very "twitchy."

Flames raging up for no reason::
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Without any adjustments, flames die out:
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After about 10 months of use the regulator stopped functioning altogether because it has some kind of safety check-valve internally that closes it off when it senses too much flow or something.

“Bayou Classic” finicky regulator:
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I chose to replace the regulator with a Marshall Excelsior 0-30psi Megr-6120-30 regulator, and now it works like a dream. I'm hoping Yoder moves to a better regulator in the future because that was the only real issue I had with the log lighter assembly.

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Replacing the regulator was actually a little tougher than I thought it would be. The bottle connector can be unscrewed by placing a deep socket over the large brass fitting inside the green twist cap, but mine was very difficult to turn. I was afraid I was going to break it, but it eventually turned enough to loosen.

I made sure to use a 6-point deep socket so it didn't strip the brass edges, which sometimes happens with 12-point sockets if they do fit well enough.
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The original steel-braided hose needs to be removed too so it can be reused. This part was also difficult to remove because the flat on the brass fitting was very thin, and the hose crimp behind it sticks up higher than the brass, preventing a thick-jawed wrench from sliding in between. I didn’t have a single wrench in my collection that was capable of fitting on this brass connector. I even looked at a hardware store and Harbor Freight for something that would fit and found nothing. I eventually found a crowfoot socket in my tool box that was thin enough, but still awkward to use for loosening a very tight part.

Crowfoot socket wrench:
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After getting the original “Bayou Classic” regulator removed, it’s a simple matter to apply some pipe joint compound to the threads and reassemble the parts.

Here’s the final assembly after replacing the regulator:
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Testing

The log lighter was absolutely transformed by the addition of a better regulator. Once lit, I ran it for 15 minutes on a windy evening, and the flames never oscillated at all. The pressure was constant then entire time:

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I also did a cook a few days later and the new regulator made my job that much easier because I didn’t have to babysit it anymore, it was steady the entire time I used it. I set it to the height I wanted and it was so consistent I only had to leave it on for about 9 minutes to light the fire:

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Yoder Loaded Wichita 2016
Big Green Egg 2014
slamkeys USER_AVATAR
slamkeys
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Posts: 130
Joined: Fri Sep 30, 2016 4:29 pm
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Re: Yoder Log Lighter Upgrade

Postby slamkeys » Fri Feb 16, 2018 8:44 pm

After the mod, I decided to move the gauge (200psi version) to the rear of the regulator so I can tell how much pressure is in the bottle. That has worked well, and I can estimate how much fuel I have remaining now.

Image
Yoder Loaded Wichita 2016
Big Green Egg 2014
slamkeys USER_AVATAR
slamkeys
Rustler
Posts: 130
Joined: Fri Sep 30, 2016 4:29 pm
Contact:

Re: Yoder Log Lighter Upgrade

Postby slamkeys » Fri Feb 16, 2018 8:50 pm

Here are some follow up photos that show the dimensions of the log lighter. These can be used on any cooker if the firebox is big enough. It only requires some square tubing to slide through.

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Yoder Loaded Wichita 2016
Big Green Egg 2014

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