I'd suspect you have the unit set up for natural gas, see if the LP orifices have been installed.

antss, thanks for taking the time to reply. It is installed. We also thought that maybe they sent the wrong unit but it is for both NG and LP.

Could be crud in the gas line or connectors that's restricting flow to the module. I've heard of that happening before in new installations.

Datura,

antss is correct that you must check that the proper orifice for LP gas is installed. The burner will ACCOMMODATE either NG or LP gas, but you must install the proper orifice. The burner does not work with both types of gas automatically.

mrtimewise,
the LP orifice that Wolf sent was installed. I know it doesn't work automatically with both types. thanks for the help.

riverspots,
they were new and we checked them. Teflon tape will cause crud problems - that's why we used pipe thread sealer. Thanks for the help.

Here are some things that come to mind, in no particular order:

It is possible that the orifice Wolf sent you is defective, remove and examine it for burrs or obstructions. Make sure no particulates or gunk got in there. LP orifices are quite a bit smaller than Natural gas and can get clogged. You can clean it out with a needle or toothpick, but be careful not to damage it.

Is your LP pressure and flow at the valve adequate? You may have a problem at the tank/regulator.

Have you adjusted the shutters to maximize blue flame? Tiny bit of yellow is ok with LP, but should mostly be blue flame at the burner.

Introduce a variable to see if you can change outcome. If the thing is really giving you fits, disconnect it from your house LP system and hook it up to a portable LP tank. Still see the same indications? Then you have eliminated your house LP system from the equation. If running it off a different LP source DOES fix the problem, then you should look upstream to your own LP supply. Your gas dealer should be able to test all of that, I would think. In any case, I wish you good luck getting to the bottom of things.

Oh, one more thing: It takes my 18000 BTU burner 13:34 to raise exactly one gallon of water from 61 tap water temp to a full rolling boil of 208°(at my elevation) so you can use that as a comparison if you'd like.

mojavean,
Thanks, you may have solved our problem which ends up Not being a problem at all.

We did the water heating test. After 13:34 it was 206 so I guess there isn't a problem.

When we used the wok, the meat didn't sear at all - didn't have too much meat so not sure what is up with that. The flame (blue) just didn't seem high enough. We'll experiment some more. Maybe there was a little air in the line and it cleared out. Am going to a Wolf dinner demo in five weeks so we can quiz the chef if things don't change.

Thanks again everyone and especially mojeaven.

I haven't seen the Wolf you are using, datura-07, but Cooks Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen does not recommend using a wok for stir-fry on typical U.S. stoves because the flat cooking surface doesn't properly heat the sides of the wok. Pretty much the same holds for flat-bottomed woks, according to them, anyway. I am putting a link to their article on the subject below.

I am using a wok to stir-fry, but our Blue Star has burner "bowls" into which a round bottom wok fits perfectly and gets hotter than blue blazes in about 30 seconds. I would be wondering if you are fighting a problem of the geometries of mating surfaces.

In any case, get the wok as hot as you can, add the oil, then the meat, and see what happens. "Hot wok, cold oil" is the saying, supposedly. I would say that with more authority, but I am Irish and just learning how to stir-fry myself. Best of luck to you with your efforts, datura.

Thanks again for trying to help me.

I have the Wolf 15 inch gas multipurpose cooktop along with the 15 inch induction and electric steamer. It comes with two grates - one for a round wok. I got a 18 inch allclad stainless round wok.

I know we heated the wok first but don't remember how hot it got before we added oil. I'm planning to try it again on Thursday.

Thanks for the link. I don't think I had a subscription in 2003. Just stopped it in paper and now get it online. Much faster to look up something. Love that Magazine.

I hear the Blue Star is wonderful. I don't know anyone who has one. Wolf's made in my backyard so I'm went local.

Although our 9 year old Sub Zero just died this afternoon - I may switch my loyalty.

That's a sealed burner so you might be experiencing some heat loss up the sides. I took a look at some pictures and it appears that the flame is quite wide. The marketing material says it's designed for stir frying but I've found sealed burners don't provide focused heat that wok cooking really needs. How big is your wok? Most people have 12 or 14" woks. Take a look at the flame on high with the wok sitting in it's cooking position. Is the flame almost as wide or wider than the top rim of the wok? For best results, the burner should apply heat to the the center 6-8" diameter at most. Now a powerful flame will wrap around the bottom of the wok or a pan but many sealed burners has flames that come out more than 12" before even touching the bottom of the wok. It's this point of "first flame contact" that is important. That gives you a good indication of where most of the heat from that flame is going. Do you gallon of water test in the wok. I'll bet it take longer to boil than your test with the wok than with the pot. I'll also predict that the water will start bubbling around the edge with very few bubbles in the center of the wok.

Let me draw an example here. If you take an 18k BTU/hr burner that has a 16" diameter flame pattern, that means your 18k BTU/hr is spread out across that surface. In best case scenario that heat is spread evenly but in most sealed burner that heat is actually concentrated in a ring around the edge, let's say a ring of 10" in diameter. The distance between the bottom of the wok and the flame at a diameter of 10" is probably at least 2-3" above the flame. Most of that heat will deflect off the side and be lost in the air, ultimately exhausted up the vent.

Now let's say you have an open burner where the heat is evenly spread within the middle 8" under the wok. The center of the wok likely at least touching the top if not under the tip of the unimpeded flame so heat transfer is at maximum. Also, consider that the most of the 18kBTU/hr of heat is concentrated in a solid circle of flame rather than a ring. The proximity of the flame plus the concentrated nature of the flame makes the center of the wok very hot.

Unless you are cooking for 10+ people, the amount of meat your trying to sear is probably going to fit in the center 4-6" of the wok. That means that with the wider flame pattern, most of the heat will not go to searing the meat.

Now to my suggestions:
1. Test out the heat distribution and water boil time with a wok and a gallon of water.
2. If the test shows that highest heat is not at the center of the wok, then here are some thing to try.
a. wok ring - I know, you've got a nice wok grate but it lets too much heat escape on the sides. A wok ring can actually concentrate more of the heat under the center of the wok. The bad thing is that it usually lifts the wok a bit which isn't so good. Give it a try, they're cheap so if it doesn't work, it's only a couple of bucks spent.
b. Push the meat up the sides to sear. The burner on this unit seems to have a flame ring on the inside but the outside flame seems to contain the highest power flames. Push the meat up to that area.

I cooked on a viking sealed burner for a number of years and found that the only way I could get a good sear is to push the meat up the sides of the wok. One technique that I used was to slant the wok one way such that the ring of flame intersected the center of the wok during the initial preheat. Once the wok and oil is smoking good, then straighten the wok and put the meat in. Remember to drain the meat very well. Wet meat doesn't sear unless you're on one of those 150kBTU jets. Once the meat is in, then rotate slide the wok around so that the meat is always contacting a freshly heated part of the wok. Alternately, work the meat up to the edges of the wok where it's most hot.

Good luck.

amcook, thanks for explaining all of this. I can't think about it right now - our SubZero is only 46 degrees so I need to deal with that right now - where to put everything??? Will get back as soon as I have time to think. thanks again.