If you've got an older Southern Pride smoker and you've noticed what looks like two regulators in the gas line, you're not seeing double. Some units really do have two.
Why the extra regulator is there
Older smokers shipped with a non-regulated gas valve — either a VR8440M or a Rodgers valve. Since that valve didn't regulate gas pressure on its own, Southern Pride installed a Maxitrol regulator in line ahead of the valve to handle that job.
So on those older units, the Maxitrol isn't a mistake or something a previous tech added. It's there because the gas valve itself needed help regulating pressure.
What changed
Current production smokers ship with a regulated VR8304 gas valve. Because the VR8304 handles regulation internally, the inline Maxitrol regulator is no longer needed in the gas line. The aftermarket VR8345M also handles regulation internally so does not need the inline Maxitrol regulator.
Can you remove the Maxitrol?
Only if the gas valve on your unit has actually been replaced with the current VR8304. If your smoker still has the original non-regulated VR8440M or Rodgers valve, leave the Maxitrol in place — it's doing necessary work. Pull it off a unit still running the old valve and you've removed regulation from the system entirely.
Before you touch anything in the gas line, confirm which valve is actually installed. That's the deciding factor, not the age of the smoker or how the line looks.
