Burner

[Nil]

Hello guys. I am in the way to get a burner to move from electric to gas.

Would someone kindly advise on the minimum BTUs that I need? I found one in Menards for $35 with 41K BTUs.

I was going to get a banjo yet it is not recommended to batches < 15 gallons.

Any advice will be appreciated.

Thanks, Nil

 

[day_trippr]

[...]I was going to get a banjo yet it is not recommended to batches < 15 gallons. [...]

And from where did you glean that errant bit of wisdom? I'll bet the vast majority of folks running 10" banjo burners are doing it for 5 gallon batches...

Cheers!

 

[mikescooling]

I do 12gal batches, a 210,000 btu burner work well.

 

[Leithoa]

I run a SQ-14 (55KBTU) for my 3-8 gallon batches. Way more burner than I need most of the year but come winter time it's great.

 

[Trail]

I'm using a Bayou Classic SP-10 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000291GBQ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20) for my operation. It feels a little anemic... I can't get a rolling boil above 8 gal, and getting there at 8 requires the lid and insulation around the sides.

If I had it to do again, I'd probably just get the banjo for the 5-6 gallon batches I do and call it a day. You can adjust a strong burner down, but you can't adjust a weak burner up.

 

[Leithoa]

Kerin you might want to make sure you have the correct regulator for your SP10. Some of the amazon feedback talk about having the 10psi reg instead of a 20 that's listed on the box. The SP10 is supposed to have over the triple(185KBTU) the output of the SQ14.

 

[Trail]

Mine's unmarked, alas. You may be right, but I never looked into it because it sounds really loud and someone on the Amazon reviews said the 10PSI would be quiet.

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Woop. Just checked, there was a part number... sure enough, mine's a friggin' 10.

 

[brewmcq]

While I think it's a little overpriced (and I don't feed into the Blichmann "hype"), my Blichmann burner does an amazing job... and it's wicked sturdy.

 

[cbrown9064]

While I think it's a little overpriced (and I don't feed into the Blichmann "hype"), my Blichmann burner does an amazing job... and it's wicked sturdy.

I have a Blichmann also. Pricey but it is really efficient, quiet and powerful. I think I did 4 batches before refilling the propane tank.

 

[kh54s10]

I have the Bayou Classic SP-10 and, while a little loud, it will boil my 7 gallon preboil within approx. 10 minutes. I have to turn it almost off when the boil gets going. I think the listed btu is 45 or 55K. You can find them for $45 to $50.

 

[MikeInMKE]

I have a Bayou Classic SQ14. Normally, I do 5G batches, with the occasional 10G batch.

It will roar when I turn it all the way up, but when I do it can bring 12 gallons of wort to a boil in a reasonable period of time (can't say I ever timed it).

I do know I have to watch the temperature when I'm heating strike and sparge water, because when it's running full blast and I'm not paying attention I can (and frequently do!) overshoot the temperature. That's my fault, not the burner's, and far more preferable than sitting there twiddling my thumbs waiting for an underpowered burner.

All of these burners go on sale occasionally, so you could save yourself $10 if you can wait a few weeks.

 

[LuiInIdaho]

While I think it's a little overpriced (and I don't feed into the Blichmann "hype"), my Blichmann burner does an amazing job... and it's wicked sturdy.

I could not agree more. And I love both of my Blichmann burners.

Mark

 

[Nil]

Thanks for all the comments. After tons of research, I decided to keep my family-owned burner (very old) since it is not made in China (Banjo probably is); takes aprox 45 minutes to boil 6.5 gal of wort, at a rate of 189g gas/hr. I will be able to process a lot of batches with the 15 lbs of propane that I purchase.

Upon scale up (10-15 gal batches) I will need something more powerful.

Thanks, Nil

 

[Trail]

So I ordered a higher-powered regulator (M5HPR-30) from Amazon to go with my Bayou Classic SP10. To my distress, it doesn't list compatibility with the SP10... just the SP1, which I thought had a higher BTU rating than the SP1 in the first place. Most of the language in the new regulator's manual warns against using it with a turkey fryer... so is the issue here just that you aren't supposed to put that much heat under a pot of oil?