time for a burner upgrade...what to buy?

[brokebucket]

I am looking to move up from a POS turkey fryer to something that I will be able to get my water temps up faster and finally move on to some 10 gallon batches. What does everybody recommend?

I am BIAB in a keggle.

 

[brick_haus]

I have 3 Blichmann Floor Burners and have been using them for 3 years. I recommend them highly.

 

[govner1]

I have 3 Blichmann Floor Burners and have been using them for 3 years. I recommend them highly.

^^^^^This!

 

[rupert130]

I own the bayou classic KAB 6. 210,000 btu is more than enough to get the job done. I also do 10 gallon BIAB and I have done 3 batches on one full tank of propane so far. Price compared to blichmann is much cheaper

 

[solbes]

I modified my POS turkey frier burner (hurricane style, loud!) to accept a Bayou BG14 (same burner is in KAB6 all in one system). Also bought a high pressure Bayou regulator which is needed to supply this beast. That thing puts out a lot of heat and spreads it over a much larger area than my old hurricane burner.

Also went from 5-10 gallon batches where the old one could not provide enough BTU's. I like how quiet the new one is. Been a few times I thought I ran out of propane, but it was just quietly heating along.

 

[GCPHomebrew]

I have the blichmann . The bayou anything btu whatever is designed for frying . Blichmann is for boiling water. The burner is so much closer to the brew pot. There is an article you can google where they are compared. Super fast boils. Worth the money

 

[rupert130]

The bayou anything btu whatever is designed for frying . Blichmann is for boiling water.

The bayou classic burners are primarily for shrimp/crawfish boils. Which is also boiling water...

 

[ricshayne]

I recently upgraded from a Darkstar to a Blichmann and the difference is ridiculous! the Blichmann gets the water boiling so freaking quick its awesome.

 

[jbb3]

If you pay full price, I would get a Blichmann. But if you can take advantage of the 20% off sales that Midwest and others put on fairly regularly, I'd get an Edelmetall. Which is what I did and I love mine...



It is very quiet and boils water what seems to be twice as fast as the Bayou Classic it replaced. Though I haven't actually timed them...

 

[davidgaines]

I own the bayou classic KAB 6. 210,000 btu is more than enough to get the job done. I also do 10 gallon BIAB and I have done 3 batches on one full tank of propane so far. Price compared to blichmann is much cheaper

I have this and love it. For aesthetic reasons, I'll someday probably grab a Blichmann.

 

[Cyclman]

+1 on Blichmann burner, you'll never regret it.

 

[Ramitt]

+1 on Blichmann burner, you'll never regret it.

I just upgraded to one and love it. Built like a tank and brings my wort to a boil fast and much quieter than my old turkey fryer burner. I love it.

 

[brettg20]

+1 on the Blichmann...the thing is a built and super quiet

 

[Hugh_Jass]

I have 2 KAB - 4 burners for brewing. They're ok. Certainly better than the run of the mill turkey fryer burner.

It's my understanding that no matter which burner you're using, the limiting factor is the size of the propane tank. These high pressure burners advertise 200k BTU, but unless you're using an extremely large propane tank, the output is nowhere near the advertised 200. In reality, with a full 20# cylinder, the highest BTU is somewhere near 70k. As the tank empties, the output decreases. I'm considering a 40 or 100# tank to get higher output, but I've too many 20#ers to justify that purchase.

If I had to repurchase my burners, I'd probably go with the sq-14 burners from bayou. They're a good quiet efficient burner that pairs well with a standard grill tank.

 

[rupert130]

In reality, with a full 20# cylinder, the highest BTU is somewhere near 70k. As the tank empties, the output decreases.

Please explain...

A full tank is at 145 psi at 70°F. My regulator goes up to 30 psi. How am I not getting the full potential?

 

[Hugh_Jass]

I'm not a science-y guy, but from discussions with a couple of people in the propane industry, including an engineer who works for UL, it has to do with the boil off rate in relationship to the tank size and ambient temperature.

I've had problems running the burners WFO. The tank develops a frost line. According to those conversations, the tank is freezing because the
surface area of the tank can not absorb enough heat to compensate for the demand from the burner. This causes the pressure inside the tank to drop and reduces the output.

I tried to find a link that illustrates this, but my Google-fu must be broken.

Here's the best I can do. See the third table:

http://www.propane-generators.com/propane_usage.php

Edit to say the table isn't ideal because it assumes 25% full @ low pressure. I wish I could find a table for maximum BTU output/hr of a 20# cylinder but I suck.

Edit 2:

This gives an explanation similar to what I was told by Mr. UL propane engineer.

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090124214947AAxUOqm

 

[brokebucket]

Ended up getting a blichman. Just hoping the wife doesnt ask what it cost.

 

[oujens]

For anyone else looking, I just bought a KAB4 off Amazon for $85 with free Prime shipping. I converted it to natural gas and it will work awesome with my 5 gallon all grain batches. I timed 7 gallons to strike temp in 17 minutes and boiling in about 30 minutes using 80F tap water.

The KAB6 is priced at $112 on Amazon if you prefer the wider stand.

 

[pensfan6671]

I have the blichmann and it works great.

 

[rupert130]

I'm not a science-y guy, but from discussions with a couple of people in the propane industry, including an engineer who works for UL, it has to do with the boil off rate in relationship to the tank size and ambient temperature.

I've had problems running the burners WFO. The tank develops a frost line. According to those conversations, the tank is freezing because the
surface area of the tank can not absorb enough heat to compensate for the demand from the burner. This causes the pressure inside the tank to drop and reduces the output.

I tried to find a link that illustrates this, but my Google-fu must be broken.

Here's the best I can do. See the third table:

http://www.propane-generators.com/propane_usage.php

Edit to say the table isn't ideal because it assumes 25% full @ low pressure. I wish I could find a table for maximum BTU output/hr of a 20# cylinder but I suck.

Edit 2:

This gives an explanation similar to what I was told by Mr. UL propane engineer.

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090124214947AAxUOqm

Thanks!

 

[jbb3]

I have this and love it. For aesthetic reasons, I'll someday probably grab a Blichmann.

Then I would question your definition of "love".

Have you ever placed an add in Craigslist for a 1981 Corvette in "like new" condition?...

 

[govner1]

Ended up getting a blichman. Just hoping the wife doesnt ask what it cost.

You won't be disappointed plus it's very quiet & efficient. You'll be using a lot less propane!
All benefits you can use to CYA!

 

[brick_haus]

I'm not a science-y guy, but from discussions with a couple of people in the propane industry, including an engineer who works for UL, it has to do with the boil off rate in relationship to the tank size and ambient temperature.

I've had problems running the burners WFO. The tank develops a frost line. According to those conversations, the tank is freezing because the
surface area of the tank can not absorb enough heat to compensate for the demand from the burner. This causes the pressure inside the tank to drop and reduces the output.

I tried to find a link that illustrates this, but my Google-fu must be broken.

Here's the best I can do. See the third table:

http://www.propane-generators.com/propane_usage.php

Edit to say the table isn't ideal because it assumes 25% full @ low pressure. I wish I could find a table for maximum BTU output/hr of a 20# cylinder but I suck.

Edit 2:

This gives an explanation similar to what I was told by Mr. UL propane engineer.

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090124214947AAxUOqm

OK. That actually makes sense!

 

[Hugh_Jass]

OK. That actually makes sense!

When I was told my "210k BTU" burner in reality would only produce 90k BTU under ideal circumstances I was a bit disappointed. Any burner that advertises a rating higher than 90k BTU is somewhat misleading because to achieve higher than 90k you're gonna need a bigger
tank.
That's why I'd buy the sq14 burner if I had to do it over again.

 

[hezagenius]

Is the SQ14 fairly quiet? I have a BG10 (I think?) and it sounds like a jet engine whenever I use it.

 

[jbb3]

Is the SQ14 fairly quiet? I have a BG10 (I think?) and it sounds like a jet engine whenever I use it.

SQ-14 will be quieter than the BG-10 as your talking a low (5-10 psi) burner vs high (20-30 psi) burner.

I replaced my SQ-14 & w/5 psi regulator with an Edelmetall w/10psi regulator yet the Edel is quieter than the SQ-14. The Edel heats/boils MUCH faster than the SQ and it's very efficient on fuel.

Of course you're talking about a price difference between the SQ & Edel of $52 vs $120 shipped (with 20% off). But the performance difference is night and day.

If you're using a BG-10 now, the Edel will make up for the price difference in fuel savings.

 

[nygel74]

the edelmetall is actually 10 cheaper then the blichmann at Midwest right now. certainly has my attention

 

[tfbrews]

Ordered the Edelmetall and thought it was going to blow me up. Several others had similar experiences where they tell you now to tighten the gas bung the whole way, but then when I lit it a giant fireball came out.

Ordered a Blichmann and LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Previously had a Bayou and the Blichmann easily cut an hour out of brew time by getting my liquids to temp faster.

 

[jekeane]

I have a SQ14 ($50 shipped) and a Blichmann ($160 shipped). I did a side by side split boil a few weeks ago 8 gallons of wort on each burner the SQ14 had a head start of 15 minutes and didn't hit boiling till 20 minutes after the Blichmann. 30-45 minutes of water heating time each brew day is well worth the price difference to me.

I still think the SQ14 is a good burner for the price but the performance of the blichmann is top notch. You can find them used every now and again. I got a steal off craigslist with mine, Burner w/ legs, 10g G1 Boilermaker, 10g igloo mashtun, and a nice sparge arm for $300!

 

[jbb3]

the edelmetall is actually 10 cheaper then the blichmann at Midwest right now. certainly has my attention

Edelmatell's regular price is $140 ($10 cheaper than Blichmann). Plus Midwest has 20% off making it about $40-$45 cheaper than Blickmann after shipping...

 

[jbb3]

Ordered the Edelmetall and thought it was going to blow me up. Several others had similar experiences where they tell you now to tighten the gas bung the whole way, but then when I lit it a giant fireball came out.

Mine actually back fired one time on me. But I had the air damper wide open from the previous boil session. Now I just close the air damper when I light it and haven't had an issue since...

 

[eko]

Ended up getting a blichman. Just hoping the wife doesnt ask what it cost.

Hope you like it. It's the one thing in my setup I splurged on and I have no regrets. The noise level + speed at which it works were good selling points. After one session I got the standing legs to go with it (ordered through LHBS so no shipping). Almost no lifting anymore, my back is thankful. I know some single-tier brewers are laughing. But I also have to dismantle my setup at the end of the day and carry everything back down to the basement so size + weight + break-down-ability were important to me.