Best propane burner?

[Vrtigo1]

I already have a propane burner that I got from my dad. It was in his garage and neither of us know exactly where it came from or how old it is. It boils 2.5 gallons in about 21 minutes, so from reading other threads where folks say they can boil 5-7 gals in 15 mins, it seems like it is a bit on the under-powered side. The biggest problem I have with it, and the reason I am looking at replacing it is that the flame is either full on or off. When I try to turn it down to maintain temp it always goes out after a minute or two and I have to lift the kettle off and relight.

I read this thread and a lot of people recommend the SP10 from Amazon.

Couple questions...

A lot of the burners I see being sold at homebrew shops make a big deal out of being low pressure. The SP10 seems to be a high pressure burner. What's the difference and should I care?

As far as being able to adjust the flame down to a level where I can easily maintain temp, is that something the SP10 will get me? That's the main reason I want to buy a new burner so I want to make sure that I'll be past the days of struggling with trying to get the flame low enough to avoid temps getting too high.

 

[cardfan]

I got the Bayou Classic SP1 Jet Cooker on amazon for around 45$. I can get 6 gallons of water boiling in less than 20 minutes.

 

[bad67z]

It is pricy but I have a buddy that swears the effency and speed of his Blichmann. So much I'm considering the upgrade.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/blichmann-floor-burner.html

 

[imnothardcore]

I have a bayou classic but I just started. I chose this because the comments on amazon were great for a homebrew application.


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[Bamsdealer]

I am really happy with the bayou classic. 50 from Home Depot.

I generally get around five or six brews from a tank. That's heating mash water sparge water and a 60 minute boil. Never timed my boils but I'm happy w the speed. Keeping the lid on while heating helps. It's also very easy to control the flame.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

SP10 or SQ4 Bayou's, or even the SP1 all work great, they are all basically the same burner with a different frame.

I went with SP10 just because at the time it was the cheapest...

 

[Conan]

My old propane setup, which I think was an SP10 on a different frame, took a little longer than 40 minutes to boil 6.3 gallons from mash temps (~140°F) and about the same amount of time to heat 2-4 gallons from 66°F to 165°F. Moving up to a KB14 has saved me over 1.5 hours on the brewday but that is all-grain and requires three total water heating sessions per batch. If you're an extract brewer you'll save less than an hour, probably, on heating time. I'm not trying to discourage buying a new burner but am pointing out that yours isn't that slow. The on-off thing is annoying, though. Is it a safety switch? You may be able to rig in a ball-valve between the regulator and the burner. Kyle

 

[Bamsdealer]

http://m.homedepot.com/p/Bayou-Clas...as-Single-Burner-Outdoor-Stove-SQ14/100121665

Here's the exact one I have. Like I said I havent times it but am happy w the heating times. Probably 10 to 15 min to heat 3.5ish gallons from 60 to 170 for my mash and 15 to 20 min to heat 5 gallons of sparge water to 180 and the same to bring 7.5 gallons from 130 to boiling. I dont think any of my heating takes much longer than 20min

 

[Teromous]

Before you go shopping for a new burner, I would make sure that the burner you already have is cleaned out. Spiders like to build webs in these and there's numerous stories of people having gas problems and it turns out they just needed to blow it out with an air compressor or something. Also take a look at your regulator. It could be that your older regulator might be bad...or it could have had a lower PSI output to begin with. You might be able to just buy a new regulator or something.

This is the one I bought (Bayou Classic KAB4) for $75. I like it a lot.

 

[dk21]

I'll second the Blichmann Burner. It throws off some serious heat. The leg extensions are super nice too.

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[Spookgolds]

Before you go shopping for a new burner, I would make sure that the burner you already have is cleaned out. Spiders like to build webs in these and there's numerous stories of people having gas problems and it turns out they just needed to blow it out with an air compressor or something. Also take a look at your regulator. It could be that your older regulator might be bad...or it could have had a lower PSI output to begin with. You might be able to just buy a new regulator or something.

This is the one I bought (Bayou Classic KAB4) for $75. I like it a lot.

I own 2 of these and they put out a ton of heat. I did a mod on one and lowered the frame down 2 inches so the burner is closer to the pot. Don't have enough data yet to determine if it was worth the effort or not.

 

[Clonefan94]

I own 2 of these and they put out a ton of heat. I did a mod on one and lowered the frame down 2 inches so the burner is closer to the pot. Don't have enough data yet to determine if it was worth the effort or not.

This is what I have as well. For the price, it's tough to beat. I have a friend who has the Blichmann, honestly, I don't see a ton of difference heat wise in the two. Obviously the Blichmann Stainless is nice, but it uses the exact same burner. And as well build at the Bayou Classic is, the burner will still probably be the long term issue before the frame.

 

[BakRivrBruen]

Before you go shopping for a new burner, I would make sure that the burner you already have is cleaned out. Spiders like to build webs in these and there's numerous stories of people having gas problems and it turns out they just needed to blow it out with an air compressor or something. Also take a look at your regulator. It could be that your older regulator might be bad...or it could have had a lower PSI output to begin with. You might be able to just buy a new regulator or something.

This is the one I bought (Bayou Classic KAB4) for $75. I like it a lot.

I also own this same burner and had a local welder cut the frame to lower it 2 inches. It made an unbelievable night and day difference! Now, I only need a small flame to keep a boil where as before it had to be cranked so high that it would freeze my propane tank. Of course, I had to pay $50 to get it modded then add the burner purchase price of $75 and the total is now $125. Then I had to prep, primer and paint the welds since they were bare metal when I got it back. Now, add the price of a can of high temp paint and primer along with my own time and I wonder why I didn't just buy the Blingman burner to begin with. Granted you could mod it yourself but I wanted something I knew wasn't going to collapse and send me to the ER. Then only to be left paying a bill that is at least 5 to 10 times that of a new burner.

So, moral of the story is I should've just cried once and ponied up the extra cash to get the Bitchman. It will definitely be the next burner I buy when I retire my pot to HLT duty and switch to a keggle in the spring. And no, I do not drink the Blichmann kool-aid but it is a damn nice burner when compared to what I have invested in the Bayou.

 

[narl79]

Blichmann Blichmann Blichmann... I have 2 and cannot be happier. There totally worth the price. Ive done 50+ batches with not one issue. I see myself giving my setup to my kids when there grown with the same burners.

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[nvious23]

I ended up going with the edellmetal from midwest pretty much same as blichmann with shiny copper accents and $10 cheaper really love this burner

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[mister704]

I bought the CampChef 2 Burner. Both are 30K BTUs. Sit high so its easy on the knees and such. Very sturdy and most of all, you can cook food at the same time.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006VORDY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[jpcourtney]

+1 on the CampChef. I use the BK on one side and dunk the bag on the other. Great for camping or tailgating, too.

 

[jimmyhat]

Get the Blichmann, boils 3 gallons in less than 5 minutes... Even heat as well.

 

[jimmyhat]

I ended up going with the edellmetal from midwest pretty much same as blichmann with shiny copper accents and $10 cheaper really love this burner

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Same setup as the Blichmann, can't go wrong with the fire power there... Only thing that sucks is when your boil over destroys that beautiful piece of equipment...

 

[Skep18]

+8 for the Bayou classic from Lowes/Home Depot.

My only advice, get the manual regulator (no batteries needed) for the extra $20 at HD. We used the battery powered one for a few months but for some reason, it went through batteries like no one's business and it always cutoff randomly because it thought it had low batteries and we would just turn it back on. It'd do that right after brand new batteries were put in and reliably every 10-20min.

 

[bobby4]

Blichmann, an investment but I love it.


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[jigtwins]

Blichmann for sure. I had a turkey fryer before. Night and day difference. Even heat. propane usage is comparable to my old burner. Love how there is no soot on the bottom of the pot when I'm done. Saved me almost an hour from my brew day. Heats strike water fast and brings 7 gallons of 140 deg wort to a boil in 10 min. Best upgrade I have made next to temp control.

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[Euphist]

My Blichmann is my single most expensive piece of equipment...it's worth every penny!

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