burner advice

Yakima 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
W

walker111

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2016
Messages
239
Reaction score
58
Location
Calgary
Hi all. The last two brew days went great but spending over an hour alone to clean my kettle has to change!!!
Been using my old turkey fryer basic and worked fine but now really soots up the bottom and side of my 250 buck 15 g kettle. Requires a lot of elbow grease to clean.

I have been reading lots and know you get what you pay for.

BTU what are you guys running? Do a lot of you like the higher quality burners? Nice to not have it rust.

Any recommendations I appreciate.
thanks
Rob
 
Two things come to mind. First, have you adjusted your burner? Soot means too much fuel, not enough air. Second, use the old Boy Scout trick. Take a bar of soap, work up a thick lather, and coat the bottom and sides of your kettle. Now the soot will wash right off. Good luck!
 
I wouldn’t spend a whole lot of time trying to get the outside of my kettle clean. In general I don’t worry about making stuff on the hot side spotless.
 
Sounds like you are asking for recommendations for a nice burner. If I am off base, sorry, but I'll suggest a good one I use and have been happy with for some time.

I use a Blichmann burner with leg extensions. Yes you can find cheaper, but in my opinion, you'll get a cheaper burner. The all SS design will not rust as you mentioned in your post. The burner is easily adjusted for maximum efficiency (blue flame) and will not soot up your nice kettle...and if my burner sooted up a kettle, I wouldn't want it either. I like to keep my wort at a rolling boil, not a wimpy simmer. I counted and got 8 BIAB batches with 75 minute strong boils out of a 20# propane tank. I consider this much more efficient than my old turkey fryer starter burner. Another feature that I love is this burner is whisper quiet. I can even hear my wife talking to me while brewing...lol, maybe I should send the burner back! J/K.

You'll drop $250 or so with the leg extensions, shipping all said and done. BUT, this will be the last burner you need to buy.
 
If you have soot, you are not getting enough air. Had that happen to my burner once when I use to leave it outside. Blew it out with air, got the clog out, and works good now.
 
+1 to the air/fuel mixture and +100 on the Blichmann burners assuming your kettle isn't too small for them! I had an 11G kettle with weldless fittings that was really too small in diameter for my Blichmann. Too much heat escapes around it and that can be hard on your valves and such although there are clamp on shields for that. My 20G and 30G kettles are right at home on them.

You may not need the leg extensions. I bought them and used them at first so I could gravity drain into my carboy's. But then I got a pump and took the legs off.
 
Thank you all. I did read more and think the fuel air mix is the culprit for sure. I want to keep the kettle for a while as it was not cheap but getting black last few brews.

A new burner it is and leaning towards the Blichmann and also looked at the Adelmettle??? looks similar.
Expensive but very quiet and efficient. My kettle is 15 g as I like double batches.
I am in Canada and will look into pricing. Any help there send it along.
Thanks all
 
walker111 said:
Thank you all. I did read more and think the fuel air mix is the culprit for sure. I want to keep the kettle for a while as it was not cheap but getting black last few brews.

A new burner it is and leaning towards the Blichmann and also looked at the Adelmettle??? looks similar.
Expensive but very quiet and efficient. My kettle is 15 g as I like double batches.
I am in Canada and will look into pricing. Any help there send it along.
Thanks all
Click to expand...

My brother in law went the Edlemetal route on his burner and kettle. How many times he has said he screwed up when he compares his to my Blichmann burner and kettles.
 
Yikes!
If nothing else, the price of that beast makes a Blichmann burner unit look down right cheap - and a BC KAB6 virtually free! ;)

Cheers!
 
I have an Anvil burner I bought when my turkey fryer died mid-brew-day and I am very happy with it. Nice output for 5g to 10g batches, and leaves my pot bottoms soot-free.
 
day_trippr said:
Yikes!
If nothing else, the price of that beast makes a Blichmann burner unit look down right cheap - and a BC KAB6 virtually free! ;)

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Yeah it was not cheap, at least the first one wasn't. I was browsing Amazon one day and found one listed for $91.46 from Amazon, I jumped on it and they sent it to me. Took them a couple of weeks and a call to customer service but I got it. Puts my price for two right around a buck seventy five each. I got super lucky, but I would still recommend it at regular price, you will have it forever, long after you forgot about your Hellfire and ran it over in the driveway flat like a soda can.:p

Of course you could build one cheaper if your inclined to such. I thought about it, but I do not have the equipment to weld stainless, and since I live on the coast stainless was the only option for me. I could have bought burners and had someone local make the stands for me but I doubt I could have come in any cheaper, probably more $$$.
 
Last edited:
That's actually not such a bad deal. It looks like a Blichmann burner mounted into a nice ss table. By the time you buy a Blichmann and the leg extenders, you're already up to $200. That table looks very robust.

BTW, if anyone buys the Blichmann and the leg extenders, keep the short legs on that came with the burner. Then bolt the leg extenders to the outsides of the short legs. It makes for a wider footprint and more stability.
 
JDXX1971 said:
Bah...............Get one of these, https://www.morebeer.com/products/brewbuilt-afterburner-propane-brewing-burner.html

I have two and they both work awesome. Very sturdy, you could use it as a jack stand for a 1 ton truck. Same two fidy as the Hellfire with legs, and though I have never seen one I feel comfortable saying the Afterburner is sturdier and has a wider more stable stance.
Click to expand...

I was thinking about one of those. Is it overkill for 5 gal brews? Would a 10 gal kettle be too small for it?
 
Boy Scout trick works. We used to soap up the bottom of pots with dish soap and it would get black as hell over a fire but when time to clean it came right off
 
PADave said:
I was thinking about one of those. Is it overkill for 5 gal brews? Would a 10 gal kettle be too small for it?
Click to expand...
I have used my 8 gallon kettle on it to do 2.5 gallon batches, and my 20 gallon kettle to do 10 gallon batches, mostly I do 5 gallons in a 15 gallon kettle, all work wonderful. I even had a cast iron flat top on it the other night, New York steaks come out great on it too. The burner turns way down and will hold a boil in any of my kettles with a small flame, yep, I love em.:yes:
 
MaxStout said:
[...]BTW, if anyone buys the Blichmann and the leg extenders, keep the short legs on that came with the burner. Then bolt the leg extenders to the outsides of the short legs. It makes for a wider footprint and more stability.
Click to expand...

Correctamundo. This is an old pic but shows the concept in action...

ab_oct_26_2012_04.jpg


That burner and its twin were built into my 3V2P 20g single tier rig a few years ago. I should sell the long legs and my 10g kettles one of these days...

Cheers!
 
That pic looks great. I ordered the hell fire blichmann and the 24" leg extenders and will take your advice on the stability set up. Figured since I brewed 200 gallons in the past 18 months I should treat myself......................... which it seems I am already doing!!!!!!
Thanks all.
Next project up is pump in cooler with ice for recirculation for my chiller as I don't wan to be wasting so much water.
What is a good size pump fellas?
 
Last edited:
mirthfuldragon said:
I have an Anvil burner I bought when my turkey fryer died mid-brew-day and I am very happy with it. Nice output for 5g to 10g batches, and leaves my pot bottoms soot-free.
Click to expand...
+1 for the Anvil burner. It is well built, quiet and very efficient.
I am sure the blichmann is the best but not sure I can justify the cost... yet
 
I'm also looking for recommendations, but for an 8.5 gal kettle (5.5 gal batches). Could anyone point me toward something on the cheap side but reasonably durable enough that it will last a few years?
Some kind of turkey fryer?
 
RPh_Guy said:
I'm also looking for recommendations, but for an 8.5 gal kettle (5.5 gal batches). Could anyone point me toward something on the cheap side but reasonably durable enough that it will last a few years?
Some kind of turkey fryer?
Click to expand...

I have a Bayou classic burner and my Anvil (see above) - I rarely use the Banjo since it is slightly less sturdy (but nothing dangerous) and it doesn't seem to have the output the Anvil does. The Anvil is also twice the price of the Bayou. Either one would work, but for my money I would go with the Anvil.

Side note: my Bayou was a Craiglist score as part of a bunch of stuff, and I routinely scan Craigslist for beer gear. I have not seen a Blichmann Hellfire come around for less than $100 used, which to me means two things: (a) people like them enough that they don't sell them, and (b) they retain their value. I see Bayou Classics all the time. YMMV.
 
So true! In Canada I checked provinces close to Alberta and found only 1 used blichmann for 100 bucks and in the time I replied it was gone!!!!!
 
Thanks! The Bayou sq14 looks like what I wanted. It has lots of great reviews from brewers on Amazon... Honestly reading some awful reviews for the Anvil scared me off from that one.
Hopefully this will do the trick. Looking forward to using my new equipment!
Cheers
 
day_trippr said:
Correctamundo. This is an old pic but shows the concept in action...

View attachment 554917

That burner and its twin were built into my 3V2P 20g single tier rig a few years ago. I should sell the long legs and my 10g kettles one of these days...

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Trippr, I think for now I'm just going to go 3/8" FFL on a stainless braided hose going from 3-5 feet, as the manifold will be off to one side of my frame. That hose in your pic - I presume it's the reg hose - but do you or anyone have any source for this? Have searched like crazy, coming up empty. Thanks.
 
RPh_Guy said:
Thanks! The Bayou sq14 looks like what I wanted. It has lots of great reviews from brewers on Amazon... Honestly reading some awful reviews for the Anvil scared me off from that one.
Hopefully this will do the trick. Looking forward to using my new equipment!
Cheers
Click to expand...
Most the complaints were with the 1rst gen ones and pealing paint I believe. Also if you use the burner to MASH the regulator may not go low enough in temp. If however you are using it for boiling, it is top notch... that is my review!

*edit (I read the bad review)- my burner has not smoked, the paint is still intact, the nameplate was upright and it comes to a boil quicker then the 55,000 BTU crab cooker it replaced. It is also twice as efficient and whisper quiet. Even without the extensions I can transfer to a 5g bucket without lifting. The flame is well protected from wind and never falters.


Here is a good video on it:
 
Last edited:
No doubt the Blichmann is the Cadillac, but the Edelmetall is not far behind. And when you find it for 20% off, which is on a fairly regular basis, it's hard to beat. I've been very happy with mine.
 
day_trippr said:
Correctamundo. This is an old pic but shows the concept in action...

View attachment 554917

That burner and its twin were built into my 3V2P 20g single tier rig a few years ago. I should sell the long legs and my 10g kettles one of these days...

Cheers!
Click to expand...


Lordy @day_trippr.....you got me pulling out boxes looking for those short legs that came with my Blichmann burner. I like the way that setup appears to widen the stance which in turn adds stability.
 
day_trippr said:
Amazon carries a few different length braided propane hoses, some of them are Bayou Classic brand...

Cheers!
Click to expand...

Sorry trippr, I should have said some specs I wasn't finding - some of those ss hoses are low pressure only, apparently, and ideally I'm looking for 3/8 FFL x 3/8 FFL, but it's not a big deal to deal with NPT on one end. The final "spec" is that I wondered if $25 or so for 2-3' is what's available, or whether there's a better source. With my metal for the entire rig costing $140, hurts a bit to be looking at $75-90 for just three burner hoses....

I like your rig and am still toying with hard plumbing everything anyway. And your pump mounts - are these the ones you slide the pump in? Have to say, I really hate my mounts. Zero room to do anything. I know I have to attribute a lot of the PITA to my lack of mechanical skills, but still - those slide mounts look great.

Anyway, thanks, trippr. And OP, apologies for taking from your thread.
 
Not my thread - we're poaching on walker111 :D

Not sure what the context of "low pressure" is with this style hose. I've never bought braided hoses aside from what came with the burners and they appear to be of similar construction as what comes with 30 psi regulators (Bayou Classic models sporting BG14 burners, for instance, among others).

I have a suspicion that "high pressure" would be analogous to "tank pressure" - similar to CO2 distribution lines. These hoses should be fine for any conceivable brew rig, imo.

I did the sliding pump thing to allow retracting the pump assemblies inside the frame for transporting the rig. Everything pulls inside all four sides and locks tight so I can lay it down and slide it in the back of my Durango when I don't want to bother with my trailer. Fixing the pumps inside the frame would have been a pita for brewing ops. This way I have my cake and eat it, too :D

Cheers!
 
Had to dig around to find the SAB4 for only $130 (NewEgg, surprisingly).
That's $20 under the Hellfire and Edelmetall burners, and if one isn't interested in adjustable captive pot rests, leg extensions or frame mount ability that's a pretty good deal for an SS burner assembly...

Cheers!
 
day_trippr said:
Not my thread - we're poaching on walker111 :D

Not sure what the context of "low pressure" is with this style hose. I've never bought braided hoses aside from what came with the burners and they appear to be of similar construction as what comes with 30 psi regulators (Bayou Classic models sporting BG14 burners, for instance, among others).

I have a suspicion that "high pressure" would be analogous to "tank pressure" - similar to CO2 distribution lines. These hoses should be fine for any conceivable brew rig, imo.

I did the sliding pump thing to allow retracting the pump assemblies inside the frame for transporting the rig. Everything pulls inside all four sides and locks tight so I can lay it down and slide it in the back of my Durango when I don't want to bother with my trailer. Fixing the pumps inside the frame would have been a pita for brewing ops. This way I have my cake and eat it, too :D

Cheers!
Click to expand...

No, I know - I was begging forgiveness from the OP, lol.

Thanks for clearing it up, trippr. I found a variety on e-bay, all of that same look (slightly stiped, colored), and the seller confirmed they're all good up to 100 psi, which obviously satisfied the 30 psi threshold of the "hi pressure" regulators.

I am blown away by your engineering on your rig. Makes me rue my lack of ability in fabrication, and simple thinking in this way. Thing of beauty, trippr. Thanks for sharing everything.
 
Frankly that rig was the product of too many years of consideration while under the influence of HBT and some seriously awesome brew rigs :)
I should have built the darned thing waaay sooner.

As always, thanks for the kind words...

Cheers!
 
day_trippr said:
Had to dig around to find the SAB4 for only $130 (NewEgg, surprisingly).
That's $20 under the Hellfire and Edelmetall burners, and if one isn't interested in adjustable captive pot rests, leg extensions or frame mount ability that's a pretty good deal for an SS burner assembly...

Cheers!
Click to expand...

I actually prefer a low burner and never felt like I had to worry about a kettle with 25-50 lbs of liquid sliding on the burner (necessitating captive rests), so the SAB4 is a great fit for me. If you don't care about SS, the KAB4 can be found for around $80. That's a lot of burner for the buck IMO.

I have to admit, I'm a bang for the buck guy with a very pragmatic approach to choosing gear. The Mrs. (no pics) is reasonably tolerant of my obsess....I mean hobby, so I try to keep costs down where I can. Buying the "Cadillac" version of anything is a treat, but a happy spouse is more valuable to me. I do spend where I think I'm getting something that will work better or last longer though. That's why the SAB4 seems better than the KAB4...and why I got the Brew Built kettle with welded fittings vs cheaper kettles with weldless fittings.
 
day_trippr said:
Frankly that rig was the product of too many years of consideration while under the influence of HBT and some seriously awesome brew rigs :)
I should have built the darned thing waaay sooner.

As always, thanks for the kind words...

Cheers!
Click to expand...

I hear you. Maybe it's a blessing that I suck at all things fabrication.:D
 
I use a 66,000 BTU burner from Costco. It wasn't expensive and does everything I expect of it. If it ever craps out, I will buy another if I can find it.
 

Similar threads

S
Best investment in brewery?
2
Replies
47
Views
3K
jerrylotto
jerrylotto
H
Converting to 3 Kettle Advice
2
Replies
43
Views
2K
Deadalus
Deadalus
B
A Few Recommendations for a Propane Burner
Replies
27
Views
2K
bwible
bwible
FreddyBrewger
For Sale Lots of Corny Kegs (5 gal, ball lock) for Sale (Baltimore, MD)
Replies
15
Views
1K
IslandLizard
IslandLizard
oljimmy
New York Full Electric Apartment Homebrew Setup, Used Once (NYC)
Replies
3
Views
515
oljimmy
oljimmy
InkBird 300

Latest posts

Back
Top