Heat Distribution Solution?

[DuckiesRevenge]

So I recently got an 11-gallon bayou classic stainless steel pot. I was wavering on getting a boil kettle with an encapsulated bottom for better heat distribution. Ultimately I thought, "eh, I can just stir real good when I do extract to reduce scorching" (I'm trying to switch to AG, but I do extract every now and again, especially when my bros pick up a kit from LHBS).

Kinda worked, but not great.

So I've been thinking. What about putting an aluminum plate underneath my kettle to help distribute the heat? Anyone else done that?

I was thinking for cheapness sake, either of these two options would potentially work:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007GJNWP8/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

or

a 12x12 x0.125" version of this
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003JKJCLG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Anyone else tried similar sorts of things or are there things that I am missing? I know that generally with the encapsulated bottom you will have better heat transfer between the stainless and the aluminum due to the construction. So with the materials not being fully bonded to one another, simply place aluminum plate onto burner, place kettle onto aluminum and fire away, I would think the heat transduction would not be as efficient. But maybe good enough to try.

 

[LordUlrich]

I would be surprised if it would have much impact. If you are having scorching issues I would look at process, the wort should mix itself enough to prevent scorching assuming a full boil. I would try adding extract slower or dissolving it in a gallon of cooler water before adding it to the kettle.

 

[DuckiesRevenge]

Those are some good ideas. The main issue that I was thinking this would be good for is that the marks in the bottom of the kettle were exactly mimicking the steel cross beams under the pot.

I also don't add extract with the flame still on and try to stir it in as best and fast as I can.

 

[jbaysurfer]

Those are some good ideas. The main issue that I was thinking this would be good for is that the marks in the bottom of the kettle were exactly mimicking the steel cross beams under the pot.

I also don't add extract with the flame still on and try to stir it in as best and fast as I can.

I have had this exact thought. No clad bottom on a pot will prevent scorching of extract if it's not sufficiently stirred in and dissolved though. I recommend turning the heat all the way off as you stir in the extract...thoroughly, and then firing it back up stirring all the while. That said, I've had the exact same kind of marks on the bottom of my pot, the carmelization matched the soot marks on the bottom of the pot, so clearly there are hotspots.

Please do this and let me know how it goes. I'd happily buy a couple of those aluminum plates for my setup. Aluminum is a fantastic conductor of heat, so I doubt you're going to see much difference from that vs. a fully encapsulated bottom. Again, please do post up again if you try this! Thanks!

Edit: I would try a solid disk TBH, the pizza disks are only 1mm thick and have all kinds of holes. The solid one will conduct heat just fine without holes in in and you can get a thicker one which will help distribute the heat a bit better. Check out the bottom row on this page:

http://www.shopwagnerb2c.com/PLATES...ilters=&sortby=4&page=3&pageSize=40&criteria=

 

[DuckiesRevenge]

I have had this exact thought. No clad bottom on a pot will prevent scorching of extract if it's not sufficiently stirred in and dissolved though. I recommend turning the heat all the way off as you stir in the extract...thoroughly, and then firing it back up stirring all the while. That said, I've had the exact same kind of marks on the bottom of my pot, the carmelization matched the soot marks on the bottom of the pot, so clearly there are hotspots.

Please do this and let me know how it goes. I'd happily buy a couple of those aluminum plates for my setup. Aluminum is a fantastic conductor of heat, so I doubt you're going to see much difference from that vs. a fully encapsulated bottom. Again, please do post up again if you try this! Thanks!

Edit: I would try a solid disk TBH, the pizza disks are only 1mm thick and have all kinds of holes. The solid one will conduct heat just fine without holes in in and you can get a thicker one which will help distribute the heat a bit better. Check out the bottom row on this page:

http://www.shopwagnerb2c.com/PLATES_DISKS_RINGS/PLATES_DISKS_RINGS_DISKS/PLATES_DISKS_RINGS_DISKS_AL?categoryId=ce6a0b0f-5180-4bf3-8175-9fea0157ad75&filters=&sortby=4&page=3&pageSize=40&criteria=

Sounds good. I might end up getting a chunk of aluminum and see how it goes. I don't plan on brewing I'm the next few weeks but if I do I will let you know!

 

[DuckiesRevenge]

Alright, it's been a while so I'm sorry for the delay but here's what I ended up doing. I bought the 12x12 x0.125" version of this:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003JKJCLG/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 0DER

and cut it to the size of my propane burner. (first image)

Next I put it on the burner and brewed as normal (second image). It was a BIAB amber ale with about 9# grain and 1.5# of honey added at 5min. At that time I turned off the heat, poured in the honey (while stirring vigorously). Then finished up the boil after I did not feel any honey on the bottom. So what happned next? Well, after I got the wort out, I dumped out the proteins and hop gunk at the bottom and ended up with a little bit of scortching around the edges, but the center looked pretty darn good (third image). This is compared to the previous beer that I added honey to and it ended up with lines like those depicted in the last image with the red lines.

So conclusion: I thought it was a cheap alternative to getting the tri-clad bottom, but it has its issues. First off, when I started the boil, the pot had condensation forming around the outside, which started to bubble and pop under the kettle (a little worrisome). Secondly, after the boil was done the aluminum plate had warped a lot (I'll try to get pics up). Although this time the boil times were not effected from what I could normally tell, I think that after it warps more it may start to decrease burner efficiency (maybe... I'm just speculating).

All in all I think I will keep using it and see how it goes, but if it warps too much more, then I might start running into issues of having a flat surface to put a kettle on, which I dont want to have to try to deal with.

 

[jbaysurfer]

Hey hey. Thanks for following up on this. I think steel might be the best option for this. It'll radiate the heat more evenly and it won't warp. That said, I'll be curious to see how your Aluminum " heat spreader" holds up over time.

 

[DuckiesRevenge]

Yeah I'll be interested in that as well. I think one problem with the steel is the specific heat of the metal. Ie. The aluminum will spread the heat more evenly than steel. I don't know if the aluminum will hold up as well but I do think it will be better for heat distribution.

Oh well.. only time will tell.