Will an electric brew pot damage/ scorch the surface that it sits on?

[mattsearle]

As above really. I'm in the process of building my control panel (going to gradually become a Kal clone, built in phases), and I'm adding my elements to my existing 50l brew pots this weekend.

I see a lot of people using kegs to make brew pots, & I feel as though this would be better for the worktop/ counter surface and the hot water will be raised slightly by the rim of the kegs so the metal touching the table will not be as hot. My pots are just pots, so I'm wondering if the hot bottom of the pots during operation are going to damage the counter? In Kals system I see he just has them sat on a wooden stand, without any further protection between that and the pot, but I don't know if perhaps I should buy a heat proof mat or something to sit the pot on?
Thanks in advance?

 

[augiedoggy]

As above really. I'm in the process of building my control panel (going to gradually become a Kal clone, built in phases), and I'm adding my elements to my existing 50l brew pots this weekend.

I see a lot of people using kegs to make brew pots, & I feel as though this would be better for the worktop/ counter surface and the hot water will be raised slightly by the rim of the kegs so the metal touching the table will not be as hot. My pots are just pots, so I'm wondering if the hot bottom of the pots during operation are going to damage the counter? In Kals system I see he just has them sat on a wooden stand, without any further protection between that and the pot, but I don't know if perhaps I should buy a heat proof mat or something to sit the pot on?
Thanks in advance?

I dont believe they will damage a regular counter but never tried it myself. They might cause the adhesive to lift under the formica (if thats what kind of counter were talking about?)... I know they dont discolor regular ply wood at all. you can make simple spacers from an old piece of floor underlayment or even wooden blocks. Just dont use paint or polyurethane on them, leave them untreated. Some use wooden cutting boards like for pizzas, some use cork.

 

[CGish]

I went to the local big box store and bought a large floor tile to set under my keggle. I trimmed a piece of cardboard to the same size as the tile to protect the surface I where I placed the tile.

 

[mattsearle]

I dont believe they will damage a regular counter but never tried it myself. They might cause the adhesive to lift under the formica (if thats what kind of counter were talking about?)... I know they dont discolor regular ply wood at all. you can make simple spacers from an old piece of floor underlayment or even wooden blocks. Just dont use paint or polyurethane on them, leave them untreated. Some use wooden cutting boards like for pizzas, some use cork.

Ok great thanks. Yes it's formica (laminate as we know it in the UK). It's basically just the counter above the fridges on the back bar in my home bar, so I don't have the option of building it out of something else.

 

[mattsearle]

I went to the local big box store and bought a large floor tile to set under my keggle. I trimmed a piece of cardboard to the same size as the tile to protect the surface I where I placed the tile.

View attachment 320108

Ideal I think this will be something like what I'll go for, I don't have the option to build the counter from something else so I'll just play it safe and use something underneath them from day 1.
Thanks

 

[Bowtiebrewery]

So far my formica countertop has not experienced any issues, however if you are worried about heat transfer, you could always put a trivet underneath the kettle to protect it. Some people also cut wood circles out and use them as trivets as well.

 

[kal]

In Kals system I see he just has them sat on a wooden stand, without any further protection between that and the pot

Not true. My boil kettle has cork trivets underneath (leftmost kettle in the picture below). Mentioned in my brew stand build instructions here (bottom of page).

Not needed with a stainless table, but I usually still use them anyway.

The boil kettle gets to boiling so you don't want to put it directly on any plastic type surface, same way that the manufacturer of that surface will say to never put a pot from the stove directly on a counter made from their material.

Kal

 

[bbohanon]

Just as a note, do NOT do this on a granite counter top without something between the pot and countertop or you WILL risk cracking it. Trust me.

I use my large E-HERMS system with the wooden kal clone brewstand and nothing under the pots, never had an issue with any scorching in the HLT or MT, but my brew kettle is a converted keg so there is airspace between the keggle and countertop but it still gets hot and no adverse affects to date. A flat boil kettle I would use something like the cork pad or something between it and the wood.

 

[processhead]

My electric BK is built on a 16 gal. Sanke keg. These have a rim which maintains an air gap between the bottom of the hot keggle and the counter top surface.

My formica counter top is only warm to the touch after an hour of boiling.

 

[LandoLincoln]

I purchased some cork drawer lining material for my electric stand and I do not recommend it at all. The cork gets wet with wort sometimes, and then it sticks to the pot and then the cork gets all ripped up.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

As others have said Formica isnt really meant to get that hot. Goto your local home supply store and buy a ceramic tile big enough and sit your pot on that.

 

[m00ps]

I just use silicon trivets

 

[iijakii]

I have a wooden workbench that's developed a bit of a black/brown circle from the boil kettle. I'm not sure if it's the wood or maybe even just the coating/stain browning out. But it's there. I don't mind for a garage workbench, but I wouldn't do it on my countertop. Sometimes I put a towel underneath, so that if I make any spills I just pull it up and throw it in the wash. No black marks form when the towel is used.

 

[mattsearle]

Not true. My boil kettle has cork trivets underneath (leftmost kettle in the picture below). Mentioned in my brew stand build instructions here (bottom of page).

Not needed with a stainless table, but I usually still use them anyway.

The boil kettle gets to boiling so you don't want to put it directly on any plastic type surface, same way that the manufacturer of that surface will say to never put a pot from the stove directly on a counter made from their material.

Kal

Ahh I see apologies I hadn't spotted those! I haven't read the brew stand section in detail as I'm not building one myself, so I was just going off a quick glance through the pictures. Cork sounds light, cheap and easy so I'll get to finding some. Thanks

 

[mattsearle]

Not true. My boil kettle has cork trivets underneath (leftmost kettle in the picture below). Mentioned in my brew stand build instructions here (bottom of page).

Not needed with a stainless table, but I usually still use them anyway.

The boil kettle gets to boiling so you don't want to put it directly on any plastic type surface, same way that the manufacturer of that surface will say to never put a pot from the stove directly on a counter made from their material.

Kal

Ahh I see, apologies I hadn't spotted those! I haven't read the brew stand section in detail as I'm not building one myself, so I was just going off a quick glance through the pictures. Cork sounds light, cheap and easy so I'll get to finding some. Thanks

 

[iijakii]

Ahh I see, apologies I hadn't spotted those! I haven't read the brew stand section in detail as I'm not building one myself, so I was just going off a quick glance through the pictures. Cork sounds light, cheap and easy so I'll get to finding some. Thanks

Yeah, as long as you don't spill

 

[mattsearle]

I purchased some cork drawer lining material for my electric stand and I do not recommend it at all. The cork gets wet with wort sometimes, and then it sticks to the pot and then the cork gets all ripped up.

Hmmm ok perhaps not the cork then haha

 

[vlaminck]

Just as a note, do NOT do this on a granite counter top without something between the pot and countertop or you WILL risk cracking it. Trust me.

Has this happened to you? Can you talk a little about your experience? Because this is exactly what I'm worried about. I recently remodeled my kitchen and have a nice slab of granite left over that I was planning to use for my electric brewing rig. I've seen people bake granite at 400 degrees and then pour water on it without issues. I've also seen people put granite on their grill and use it as a cooking surface. Both of those are pretty evenly heated though, and boiling water on just part of a granite slab seems like it could cause a lot of stress and lead to cracking. My current plan is to get cork trivets like Kal uses, but it would be really nice to be able to just leave the pots on the granite.

 

[Sparkncode]

I use scrap blocks of wood under my 50L stainless pots when i don't want to harm the surface below them. No major discolouration but the wood i used was old scrap so not looking good to begin with. At 100C it could dry wood out so i use scrap blocks when i place it on my wodden decking to prevent any possible marks.

One day I will make a custom brew stand ans not have to worry but until then scrap wood is fine.

Perfect separator would be the old bathroom wetwall from the 70s that contains asbestos LOL.

Seriously though anything that can provide some thermal insulation and handle 100C and dampness is fine unless you are in a habbit of dry fireing your elements. Even a piece of polycarbonate would do the job or cheap nylon chopping boards.

 

[The_Bishop]

I have one of these between the kettle and the top of my BIAB stand:

Silicone Mat

 

[ancientmariner52]

Has anyone tried ceramic tile on a plywood base? I've set aside the materials but haven't finished the project. I'm thinking of an octagonal piece with oak or maple trim just for looks. Either rubber feet or felt on the bottom.

 

[universalfrost]

personally i would grab some thick wood at least a few inches or centimeters thick that is the size of the pots and use that as a "pot holder" under the pots...

i can say that an electric kettle (even an HLT) will damage the surface of lamintate/ formica... i learned the hard way on my downstairs laundry room / brewery countertops that had formica (needless to say the ex wife was not happy)....

 

[Dcpcooks]

personally i would grab some thick wood at least a few inches or centimeters thick that is the size of the pots and use that as a "pot holder" under the pots...

i can say that an electric kettle (even an HLT) will damage the surface of lamintate/ formica... i learned the hard way on my downstairs laundry room / brewery countertops that had formica (needless to say the ex wife was not happy)....

Thank goodness she’s gone

 

[universalfrost]

Thank goodness she’s gone

Lol.

Yeah me too..the replacement girl friend is better in all regards...even though she doesn't drink:-(

 

[SleepyCreekBrews]

I use a large cutout of refectix , works like a charm

 

[cubalz]

I use 15 X 15 gray ceramic tiles under my electric brew kettles and it works perfectly. Looks great too.

 

[Blazinlow86]

Mine sits straight on plywood. No issues. Cheers