Blichmann Burner

Your boilermaker should have came with a piece of stainless steel sheet with a slot cut into it when you bought it. That is a heat shield for your boilermaker valve and site glass.
The shield rests on the boilermaker burner and the slot is for one of the kettle supports located on the burner. In the instructions booklet it specifically warns against direct heating of the valve and sight glass or heat failure may occur. Remember to peel the protective plastic sheet off the heat shield before use or it will make a mess when it catches on fire.

I also used aluminum foil. I took a long sheet and folded it over on itself about 8 times and wrapped that around the valve, it worked great. I imagine the heat shields that bobby sells would work good too.

FermentNEthinG said:

Your boilermaker should have came with a piece of stainless steel sheet with a slot cut into it when you bought it. That is a heat shield for your boilermaker valve and site glass.
The shield rests on the boilermaker burner and the slot is for one of the kettle supports located on the burner. In the instructions booklet it specifically warns against direct heating of the valve and sight glass or heat failure may occur. Remember to peel the protective plastic sheet off the heat shield before use or it will make a mess when it catches on fire.

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If your reply is to me, I don't have the Boilermaker. My 10 gallon kettle is the Bayou Classic.

Yesfan said:

If your reply is to me, I don't have the Boilermaker. My 10 gallon kettle is the Bayou Classic.

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For some reason I thought you had one as well as the burner. Even though you wrote you had a bayou.... my bad!

FermentNEthinG said:

Your boilermaker should have came with a piece of stainless steel sheet with a slot cut into it when you bought it. That is a heat shield for your boilermaker valve and site glass.
The shield rests on the boilermaker burner and the slot is for one of the kettle supports located on the burner. In the instructions booklet it specifically warns against direct heating of the valve and sight glass or heat failure may occur. Remember to peel the protective plastic sheet off the heat shield before use or it will make a mess when it catches on fire.

Click to expand...

I was wondering what that was for. I don't have a burner. I borrow my fathers & only have 2 batches on the Boilermaker. So even if your comment was misplaced it was used!


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The first time I used my blichman with legs I smelled burning rubber and noticed the valve handle was melting. I shift the pot slightly off center so the valve is to the outside and have never had a reoccurrence. I would be interested in seeing a homemade heat shield on a blichman. Wind has been a huge problem and I use old storm windows to make a three sided windshield but I just came into a bunch of heavy galvanized sheet metal that I plan on constructing something when the snow ends. Lots of wind and snow at my elevation in the mountains.
I add that the blichman is an investment into sustainability and is very unlikely to end up in a landfill.

This shows the Blichmann-provided heat shield doing its job on one of my slightly modded floor burners. With the pot centered on the burner the piece of stainless sheet is just pinched atop adjacent pot rests and just under the edge of the pot bottom. It's really very effective, I've used them for five years, the vinyl ball valve handles are pristine and the sight gauges never boil.

btw, these shields don't have any holes punched in them. From an earlier description, apparently Blichmann has changed the design and the way the shields are to be used, so the above may no longer be an optimal method...

Cheers!

Funny thing, last fall I was walking down the road and found none other than a stainless steel plate. It's in the basement. I'll give it a try.
Thanks, Yvette

Simply Homebrew in Pa. sell a custom heat shield that attaches to the supports on Blichmann burners. They have them in copper and stainless. The shield covers more of the boiler than the piece of stainless Blichmann supplies and looks like it is part of the burner. It doesn't fall out when the boiler is lifted. It doesn't have sharp corners.

VladOfTrub said:

Simply Homebrew in Pa. sell a custom heat shield that attaches to the supports on Blichmann burners. They have them in copper and stainless. The shield covers more of the boiler than the piece of stainless Blichmann supplies and looks like it is part of the burner. It doesn't fall out when the boiler is lifted. It doesn't have sharp corners.

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Link? If it's somewhere on their site they've successfully hidden it...

Cheers!

VladOfTrub said:

Simply Homebrew in Pa. sell a custom heat shield that attaches to the supports on Blichmann burners. They have them in copper and stainless. The shield covers more of the boiler than the piece of stainless Blichmann supplies and looks like it is part of the burner. It doesn't fall out when the boiler is lifted. It doesn't have sharp corners.

Click to expand...

Also curious about a link.

I use one of the clip on shields Bobby M sells. Highly recommend it.