What size/type of banjo burner do I need?

As I stated in a previous post, I am about to begin building my brew stand. I am using keggles for 10 gallon batches. What type of banjo burner do I need. Money IS an object so I dont need to go over the top with a jet burner or anything. Thanks as always everyone. Best site on the web!!

Also in the same process as you! First off, good luck! Post pics!
I was pointed in the direction of a 6" cast iron burner. They said it would boil that much.
Go to agrisupply.com, type in 6" cast iron burner. It'll come up. I just ordered 3, $12.99 each!

I don't know what size you'll need but i can tell you my SQ14 is just enough to boil 7 gallons of wort in a 9.5 gallon triple bottom pot. I am looking to upgrade

So I would go bigger than that.

The burner I'm using now is just a standard propane burner, like a turkey fryer, that has a very small, maybe 3" (?) burner on it. I do 6 gal batches, so I'm boiling 7 gal regularly, and it hasn't given me an issues bringing that to a boil.
BUT I haven't used the new system burners yet, so I can't tell you 100% that it'll boil it.. Other than what I've been told.

Would something like this work? BG-14 HIGH PRESSURE CAST IRON BURNER - Agri Supply

1stTimer said:

Would something like this work? BG-14 HIGH PRESSURE CAST IRON BURNER - Agri Supply

Click to expand...

Yeah, that should work just fine! If mine proves to not be able to boil a 10g batch, that's the one id replace it with. At least on my boil kettle.

CopperPots. thanks man. THe prices on that website are half the price of the same thing on Amazon. I will be ordering 2 this weekend. Going with the 100,000btu model.

No problem! Someone was nice enough to share that info with me, so I thought id do the same. I spent HOURS googling suppliers looking for prices. Some gems are buried too deep, haha. Happy brewing!

Do you remember how much shipping was?

Just looked it up... $14.50 to Cleveland

Im in Maryland so Im a bit closer than you are. Ut shold be even less. Great prices. Thanks again.

Is 70,000 btu's enough to boil a 10 gallon batch?

Just found this one while searching for a burner. I think I'll most likely be getting it since its very cheap considering its 185,000 BTUs.

Amazon.com: GASONE SP 20 High-Pressure Single Burner Outdoor Gas Cooker, Propane: Patio, Lawn & Garden

1stTimer said:

Is 70,000 btu's enough to boil a 10 gallon batch?

Click to expand...

I certainly think so. I just brewed a big batch starting with about 9gal using my propane burner (standard old turkey fryer stand) which I can't imagine is bigger than those burners, and i actually got a bit of boil over because it came to a boil faster than I thought.
So I think these burners are more than enough.
I just got my 3 6" burners in the other day and they are twice the size of the burner I'm using now. PS, they pack the boxes with about an entire trash bags worth of shredded magazine pages, so be prepared for some confetti!!

OUtstanding. Thanks again Copperpots. Im going to order mine right now.

What kind of regulator did you get to go with it? Did you get it from the same site?

how many burners are you running? I picked up a 0-40 psi regulator for my 3 BG-14 burners.

Im ordering these BURNER CAST LOW PRESSURE MULTI-HOLE 6 - Agri Supply.

I actually haven't bought a regulator yet. I was just going to buy the one that is recommended on Argisupply when you purchase that burner. I don't know much about gas lines and stuff like that, so I'm just assuming it will work fine, but I cant promise anything!
I bought 3 of the same burners you're getting.

I think Im going to buy the regulators right now as well. These LP GAS REGULATOR ADJUSTABLE W/24HOSE - Agri Supply. I'm going with two burners and regulators.

The 6 inch 70,000 BTU burners from Agri Supply are low pressure burners and need a low pressure regulator and WILL NOT work on natural gas (I have these in my brew room and once adjusted for indoor use are pretty slow, 30 minutes to roiling boil of 6 gallons). The 10 inch 100,000 BTU burners are high pressure and need a high pressure or an adjustable regulator and CANNOT BE USED INDOORS. I believe they can be used either with LP or natural gas. The 10 inch ones are what I would get if I was brewing outside. I suggest you get needle valves for more precise control and go with 1/2 inch lines on the 10 inch. The 6 inch works great with 3/8.

Good Luck

So in your experience the 6 inch might not be the best for outside brewing? I wish I knew what the btu's were on my turkey fryer. I used it on my only 10 gallon batch so far and it got up to a boil in 30 mins or so. I cant imagine its much bigger than the 6 inch if its bigger at all.

Ugh, I jsut dont want to waste money on something that doesnt work but the price on the 6 inch is VERY tempting. Money is a big object with me right now. Thanks for the feed back.

I have 3 of the 6 inch burners. One for my HLT and two on the lower burner (see pic). Those two will boil the brew pot 6+ gallons easily in 30 minutes to a boil over. But because of the size and shape of pot it took two. You can seen the low pressure regulator.

The Turkey Fryer is high pressure, and it will burn a lot of gas very quickly that is why they will boil 10 gallons so fast, but they also spew a lot unburned fuel and CO into the air so you cant use them inside (next to partially open garage door maybe). Those 6 inch burners would struggle to get a 10 gallon batch to boil at all... I would say your way better off with the 10 inch, I just don't think the 6 inches will do the job for you. The 10 inch ones should work with a single regulator but use 1/2 lines not 3/8. I am not sure what the regulator will need but you can always add coupler.

Thanks again. I called the agri supply store and they said the 6 inch should easily boil 12 gallons. And IM not saying they would knowingly tell me wrong, but they are trying to sell these things so I’m a little unsure. I think I will wait till I get home and see how many btu's my turkey fryer is. Since it easily boiled 12 gallons. I want to be sure I’m getting the right thing.

Appreciate the feedback. I love this site. So much so that I am going to make a donation. It’s about time.

Here is better picture showing the burner as it is now with my modified boil kettle with the valve for the chiller...

Good Luck... let me know whic you get and how they turn out.

Will do. Thanks for posting the pics.

Alright. Ordered 2 burners and regulators today from agrisupply.com. Called and spoke with someone just to make sure that the burners would boil 12 gallons. The guy was very helpful and polite as could be. I think its a North Carolina (my home state) thing. I will post pictures once I get started on this. Should be soon. Hopefully this weekend.

Ordering my March pump before Friday. I would love some input on which pump would be best for 10 gallon batches. Thanks as always.

1stTimer said:

Is 70,000 btu's enough to boil a 10 gallon batch?

Click to expand...

I use the Blichmann TopTier (which is well worth the $$$ in my opinion) to do everything from 5 gal to half barrel batches and that is rated at 72,000 btus. I can boil 18-19 gallons of wort with no problem. Though, Blichmann (I don't have any other verification) claims the banjo burners that are rated higher don't compare.. I sell both the bayou classic kab4 and toptier burners and just by looking at the them you can see where the top tier is probably better. The inside of the burner manifold for the toptier is way cleaner and smoother than inside the kab4, allowing for better air & gas flow.

I'm not trying to knock banjo burners, I would just say, research the actual measured btu info for any burner you're looking at and not the advertised btus before buying to make sure it will be adequate.

Thought the 10 incherscfrom agrisupply were out if stock?

1stTimer said:

Alright. Ordered 2 burners and regulators today from agrisupply.com. Called and spoke with someone just to make sure that the burners would boil 12 gallons. The guy was very helpful and polite as could be. I think its a North Carolina (my home state) thing. I will post pictures once I get started on this. Should be soon. Hopefully this weekend.

Ordering my March pump before Friday. I would love some input on which pump would be best for 10 gallon batches. Thanks as always.

Click to expand...

So did you end up ordering the 6" ones?

Is what I'm reading saying that the low pressure 6" ones are safe to use indoors if wanted? What is that based on?

Yep, went with the 6". After talking to the guy at the store I was convinced. And I got the lp regulators as well. They cost a few bucks more than the burners did. 2 burners and 2 regulators came to a little over $50 after shipping. They said they would be here by Saturday. Now I have to figure out which pump I need.

Im not sure about using them indoors. I brew outside or in the garage.

I do the same... But who wouldn't love brewing inside in the winter!
I bought the March 815 pump. It was either the same price as the 809, or a dollar or two more, and it can pump a decent amount faster. I'm very happy with it! I've been using it now, without my stand, and it's made life so much easier.
It was the only one I could find that was food grade and hi temp. I'm sure there are others, but I couldn't find them.
Just be sure to put a ball valve on the OUT side of the pump so you can regulate the speed it comes out at. I noticed it was pumping too fast for my counterflow to chill it, so I had to recirculate.

I thought all the March pumps were food grade? This is why I come to this site. Thanks for the heads up. I am going to research pumps this evening before I order. I want to have everything here when I make the stand. That way i dont screw up, or at least I dont have an excuse to screw up.

So a ball valve for the pump itself? Slowing down the flow doesnt screw up the pump? I know nothing about them, I just assumed that the pump would have one speed and wasnt sure if forcing it to circulate less than it would normally do might burn it up. The ball valve goes on the intake for the pump?

All march pumps might be food grade, I'm not sure. It's more of a temperature matter. They have to be able to handle boiling temps, which I know the 809 and 815 can.
I don't know the whole mechanics of the pumps, but I know restricting the output won't hurt it. No, you'd put the ball valve on the output side, not the input. I think that's how the pump won't burn up, because you're still allowing liquid into the pump, so it's not running dry, you're just restricting how much is coming out at once.

That makes sense. Im sure Im going to break a few things before I get it right.

fwiw, the reason you can put a restriction (eg: ball valve) on the output side of a March 809 or 815 is because the impeller (that moves the wort) is magnetically driven by the motor. So you can totally stall the impeller (by closing the valve) but the motor will keep on turning (instead of frying)...

Cheers!

1stTimer said:

Im ordering these BURNER CAST LOW PRESSURE MULTI-HOLE 6 - Agri Supply.

Click to expand...

I have a version of that burner,and they are fine for the mash and hlt. Don't care for it for the boil keg. I'm going to upgrading the one.

Thanks for the knowledge tripper. I know little to nothing about these pumps at this point so that really does help.