propane burner inquiry

polarbeer305 · 03-19-2010, 09:20 PM

just in the past few brews i really began to notice how much propane i go through. one 15lb tank for two brews. one was a ninety minute boil and the other sixty minutes. is this normal, cause i sure hope not? i just ran out of propane at 55minutes into the boil on my second batch! this seems crazy to me. new burner? less oxygen? less hard of a boil? whats up?

BioBeing · 03-19-2010, 09:29 PM

What type of burner (and what size regulator), and what size boil?

I do 10 gallon batches on an SP10 (20 psi regulator) and get several batches from a tank.

kpellicone · 03-19-2010, 09:34 PM

It could be a number of things. I usually get about 5 batches with one tank and that is using it to heat strike water, sparge, and boil. I just have the simple king cooker burner nothing extreme.
I would check for leaks, maybe use soapy water around the connections, (not lit of course) open the tank and leave manifold closed.
What type of burner are you using? Some burners use more BTU's and could possibly eat up the propane.
It might be worth investing in another tank, or better yet, buy a new grill that comes with a tank, then you will have one for reserve and you can cook up some steaks !

polarbeer305 · 03-20-2010, 05:05 AM

i'm doing 5 gallon batches and my burner is older but not in terrible shape. it came with a turkey frying kit i got four or five years ago. the propane tanks are exchangeable fifteen gallon type you get at Lowes. i think i just need a new burner.

Chuck_Swillery · 03-20-2010, 06:02 AM

Just bought this one and am happy with it... and it fit right on my king kooker without any modifications...

170,000 BTU Burner for $8 plus shipping

I had a 3/4 full tank and did an AG batch and its down to about 1/4, give or take. I used it to heat the sparge water and the boil.

**brewagentjay** · 03-20-2010, 11:07 AM

I have gotten 5 extracts & 1 AG out of a tank so far and still have enough for one more batch of AG I think. I use it for everything as well......Except I been using hot water from tap to start off my strike & sparge water....So I don't have to heat as far once I get going......Works great. I can have my water to right temp in a few minutes.

Rundownhouse · 03-21-2010, 12:48 AM

I'd never used a propane burner before brewing and so didn't take great care of my first one. It progressively got worse and worse - yellow flame and throwing soot - before I decided I had to do something or just buy a new one. I bought some oven cleaner, sprayed it down and let it sit a few hours, rinsed, and then sprayed it down again and let it soak over night. Compared to the last pre-clean brew, it's like a new burner. Much better flame, no soot, and heats liquids much faster.

No idea if this is your problem, but keep your burner clean and dry, and if you haven't so far, try some oven cleaner on it.

Nitrousbob · 03-21-2010, 06:01 AM

Just made a 5gallon extract batch today (started at 6.5gallons), from beginning to end (60min boil) used 2lbs 7oz of propane, one gallon weighs 4.2lbs, so I average about 8 beers per 5 gallon tank.

I use a SQ14 bayou classic burner. Not the fastest, but doesnt burn wort and seems economical enough.

scinerd3000 · 03-21-2010, 06:12 AM

check the connection where the regulator screws into the burner. You may want to get some teflon tape and re do it because mine leaked from there at first. Starsan works great or soapy water as someone else suggested. Walmart usually has kits for 32-40 bucks

coffeegod · 03-21-2010, 04:13 PM

Also have your tanks filled rather than exchanged. Those are usually are not filled all the way.