Help with a Brewing kettle question?

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automatauntaun

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Hay,
I'm new here and just got a home brewing kit. I did not get a stainless steel brew pot yet. I plan on buying a turkey fryer. But till then I wanted to do my first batch. My GF and I have a 5 gallon Canning pot ( Enamel Stock Pot). Is this ok to brew in? Thanks in advanced.
 
Hay,
I'm new here and just got a home brewing kit. I did not get a stainless steel brew pot yet. I plan on buying a turkey fryer. But till then I wanted to do my first batch. My GF and I have a 5 gallon Canning pot ( Enamel Stock Pot). Is this ok to brew in? Thanks in advanced.

Yes, that's fine. Just check it inside to make sure it's not chipped, and that the enamel is intact. If it's not chipped, it'll work great.
 
What is the risk of using a chipped pot I have one And it's chipped. Why might that be bad?
 
Bacteria and such can live inside the chips and infect your beer causing a lot of problems. Best to buy a steel pot if you can!
 
Velatim welcome to HBT! Good to have you onboard.

I think the chips wouldn't produce any bacteria problems. The wort is going to boil for an hour so bacteria should be killed in that kind of environment.
 
lousybeer said:
What is the risk of using a chipped pot I have one And it's chipped. Why might that be bad?

Chipped enamel pots will rust, and you don't want that in your beer :)
 
Dan said:
Velatim welcome to HBT! Good to have you onboard.

I think the chips wouldn't produce any bacteria problems. The wort is going to boil for an hour so bacteria should be killed in that kind of environment.

Thanks! I'm excited to be here. Somewhat new to home brewing. 6 brews with LME, but just did my first all grain so wanted to learn more.

That's a good point. I didn't think about the fact of the hot water. I would suggest a steel/aluminum pot anyone. Just easier to sanitize!
 
When you buy your turkey fryer, you can typically get a 7.5 gallon aluminum pot for about $5-10 more than just buying the burner on its own. Having a larger pot that's not enamel sure will save you alot of stress. Check this deal out:

http://www.google.com/products/cata...X&ei=SQhBUPbeE6WU2AWSxIHIDA&ved=0CK4BEPMCMAc#
That's just the pot for $35.

Here's a complete burner/pot for $38 http://www.sears.com/masterbuilt-30...07113263000P?sLevel=0&redirectType=SKIP_LEVEL
spin_prod_543230501
 
So FYI, I bought that exact turkey fryer after I posted this under the advice of the local brew shop.
Don't buy it! That little box on the regulator hose is a ideot box.
Every 15 minuets it shuts off unless you press that button.
I'm returning it. From what I have found, it's better to just spring for any banjo burner ( a blickmen)
And a stainless steel pot. But if you are unsure if it's something you want to do. Yeah sure. Also after you get
A burner and stainless steel burner, you can fry turkey in that as well.
 
So FYI, I bought that exact turkey fryer after I posted this under the advice of the local brew shop.
Don't buy it! That little box on the regulator hose is a ideot box.
Every 15 minuets it shuts off unless you press that button.
I'm returning it. From what I have found, it's better to just spring for any banjo burner ( a blickmen)
And a stainless steel pot. But if you are unsure if it's something you want to do. Yeah sure. Also after you get
A burner and stainless steel burner, you can fry turkey in that as well.
Holding that button down is as simple as putting a zip tie on it. Some take them apart and solder a wire around them.
 
Yeah I know. Just...pisses me off. I looked up a work around for the timer( disabling it)
I'm sure it's fine for a lot of people but, I just think its stupid that if I buy a banjo burner and pot separately no timer.
But som jack hat made it a law that if you buy it for frying turkeys it needs a timer. That's all.
But yes for others it still works just as good. I just want a blickmen and a stainless steel kettle.
:]
 
Another thing, is the regulator on that fryer is only 5 psi. Pretty small. You'll probably be sitting there waiting a fair bit of time for it to fire up a full boil over 6 gallons. Need atleast 10psi regulator to give you some more BTU's.
 
Another thing, is the regulator on that fryer is only 5 psi. Pretty small. You'll probably be sitting there waiting a fair bit of time for it to fire up a full boil over 6 gallons. Need atleast 10psi regulator to give you some more BTU's.


You hit the nail on the head. For me it's no good.
I didn't want to disused any other new people. But yes, that was an issue as well.
Already returned.
 
Another thing, is the regulator on that fryer is only 5 psi. Pretty small. You'll probably be sitting there waiting a fair bit of time for it to fire up a full boil over 6 gallons. Need atleast 10psi regulator to give you some more BTU's.

Knowing regulator pressure tells you little about BTUs. (thought you are correct in that this burner is low on the btu scale).You can run 10psi of gas through a tiny orifice and it will produce less btus than .5psi of gas through a large orifice.

I see 30psi 160,000 burners and the fact is that you just don't need them and they make a lot of noise and they are probably less efficient. Actually the blichmann site shows some testing data that they did.

When I install propane At my house I will be running my burner set up at 11" wc which is way less than 1 psi. In all cases this will require a different orifice and in many a different burner. But to sit here and direct someone to higher pressure for more btus is confusing and misleading.
 
Knowing regulator pressure tells you little about BTUs. (thought you are correct in that this burner is low on the btu scale).You can run 10psi of gas through a tiny orifice and it will produce less btus than .5psi of gas through a large orifice.

I see 30psi 160,000 burners and the fact is that you just don't need them and they make a lot of noise and they are probably less efficient. Actually the blichmann site shows some testing data that they did.

When I install propane At my house I will be running my burner set up at 11" wc which is way less than 1 psi. In all cases this will require a different orifice and in many a different burner. But to sit here and direct someone to higher pressure for more btus is confusing and misleading.

You are right about psi, and orifice, however, being honest, most of the burners out there roughly have the same burner configuration, save for jet burners. Most of the problem with people just grabbing "turkey fryer" kits, is that the regulators are generally a lower pressure, and they just don't put out enough for a full boil in some peoples cases. I'm certainly not directing people to buy anything. I HAVE that very same turkey fryer kit, for just frying a turkey. It's not an ideal set up at all for brewing, in my opinion. If someone can make it work for their needs, then by all means. Efficiency and time mean a different thing to other people.

That said, I still use one from time to time, but not that model for brewing. I have a larger SP-10 currently for full boil AG, but while nothing wrong with the smaller kits, they aren't as efficient.
 
I appreciate the concern ANC input and in all honesty. That's good info but he is right about it not being good for brewing. I made a batch of beer with this and it bearly kept a boil. controlling the flame was a mess, also the stand is painted black so the first couple a times you run it you have this burning paint issue and a nasty fume problem. Not to mention the timer. Also it is extreamly loud and having had propain tanks and buners in the past. It just seem like its chugging and burning very inefficently?
I'm sure it's great for turkey frying. But it's just not that great for beer and anyway, I personally hadmy hart set on a blickmen for the futur anyway;]
But I again do appriceated all the input and thanks to bob of you for the education.
 
Hurricane low pressure burners are one of my favorites. 70000 btu and they get about 5.5 hours straight use of a propane tank. Not to mention they can be used off your houses natural gas with the purchase of a7 dollar part. I saw last night they even sell them in a stand now for those who don't want or can't afford to build a big rig.
 
The best buy I think, is the SP-10. It's under $50 in most places, has a 10psi reg. and it flat out puts the heat on the pot. I can get 5-6 gallons of water to a boil in under 20 minutes easy. Once my wort is boiling, I have to turn it to the lowest setting possible just about to maintain a very aggressive boil on 8 gal of wort.
 
Bayou.. It's a beast of a burner, and priced great. Plenty of power, good on gas, it's loud, but I'm in the back yard with music blasting, so I don't notice!

$50 and it's money for full wort boils. Any bigger, and I'd be worried about it being TOO much at a low setting.
 
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