Partial boil in basement.. what heat source?

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beergears

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I have done my first partial boil batch on the stovetop --SWMBO liked the malty smell, I am good..!-- and it was fine, and will stick to PB for a while.

Now that I have set some space up by the laundry area in the basement, I may want to do everything there, but do not know what to use for heat...

I am thinking portable unit off some sort, running on a small tank, not quite the mega-BTU stuff. There is a door nearby so I could ventilate easily, as needed.

There is a natural gas line nearby too, so I may look into fexible line (like BierMuncher's..?) Local codes would go right out of the window of course...!

Any suggestions/setup that worked for you?
 
If I were you I'd use an electric burner. I don't like the idea of burning anything in the basement. Between the fumes and flames, its too much for me...
 
Soulive21 said:
If I were you I'd use an electric burner. I don't like the idea of burning anything in the basement. Between the fumes and flames, its too much for me...
Is there a portable electric burner that is powerful enough to boil 3 gallons?
Mike
 
I'd stick to the stove unless I had a really compelling reason to move downstairs if I were you. I know some of the guys around here have set up burners in their basements and rigged up some ventilation; but as someone who has suffered (and almost died) from carbon monoxide poisoning (no it wasn't in my garage, it was a crummy furnace) I would never ever go that route. If you want to move it out of your kitchen, move it outside.
 
njnear76 said:
Could it boil 6.5 gallons? Heh.
Answered my own question

W= Watts
B = BTU

W x 3.413 =B

1650 x 3.413= 5,631 BTU

I think I will stick with the propane setup in the garage.

A 3000 Watt burner might be interesting.
 
OK, electric is not workable, gas in basement isn't very safe.

I' ll keep using the stovetop upstairs... until I run into a cheap gas setup for outside boiling.
 
right now you should be able to buy a turkey fryer, probably with a 7gallon pot, for $40 or less.

places like home depot, lowes, menards, costco, sam's club...even Sears has em.
 
malkore said:
right now you should be able to buy a turkey fryer, probably with a 7gallon pot, for $40 or less.

places like home depot, lowes, menards, costco, sam's club...even Sears has em.
I saw them yesterday at walmart for $24 (regularly $39.99). It's the post thanksgiving sale!
 
What about getting an old electric stove from craigslist and using that downstairs? You could probably unplug the dryer (if it's electric, that is) and use that 240V outlet.

Then again, I know nothing of electrical work, so if someone with more wiring experience than I says that's A Bad Idea, then listen to them instead :p
 
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