Is there an easy way to get the Bayou Classic at near-stovetop height?

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nibiyabi

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I'm tired of the whole brewing process taking 4-5 hours on my stovetop, so I purchased a Bayou Classic after brewing my first batch. It was in the middle of a week-long rain spell when I brewed my next batch, so I just brewed stovetop again. Then for my third batch, I realized I had no way to transfer the wort to my 6-gal carboy. I do have a spigot on my 8-gal boiling pot for easy transfer, but it's not a pump -- just gravity.

The Bayou Classic is only maybe 2 feet tall with pot included, and I need it to be more like 5. We have a few desks in the garage, but they are $20 each and not very sturdy -- no way would I trust them to hold this thing (even if I just boiled it on the ground and then used oven mitts to transfer that heavy m-fer to the desk, I'm still not confident it would hold).

I would just get a brew structure, but I'm moving in a few months and am trying to minimize on my purchasing of large things. Is there any easy, safe, temporary way I can raise this guy up and cook at near-stovetop height?
 
I had this same problem the first time I used my Keggle. I guess I didn't think ahead enough. Anyways I have seen some people on here flip over milk crates, stick on a piece of plywood, then balance the burner on that. Doesn't sound like the safest method, but from the pictures it looks fairly sturdy. Other then that you could just build a riser out some wood for it. It doesn't get hot enough directly under it to burn the wood.
 
Another possibility since no one is looking to make a riser is to use it, then just have someone help ya lift it up temporarily onto something, even a heavy duty table so you can empty it. I have done that also!

I cannot believe no one here is wanting to play jenga with their boiling kettle!
 
For my burner I mounted it inside an old 20 gallon iron aquarium stand I had laying around in the garage. Had to do some DIY mods with a die-grinder and some metal but my ghetto burner/stand works great. These aquarium stands are sturdy as hell (built to hold hundreds of pounds of water/rock/and glass) and can be found cheap at yard sales and what not....Chances are if you rack your brain long enough you'll find some junk around your house (or your friends) that can serve your needs.....
 
I have a hose coming off the front of my kettle and I just tip the carboy over until the liquid starts to go into the carboy. Then I tip it upright. The magic of nature suggests that as long as the bottom of the hose is below the bottom of the kettle, it will still flow.
 
keep the burner on the ground and dig a hole next to it for the carboy! if your moving who cares about the hole right?
 
Get an engine hoist and a length of steel cable / chain... Attach whichever tethering medium you chose to the kettle handles, attach to engine hoist and crank away... That is what I had to do when I was in a cast and brewing...
 
I have just lifted the brew kettle up onto something taller (after cooling to pitching temps), but I think I'll try the cinder blocks next time.
 
Thanks for all the great ideas, guys. I think I'll get those leg extenders. It won't be enough, but it will help. The only table I really trust to hold this thing is our kitchen table which is kind of an antique and I wouldn't want to risk damaging trying to squeeze it into the garage. Digging is also a no-go as the only place I can use it is just inside my garage with the door open. :) I'll see if I can't get a few cinder blocks at Home Depot or something to raise the damn thing up on a temporary basis. I usually have to brew alone so trying to raise the kettle post-boil is a somewhat risky prospect.

EDIT: Actually, I just measured the height of the spigot on my boiling kettle when it's resting on my burner, and it's right about 15" off the ground. The height of the shoulder of my 6-gal carboy is 17", so really all I need is an additional 3-4" of height, and the extenders give me an additional foot! :ban:
 
If you go with the extensions, post some pics and let us know what you think of them. I've thought about getting them but just haven't pulled the trigger.
 
Aren't the extensions just a piece of pipe stuck over the leg? Seems you could buy and cut your own galvanized pipe for much less. It even says no screws in the description.
 
Well, here's a cheery update:

Me said:
My card was charged almost a week ago and your website has been assuring me since my order date that the "delivery status" was "on time" and now on the expected delivery date late in the evening you tell me that you had actually never had the product at all. Thanks. If my refund isn't credited to my account by the time I wake up on Friday, Bank of America will be receiving a fraud notification. A charge should never be incurred until the item has been shipped, and the "delivery status" of a non-delivered item should never read "on time" when it has never been delivered at all, much less on the "expected delivery date". You can save your 5% discount for someone else, as it's now too late for me to purchase this product since you had me waiting a full week, and I'm never going to shop at your stores again. I should have trusted all the negative reviews, but I figured this was such a small, simple order. At least I learned my lesson.

>>> "ATGStores.com, Order Fulfillment" <[email protected]> 03/17/09 5:01 PM >>>
Dear Greg,
This message is to inform you that as of 3/17/2009 5:01:15 PM the following updates were made to your order status.

Order#: 768902 - unfortunately 1 line item has been discontinued by the manufacturer and as a result has been canceled.
For specific details on the updates above and a complete summary of your order status, please visit:
https://outdoorlivingshowroom.ATGStores.com/account/orderView.aspx?order=768902&customer=690712

Once again, we would like to apologize for the inconvenience of Discontinued Items and we would like to provide you with an E-Coupon for 5% off your next purchase at any of the websites in our ATGStores.com network of stores. The code is 'DISC2008' and should be entered on the Checkout page when placing your order.

About your Order Status: These updates include the most current information we have obtained concerning their orders. You may check your order status at any time by visiting: https://outdoorlivingshowroom.ATGStores.com/account/orders.aspx Also, from the ATGStores.com order status page you can REQUEST THE CANCELLATION of an item, REQUEST A REPLACEMENT item for a damaged or defective product, or initiate the RETURN PROCESS.

Thank you for choosing ATGStores.com for all your lighting, plumbing, flooring, furniture, and home accessory needs. If you have any further questions please call or e-mail Customer Support.

[email protected]
ATGStores.com - Furniture, Lighting, Faucets, Knobs, Rugs - Toll Free: 1-888-404-2744Once again, we would like to apologize for the inconvenience of Discontinued Items and we would like to provide you with an E-Coupon for 5% off your next purchase at any of the websites in our ATGStores.com network of stores. The code is 'DISC2008' and should be entered on the Checkout page when placing your order.

Ordered from someone else, and for now I'll be using bricks. :mad:
 
I had the same problem. Not anymore!!!!! Now I use freshly poached panda bears. The burners fit nicely on top and and boy are those bears cute!!!! Or you know leg extensions is cool too.
 
Aren't the extensions just a piece of pipe stuck over the leg? Seems you could buy and cut your own galvanized pipe for much less. It even says no screws in the description.

Does it have to be galvanized pipe? Galvanized pipe everywhere I look is incredibly expensive (i.e., 4 pieces of the appropriate diameter/length are going to cost more than the burner itself), and even just regular pipe is going to cost more than double what the Bayou extensions were going to cost. :( They've pretty much disappeared from the face of the earth.
 
Craigslist search should yield some pipe bargains as people seem to have leftovers from building etc.
 
I made my own leg extensions from black iron pipe. Have them cut to the length you desire and just slip them over the burner legs. I think I used 1-1/2" pipe purchased at Home Depot. Cheap and easy to do.
 
^That's great news! It's not on their website so I assumed they didn't have it. I'm stopping by there tomorrow for another reason so I'll take a look. Thanks! :mug:
 
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