First brew with new rig was a disaster!

I've built a Brutus style brew rig. Low pressure propane, honeywell standing pilot valves, PID controls, direct fired recirculated mash, etc...

I did my first brew with the new rig on Sunday and everything was going great until I finished the sparge and tried to boil. The low pressure propane / bg-14 burner just didn't have enough power to produce a real boil. I had about 16 gallons in the brew pot and it would not even simmer with the lid off. I had to put the lid mostly on to get any type of boil going.

Is something wrong with my burner set up? Is low pressure propane just not powerful enough to produce a real boil? Please help...

Isn't the BG14 a high pressure burner? I think this could improve your day: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VXEW4G/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

If you are really committed to low pressure propane, I fear you will need a different burner. The regulator is likely to be much less expensive.

ThreeDogsNE said:

Isn't the BG14 a high pressure burner? I think this could improve your day: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VXEW4G/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

If you are really committed to low pressure propane, I fear you will need a different burner. The regulator is likely to be much less expensive.

Click to expand...

I drilled out the orifice so it can be used with a low pressure (11"wc) regulator. BTW the regulator is about the same cost

This is what I have used with natural gas for a few years: http://www.cpapc.com/store/3-Ring-Burner-natural-gas-P2361C244.aspx
It requires two of these: http://www.fixitshop.com/Merchant2/...s&Product_Code=GAS-01125&Category_Code=IMPCHI
and also needs two of these: http://fixitshop.com/Merchant2/merc...Product_Code=GRT-01012&Category_Code=orifices
in order to use it with propane. This combination worked to give a decent boil for 10 gallon batches with natural gas, and should give more heat with propane. Brewing in a small room in the back of my basement and getting weary of all the heat, I took to dropping a heatstick in the boil kettle and throttling back the burner. I think I had $35 or so in the heatstick. I hope someone else has a cheaper solution

I use the BG14's with Honeywell valves as well. If you have the correct regulator and POL connector it could be your pressure out of the gas valve. How did you adjust them?