Bayou Classic too damn hot!

Hello All,

Please feel free to direct me to another thread! I searched and didn't find quite what I was looking for. It is 185,00 BTU. My problem is that it is TOO hot regardless of playing with the regulator on the propane bottle or the shutter. Is there anything I can do to further regulate the heat? I'm scorching and way over cooking my steeping grains.

Is it a low pressure or high pressure burner? Does the regulator match the burner (low vs. high)?

For steeping, you could just do it stove-top or in the oven if it comes to that.

It's a high pressure. I'm using the regulator that came with it...
Steeping the grains on the stove is not a bad idea at all....

It's this one

I'd think you could get it low enough, i know i turn my SP10 down low enough to stop a boil...how low its actually going though i dont know.

Realistically you should just get the water to temp, maybe a few degree's high and wrap the pot in a towel or something and steep your grains for the 30 mins or whatever is required.

You can also tone it down by putting a black connector on it instead of the green one.

Hey. I'm a noob to brewing but what I did was just get the water temp to 165 and shut off the burner. Then put the steeping grains in and put the lid on it. After 30 mins my water temp only dropped to 160 and that's with the burners off the whole time.

Did you look at this yet? http://www.homedepot.com/p/Bayou-Classic-High-Pressure-Hose-with-5-psi-Regulator-M5HPR/100554927
I don't know why they call a 5 psi hose/regulator and a 30 psi hose/regulator both high pressure. If you get the 5 psi regulator/hose combo I'm sure you will be able to fine tune the heat. I own a Bayou Classic with a 5 psi regulator, and I can adjust my flame down to a low simmer, or I can boil wort in nothing flat. Change your hose.

MindenMan said:

Did you look at this yet? http://www.homedepot.com/p/Bayou-Classic-High-Pressure-Hose-with-5-psi-Regulator-M5HPR/100554927
I don't know why they call a 5 psi hose/regulator and a 30 psi hose/regulator both high pressure. If you get the 5 psi regulator/hose combo I'm sure you will be able to fine tune the heat. I own a Bayou Classic with a 5 psi regulator, and I can adjust my flame down to a low simmer, or I can boil wort in nothing flat. Change your hose.

Click to expand...

The SP10 only comes with a 10 PSI regulator hence the name, like you i have no trouble turning it down to a mere flicker...not sure what OP has, i can turn mine into a very small orange flame, basically like a ring of small bic lighters, or crank it up and it sounds like a jet engine.

Ok, I'll swing by Home Depot try that hose. I'm just using the one that came with the burner now.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Home Brew mobile app

bionicrocky said:

Ok, I'll swing by Home Depot try that hose. I'm just using the one that came with the burner now.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Home Brew mobile app

Click to expand...

You do realize you shouldn't be trying to maintain the temp too hard while steeping though right??

If your not mashing, just get it to 160-165 and throw them in for 30 minutes, it may drop 5 degree's over the 30 minutes but who cares. Steeping is pretty much all for color and a bit of flavor, not sugar ..you dont want to throw them in above 170 or you may get some tannin flavors ..but anywhere from 150-165 will be fine...

Trying to control the temperature by hand is a futile excercise, thats why people use RIMS/HERMS and electric systems with PID's that turn on and off thousands of times a second or use coolers to mash in that hold their temperature.

But for steeping your way over thinking, i'd save your money.

1. Throw in the steeping grains.
2. Turn the burner on.
3. By the time it gets up to 170 degrees you'll be done steeping.
4. Pull grains out and enjoy.

BugDude said:

Hey. I'm a noob to brewing but what I did was just get the water temp to 165 and shut off the burner. Then put the steeping grains in and put the lid on it. After 30 mins my water temp only dropped to 160 and that's with the burners off the whole time.

Click to expand...

Not noobish, good work!

dracus said:

1. Throw in the steeping grains.
2. Turn the burner on.
3. By the time it gets up to 170 degrees you'll be done steeping.
4. Pull grains out and enjoy.

Click to expand...

Have you tried it with the same burner though? If it heats up much faster, may be too short.

Steeping grains? Partial Mash or All Extract? What volume of water are you heating? If your indoor stove is capable of boiling those volumes go for that. If you are relegated to cooking it up on a burner, try heating the water to where you want/need it then adding steeping grains, cover, remove from burner and can wrap in an old winter coat or comforter. You will get minimal temperature drop and should be fine.

Another thing to try would be to raise your pot a little off the burner so that heat vents better. Also, using a binder clip and a paint strainer bag (Home Despot has them for a couple bucks) to keep it elevated off the bottom will help too.

Most burners should be able to have the pressure reduced to just the barest flicker of flame above the burner. I have a KAB burner and can get it down to almost the point of going out just from the dial on the regulator (high pressure)

I do realize getting it precise is not going to happen. The issue is that it's so hot I end up scorching and can't get it to effectively stay below about °220.

bionicrocky said:

I do realize getting it precise is not going to happen. The issue is that it's so hot I end up scorching and can't get it to effectively stay below about °220.

Click to expand...

Are you talking about during the steeping of grains or when you're boiling wort?

EDIT By the way, boiling point for water is 212 at sea level and goes down the higher the altitude. If your thermometer is reading 220 at boiling, get a new thermometer.

Hello All! Thanks for all the tips and info. I ended up getting a much larger brewing vessel so I could do full boil and possibly have better control with more volume/surface area. I added a thermometer to it and compared with the one I had been using. The old one was quite off, so it went in the trash!

Also, the Bayou Classic thermometer is great. It's got all the markings the Blichman's have, but is about $10 less expensive (at my local shop anyway).

Again, thanks all!