DIY Windshield for KAB6 Bayou Burner

I just made a windshield for my KAB6 Bayou Burner out of two duct adapters from Home Depot (see pictures below). The purpose is to both protect from the wind (the existing windshield is far to short) and to direct the heat to the bottom of the keggle rather than around the edges. I think that the same modification could be done with a KAB4 (not sure). Also, looking at the finished project, it is possible you could cut the bottom out of a small metal bucket, cut it to open it, cut to an appropriate height and use it for a shield. In any case, this is what I did.

The project requires:
Two 8" to 10" metal duct adaptors (Ductite)
Sheet metal screws or small bolts (short 3/8" for connecting pieces of sheet metal and 1/2 or longer for connecting sheet metal to existing windshield).
Metal sheers, pliers, screw drivers (wrenches), drill, pointed object for piercing sheet metal.

Briefly (see pictures below):
1. Cut open the duct adapters along the weld line with metal shears and spread gently to open to diameter of the existing shield around the burner.
2. Put one in place with an end at the edge of the shield where the shank of the burner enters. I then measured the remaining length to complete the circle leaving a gap for the shank of the burner and leaving an inch for overlap with the other piece. In retrospect, the second piece could have been cut to leave room for the shank and connect to the first piece at both ends but I made a piece to span the gap out of scrap.
3. Remove both pieces and crimp the top edge and the ends of the two pieces that will abut the shank. This takes 10 min with a pliers but makes the metal pieces much more user friendly.
4. Put the pieces back in place and get aligned in their approximate position. I should have screwed the two pieces together at the top position of the joint before doing any further cutting because I made a few minor errors.
5. Mark each support bar 5" from the end as a guide for the approximate position of the top edge of the new shield. This will give a diameter of 15".
6. With the pieces in place and screwed together, position the shield tightly against existing shield around bottom with the top edge meeting the support bars at the marks you made in step 5. Now make a 1/2 inch cut in the top edge of the shield on either side of each support bar and bend the tab down to leave a gap for the support bar. This creates four points where the bars sit in the windshield and stabilizes the structure. It also makes a closer approach to the keggle.
6. Slip the shield up making sure it is tightly wrapped around the existing shield at the bottom and with the support bars in the gaps you just created.
7. Mark and drill a holes in the sheet metal pieces at the bottom of the abutting ends of the two pieces of a new shield. Also drill the existing shield at the position where those two pieces abut. The holes should be the appropriate size for the sheet metal screws or bolts you have purchased. Attach the two ends to each other and the existing shield.
8. Mark and drill holes at each end of the bottom of the shield and through the existing shield at the appropriate position. Use to attach both ends of your newly created shield to the existing shield.
9. If you left a gap, create a short strip of metal from scrap long enough to span the gap. Crimp the edges and then screw in place to provide both structural stability and to complete the ring. If you cut the metal to span, connect ends with a screw or bolt.
10. Enjoy your new windscreen.

Have you used it yet?

tally350z said:

Have you used it yet?

Click to expand...

Fair question. Not yet but last time I did the same thing with HD aluminum foil and it was great. Just not very durable.

Concerns?

I literally had that idea at Home Depot a few weeks ago! Let me know how it works please!

I was concerned about melting the thing... but then I figured the worse case scenario was some cool looking melted metal

Looks good. Let us know how it works.

Will do. I don't think it is going to melt. Burn, blacken, warp, smell....maybe. I'll get back to you. If it melts, I'll pull the thread

My question is if it will get enough air to breathe this way. Well, not just enough, how will this effect your fuel economy. Do let us know.

Maybe I will just fire it up and boil a keggle full over the weekend, just as a test, before doing a full brew. I do know that I wrapped foil around the bottom of my keggle down to that existing windscreen last time I brewed and it worked great. There was a small opening in the back a little bigger than the one that is there.

You could always try what I did if yours melts. It's been a few years, and I've changed nothing. Still working great.

KAB6 Mod

The mod was inspired by two things. Need for more wind shielding and the need to direct the heat more directly to the bottom of my keggle. I had both of those problems. I found the wort was boiling in my exit spigot because so much heat was coming around the edges of my keggle. Lets see how it works.

OK, I can give a report now on the effectiveness of this modification. Short story: It's great! It directs all the heat to the bottom of the keg, blocks all air current problems, has no problem dealing with the heat or available airflow. The metal does oxidize during the first heat up but is no worse for wear after two full 13 gallon boils. See the pics for more information. Shown are: 1 - the whole setup, 2 - closeup of the fit between the keg and the burner shield, 3 - burner, post boil.

Any updated pictures? I bet this thing, if still in use, has petina'ed to an awesome "rat rod" finish by now!

I will post some soon but the bottom line is that it is that, although the metal is getting oxidized and a bit powdery on the surface, it is not losing its strength. It contains the heat very well without affecting the control of the burner. Good upgrade.

I am getting ready to build a windscreen/heat shield in this manner. Looking forward to further updates from you. Thanks for sharing.

After four 10 gallon BIAB mashes and boils, several an hour, the burner shroud has got a little bit of "Rat Rod Patina" but still shows no signs of structural failure. It does the job perfectly. I think this is a keeper. I don't think there is much more to report unless you have questions. If so, fire away.

How much faster does it bring your keggle to a boil?

I can't tell you the answer to that. It is fast. It definitely is containing the heat and I am no longer having a problem with wort boiling in my ball valve assembly and sight tube. I don't feel tons of heat running up the outside of the keggle when I have my hands across the top. A big improvement.

I have noticed that if I crank up the flame too fast, it sometimes smothers with a pop. Not a problem if I just bring the heat up at a reasonable rate.

Hope that helps.

Not worried about zinc poisoning from the galvanized coating vapors?

Not aware of zinc issue. I can tell you not to build this with the reducers that are riveted together. As soon as I cut it it popped into three pieces.

The one in the initial build was all one piece?

I wasn't aware of the zinc issue either. This is only used outdoors and, of course, the fumes shouldn't be in contact with the wort. However, if I am standing close and leaning over to stir, that may be an issue. It doesn't seemed to have changed since the second use so I imagine it isn't outgassing much.

With regard to the adapter used, they had a crimped welded seam which I just cut. It took about 1 1/2 adapters. You can see from the initial photos that it has one seam put together with screws and then I also made a small piece to bridge the gap at the gas inlet. It is screwed together as well and the bottom edge is screwed into holes in the cylinder of the burner with sheet metal screws into drilled holes. No rivets.

You could always buy some aluminum flashing at one of the big box stores and use that. It's very flimsy but cheap and easy to work with.

As good as this setup works for you, you could lower your propane usage and time it takes to boil even further by using a shroud around the keggle.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metal_fume_fever

In short, zinc oxide is pretty nasty stuff to be avoided.