Fickle Beast
Member
Well my first attempt at brewing outdoors was a failure. I have an Eastman 90314 burner (65,000 BTU), and used the 30 qt pot that came with it.
Outdoor Burners & Stock Pots: Eastman Outdoors Revolution Propane Burner
I was attempting to boil 5 gallons of water. Initial temperature was ~50 degrees farenheit. After two hours on the burner, the temperature had only risen to ~150 degrees. At this point, I gave up and moved the brewday inside.
Can anyone offer any suggestions on why the burner wasn't heating the water? The burner flame was small and blue. I have a few theories:
1) Burner was too far from the kettle. As you can see from the picture in the link, there are 3 brackets that hold the kettle. There was a few inches between the kettle and burner flame. However, this is the kettle that comes with the burner. Shouldn't it be designed to space the flame and kettle at the optimal distance?
2) It was too Windy. I realize that the wind may have played a role in decreasing the efficiency, but the flame never blew out and remained blue.
3) There was a way to increase the flame output that was not apparent to me. The valve on the top of the propane cylinder was completely open. the small valve after the HP regulator was completely open. Is there a way to turn the HP regulator (Red Knob looking item) to increase the output? I tried but it did not seem to turn. I played around with the air inlet, but that didn't seem to have much effect.
Anyway, I appreciate any advice the forum members could offer. My first inclination will be to remove the brackets, bringing the kettle closer to the flame.
Fickle
Outdoor Burners & Stock Pots: Eastman Outdoors Revolution Propane Burner
I was attempting to boil 5 gallons of water. Initial temperature was ~50 degrees farenheit. After two hours on the burner, the temperature had only risen to ~150 degrees. At this point, I gave up and moved the brewday inside.
Can anyone offer any suggestions on why the burner wasn't heating the water? The burner flame was small and blue. I have a few theories:
1) Burner was too far from the kettle. As you can see from the picture in the link, there are 3 brackets that hold the kettle. There was a few inches between the kettle and burner flame. However, this is the kettle that comes with the burner. Shouldn't it be designed to space the flame and kettle at the optimal distance?
2) It was too Windy. I realize that the wind may have played a role in decreasing the efficiency, but the flame never blew out and remained blue.
3) There was a way to increase the flame output that was not apparent to me. The valve on the top of the propane cylinder was completely open. the small valve after the HP regulator was completely open. Is there a way to turn the HP regulator (Red Knob looking item) to increase the output? I tried but it did not seem to turn. I played around with the air inlet, but that didn't seem to have much effect.
Anyway, I appreciate any advice the forum members could offer. My first inclination will be to remove the brackets, bringing the kettle closer to the flame.
Fickle