Stovetop Boiling - the difference a pot makes

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Kronin

Kronin

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Just thought I'd point out my experiences so far and maybe help someone who is deciding what to buy for a brew pot...

I bought a large 8 gallon aluminum stock pot from a restaurant supply place, hoping to do full or even partial boils on the stove. This pot would be great for a propane burner.

Now even with 3.5 gallons in this pot, it took me 90 minutes to get the temp up and it was an extremely weak boil.

the other day i bought a second pot for sparging an AG batch... this one was only 20 quarts or 5 gallon... the smaller pot boiled 4 gallons no problem and heated to boil temp in less than 20 minutes. (and cost 1/3 the price of the large pot)...

so keep in mind when choosing something for a stovetop boiling... the large wasted space in the larger pots, and larger surface area of the water in it will make it less effective for boiling than a smaller / cheaper pot.


cheers,
 
Gee, That's helpful. Makes sense when you think about it, but who does that?:D
Thanks for the post, I'll keep it in mind.
Regards
 
yeah, i tried to get 4 gallons to boil in a 6 gallon pot on my stove... no go, stuck with the pot, bought a burner, will be getting a bigger pot soon arggggggg
 
I can boil 5 gallons on mine (usually do 3.5-4g) but it requires me to use the lid on the kettle. 4 gallons is about the max without a lid and takes hour+ to boil where as the lid takes it only ~40 mins.

Propane stove.

(Note: I'm moving to 3 gallon batches instead of going bigger, may do double boils with a cheap aluminum pot if I reeeally want to fill a keg to the top)
 
The quality of the pot also matters. I have an 8 gallon, wide (high surface area) SS pot and a 7.5 gallon, narrow SS pot, but the 8 gallon pot brings any volume of water to boil faster. It's thicker, much heavier, and has an aluminum layer built into the base.
 
Very few people have stoves with the BTU's necessary to heat more than four gallons in a 5 gallon pot on the stovetop, or 4 gallons in an 8 gallon pot, anyway, but a larger pot will make it more difficult.

However some people have managed to do larger volume boils in larger pots on their stove employing the ideas in this great thread. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/improved-boiling-stovetop-53683/
 
I purchased an 8 gallon boiling pot. It measures 15 inches in diameter and its 13 inches tall, approximately. The pot was purchased because it's sufficiently wide to consume 2 burners from my stove top. I was able to fill the pot with 7 gallons of water at 75F and obtained full boil in 45 minutes, both burners were used. I dont know what the burners are rated at, but they look standard. My stovetop looks like a standard gas stovetop, nothing fancy.

While 45 minutes is long, stovetop operation has too many advantages to pass up. Advantages include:
-propane tanks are not needed, i dont have to buy/rent any
-i dont need a burner
-can watch tv, sit in couch, and monitor beer simultaneously
- stove is near kitchen sink, cooling wort is a snap with cold water readily available. No pump needed
-heating additional water for sparge is readily done with other side of stove top. Though a pump is required.

Id recommend this setup to all. Simply measure the dimensions of your stovetop burners, turn on flame since flame is wider than burners. Then buy a pot that exceeds those dimensions.
 
BrokenFingers said:
I purchased an 8 gallon boiling pot. It measures 15 inches in diameter and its 13 inches tall, approximately. The pot was purchased because it's sufficiently wide to consume 2 burners from my stove top. I was able to fill the pot with 7 gallons of water at 75F and obtained full boil in 45 minutes, both burners were used. I dont know what the burners are rated at, but they look standard. My stovetop looks like a standard gas stovetop, nothing fancy.

While 45 minutes is long, stovetop operation has too many advantages to pass up. Advantages include:
-propane tanks are not needed, i dont have to buy/rent any
-i dont need a burner
-can watch tv, sit in couch, and monitor beer simultaneously
- stove is near kitchen sink, cooling wort is a snap with cold water readily available. No pump needed
-heating additional water for sparge is readily done with other side of stove top. Though a pump is required.

Id recommend this setup to all. Simply measure the dimensions of your stovetop burners, turn on flame since flame is wider than burners. Then buy a pot that exceeds those dimensions.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%... my glass top stove has a quick boil feature and I've easily boiled over 5 gallons on my stove top. I have a fryer and its just not worth it, and propane is expensive.
 

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