First batch with the KAB5...

Got the KAB5 banjo burner for xmas, giving it a test run today, doing basically EdWort's Haus Pale Ale, but with ahtanum instead of cascade - got a bunch of them, figured a single-hop APA would be a good way to test them out.

Man, does the KAB5 rock. It got my first runnings boiling WELL before I finished sparging - and that was only 2 batch sparges, which doesn't take long - and that's without the thing cranked all the way up. It started melting the tubing I used to waterproof my probe thermometer, and that was a couple feet above the burner itself. I've got to learn my limits with this thing.

I poured in the rest of the wort and it had it boiling in about 4-5 minutes. Again, not cranked quite all the way up.

I am wondering how long it will take for all the stupid paint to burn off this thing - hopefully sometime during this batch, because it really reeks. Also, I am a little worried about my weldless valve. The rubberized grip on the handle was melting onto my heat shield, hopefully nothing important inside the valve is in danger of getting toasted. The silicone o-ring sealing against the keggle didn't show signs of damage, so I hope it'll survive.

I almost feel like I shouldn't be using the heat shield - which is just some aluminum roof flashing in a cylinder shape, that leaves an inch or two of clearance all around, and is 2 feet high... It's sure to conserve propane, but it won't do me too much good if it starts destroying my valve, etc...

Man I was wondering the same thing about the valve handle. I was thinking about using some sort of shield under it.

BTW, just ordered one!

Funk
did you have any problems with soot on the brewpot?

I still need to adjust my air intake to reduce the soot, and just wondered if you had dialed it in. I barely open the gas valve on mine.

malkore,

I have the air intake on mine open all the way and I don't get soot, per se, but the bottom edges of my keggle are now discolored. I do crank the gas all the way open while bringing the keggle up to boil, but barely cracked once boiling. This discoloration doesn't seem to come off on my hands when I clean it, so I'm pretty sure it's not soot.


Did you burn off your burner prior to your first use?

I just place a strip of metal under the edge to protect the valve and site-glass.

Evets said:

I just place a strip of metal under the edge to protect the valve and site-glass.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately I can't really fit much in there, with the heat shield around everything. I should be able to bend up a small tab of the heat shield to deflect a little heat below the valve, but the banjo burner is so aggressive there can be some flames shooting up around the side of the keggle, which puts them dangerously close to the valve, shielded or not.

On the plus side, the valve seems to have survived just fine, other than the little bit of rubber from the handle grip that melted onto the heat shield... So I guess I'm not going to worry too much about it for now. I may wedge something between the shield and handle next time I brew, just for a little peace of mind.

Oh, and on another note, I think I solved a propane tank issue. Ever since there's been snow on the ground, my propane tank has been freezing up during the boil, which reduces the rolling boil to a weak simmer when I'm not looking. I don't have any containers big enough to pour hot water into and set the tank in to keep it warm-ish... But last night I just poured a couple quarts of hot tap water over the tank, and it picked right back up again. I figured it would have taken a lot more heat than that, but it seems to have been sufficient. I guess I'll probably have to do that a couple times during the boil in future batches for the remainder of the winter.

Spyk'd said:

malkore,

I have the air intake on mine open all the way and I don't get soot, per se, but the bottom edges of my keggle are now discolored. I do crank the gas all the way open while bringing the keggle up to boil, but barely cracked once boiling. This discoloration doesn't seem to come off on my hands when I clean it, so I'm pretty sure it's not soot.


Did you burn off your burner prior to your first use?

Click to expand...

burn off? no my KAB5 instructions didn't mention burning off or breaking in the burner first.
I also don't have a keggle, just a 9gallon pot. its almost too small for this burner really....if I don't run it on low low gas, flames lick up the sides of the pot.
the tip of my drain valve handle has the plastic singed off.

I think I'm gonna 'play' with my banjo today and try to get little blue flames with yellow tips...per another thread's suggestion.

Funkenjaeger said:

Ever since there's been snow on the ground, my propane tank has been freezing up during the boil, which reduces the rolling boil to a weak simmer when I'm not looking.

Click to expand...

You should consider upping to a 30lb+ cylinder. The extra volume will make it less likely to freeze up and efficiency will be better w/ the proper pressures maintained(aka use less propane).

malkore said:

burn off? no my KAB5 instructions didn't mention burning off or breaking in the burner first.
I also don't have a keggle, just a 9gallon pot. its almost too small for this burner really....if I don't run it on low low gas, flames lick up the sides of the pot.
the tip of my drain valve handle has the plastic singed off.

I think I'm gonna 'play' with my banjo today and try to get little blue flames with yellow tips...per another thread's suggestion.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't think it's in my instructions either, but it's been discussed here at length. I came across it prior to purchasing my burner. It takes about 20-30 mins for all the paint to burn off and I left 13 gallons of water in my keggle on top to help concentrate the heat and burn off faster. The smell was unbearable. I couldn't imagine having to brew around it.


Hope this helps others!

Spyk'd said:

The smell was unbearable. I couldn't imagine having to brew around it.

Click to expand...

No kidding... the rest of the day my lungs felt itchy/weird and I kept coughing, exactly like you get from excessive smoke inhalation, even though there wasn't much smoke coming off the burner. And I didn't even spend all that much time around the burner, and it was in open air outdoors. Whatever chemical fumes were burning off of there, they aren't good.

That things got some serious power! The first time I used my banjo burner with my keggle, I freaked out a little when my keggle got so hot the entire bottom half of it started glowing red!

Can one of you check the fitting that connects the hose to the burner orifice? I think it should be 3/8" female flare on the hose, but I'd really appreciate a double check.

So I guess I'll take this thing outside and let it burn off for a while before trying it indoors then. Thanks for the warning!

Pretty sure it's a 3/8" Female Flare, IIRC....

5 Is Not Enough said:

So I guess I'll take this thing outside and let it burn off for a while before trying it indoors then. Thanks for the warning!

Click to expand...

I'm sure your aware of the danger but I have to say it in case someone else reading this isn't. Using a propane burner like this indoors can be very dangerous and is not recommend unless you full understand the risks involved and how to avoid them. For most people it really is just a bad idea.

I use mine in our enclosed garage but have installed a large exhaust fan in the wall which can be seen in this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=39422

Ok,

DON'T BLOW YOUR A$$ UP BY USING A PROPANE DEVICE INDOORS! PROPANE WILL CREEP ACROSS THE FLOOR IF NOT BEING BURNED AND CAN IGNITE BY OTHER SOURCES OF FLAME(IE. W.H. PILOT LIGHT).

PROPANE MUST BE BURNED CLEANLY TO BE SAFE! BLUE FLAMES W/ YELLOW TIPS, OTHERWISE IT WILL GIVE OFF POISONOUS CARBON MONOXIDE! IF YOU SEE SOOT ON YOUR POT, YOU ARE POISONING THE AIR.

DON'T BURN ALL OF THE OXYGEN OUT OF YOUR HOUSE AND ASPHYXIATE YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS! VENTILATION IS NECESSARY! CLEANLY BURNED PROPANE RELEASES CARBON DIOXIDE - NON-POISONOUS GAS THAT CAN DISPLACE OXYGEN CAUSING A HAZARD THAT CAN CAUSE DEATH.

OPEN FLAMES INDOORS HAVE THEIR OBVIOUS DANGERS! KEEP A FIRE EXTINGUISHER NEAR THE BURNER AT ALL TIMES AND DO NOT LEAVE A FLAME UNATTENDED. KEEP KIDS AND PETS AWAY.

Oh yeah and, NEW BURNERS WILL NEED TO BE "BURNED OFF" BEFORE BEING USED INDOORS AS NAUSEOUS GASES CAN RESULT!

Any other potential risks?

ScubaSteve said:

Pretty sure it's a 3/8" Female Flare, IIRC....

Click to expand...

Thanks, just what I wanted to hear.