No full wort boils for me :(

Will be moving into a new apartment this weekend that has a huge balcony, so I thought... cool... I now can get the equipment and do full boils... NOPE, not allowed any open flame on the balcony.

So, I'm thinking what about building a large enough electric burner to do full boils, so that brings up a question... how big of electric stove element would I need? How many watts does a standard 8" stove element put out?

Anyone out there have any answers to the questions, or another way I might be able to do full boils on my balcony.

Thanks

I live in an apartment and there is a $100 fine form the fire department for any type of grill/burner within 10 feet from any structure. I do it anyways, if someone says something well then ignorance is bliss

Cregar said:

Will be moving into a new apartment this weekend that has a huge balcony, so I thought... cool... I now can get the equipment and do full boils... NOPE, not allowed any open flame on the balcony.

So, I'm thinking what about building a large enough electric burner to do full boils, so that brings up a question... how big of electric stove element would I need? How many watts does a standard 8" stove element put out?

Anyone out there have any answers to the questions, or another way I might be able to do full boils on my balcony.

Thanks

Click to expand...

This thing may help http://www.universal-akb.com/mabigpotcael.html

I used to do full boils on a regular 8" element for 5g batches and lid half on for most of the time.

tbulger said:

I live in an apartment and there is a $100 fine form the fire department for any type of grill/burner within 10 feet from any structure. I do it anyways, if someone says something well then ignorance is bliss

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure this is what I'd do, too or find a friend who would let me invade his garage every once in a while.

I saw an electric turkey fryer yesterday at Menard's. I have no idea the output of them, but it might be worth a try. I'm going with propane but the electric ones are on the shelf next to them.

http://www.cedarcreeknetworks.com/heatstick.htm

perhaps worth a look?

Cregar said:

Will be moving into a new apartment this weekend that has a huge balcony, so I thought... cool... I now can get the equipment and do full boils... NOPE, not allowed any open flame on the balcony.

So, I'm thinking what about building a large enough electric burner to do full boils, so that brings up a question... how big of electric stove element would I need? How many watts does a standard 8" stove element put out?

Anyone out there have any answers to the questions, or another way I might be able to do full boils on my balcony.

Thanks

Click to expand...

My apartment complex has the same rules, yet I see people with small bbq's all over the freaking place. IMHO, I would just attach a tarp to the railing so nobody can see you and do as you please. Its not like there will be a big smoke cloud from the bbq. Its colorless and odorless

AdIn said:

This thing may help http://www.universal-akb.com/mabigpotcael.html

Click to expand...

Thats looks cool... wonder if 2600w would be enought to get 6-7 gallons boiling?

Long ago (about 5 years ago), SWMBO and I lived in an apartment complex. One day, I see in the local paper that a recent law has outlawed grills, etc., in apartment complexes that have been built in type II-B construction (unprotected; combustible construction components/materials). I wasn't brewing at the time, but we grilled a lot. I asked our property manager about it (he was pretty cool) and he said, hey, whatever, it's your deal. He's not going to police the place, and the chances that the firemarshal driving by the apartment complex at the same time as you're grilling, and happening to look over and see the almost invisible smoke, are so small as to be nothing to worry about.

Of course, the management sent out a notice to everyone in order to cover their own asses, but that's as far as it went. We continued to grill out until we moved.

So, really, it depends on what your property management is like. As others have noted, you can always put up a tarp around the railing and nobody'll be able to see. It's not like a grill...you don't have plumes of smoke rising from it. It's just the steam from the boil. But if the property management has stated that they are actively and strictly policing it...then that might be a different story. Full boils aren't worth taking the chance of getting kicked out on your ass and screwing up your renting record.

Thanks for all the advice everyone... the heat stick idea might be the way to go or the extra large stove element.

I know I could put something up to block what I am doing, but I finally got my finances settled down and able to actually move out of the getto into a really nice complex. I don't want to chance upsetting the management and get kicked out. I moved there so my daughter can go to one of the best rated HS in the city.

Thanks agains for the help... will keep ya updated.

hmmm.....you could put down a sheet of plywood and brew right inside the patio door.....

lol... I dont think I would want 7 gallons of boiling water in my living room. If he happens to spill on the deck at least its just in the yard. If you dump 7 gallons of water on your floor thats a HUGE problem. Not to mention theres A LOT more than can burn in an apartment.

I have a converted Keg for a HLT that has two 110 heater elements in it, it does a damn fine job keeping the water around 210, but I'm not sure if those alone could maintain the boil that you would need for brewing. If you had the heat stick and an electric element I think that it would work great.

Cheers

have you ever thought about splitting the boils into two kettles, on two burners of your stove?

How much heat are these steam setups capable of generating? Would they be able to sustain a boil?

Do it at night.

Evan! said:

have you ever thought about splitting the boils into two kettles, on two burners of your stove?

Click to expand...

I have thought about that but the nice thing about doing a full boil is most likely your outdoors... tired of being stuck in my small kitchen.

Honnestly looking at the heat sticks.

BBQ's and stoves are not usually considered "Open Flames". Campfires are.
Is a Turkey burner a stove?

You could try to find a bad-ass camp stove? Use two burners under the kettle? I know my camp stove gets hotter than my kitchen stove. It's a cheap S piece of crap.

Anybody out there using charcoal to fire a kettle? It sure will burn hot... and charcoal doesn't even make any flames, no "Open Flames" about it. Especially if you light it with an electric starter...

Why not just run your propane burner in the parking lot? If you have access to a hose out there, then you can run a CFC too. Get a carboy cap, have some sanitizer soaking your racking cane, run straight from the kettle, through the CFC, into the pre-sanitized carboy which is covered by the carboy cap.

Minimal risk of infection and maybe speedier than whatever process you're using now. Just get yourself a lawnchair and some sort of tacklebox to use as a table and you're in business. Clean up shouldn't take more than three trips. Besides, I'd rather clean my mess up outdoors. Rinsing my brewkettle in the tub is a real PITA.