Propane Burners

When looking for a propane burner what would be the recommended BTU's put out by the burner. Ive come across a number of deep fry turkey setups in various stores and have shyed away from getting one only because I dont want to get one and only find out that it doesn't boil water any quicker than using my stove top

I think I read somewhere that you want at least 30k BTU to do 5 gallon batches. My burner is a bit over 50k, and I have no problem at all boiling 6.7 gallons of wort.

I am just starting out and from reading all over the web it looks like the Bayou SQ14 will do a great job for the price.

I'm pretty sure any turkey fryer set up is going to do the trick, they heat 3 gals of oil up in no time.

Just bought my SQ14 yesterday, delivering Fri! I almost bought one of those turkey fryer set-ups, but some wise one on this board enlightened me to the pesky auto-shut offs (after 20 mins or so) on those things that are nearly impossible to override. Very annoying if so. Just be aware.

bluepaddle said:

I am just starting out and from reading all over the web it looks like the Bayou SQ14 will do a great job for the price.

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You can buy this from Amazon for $52 with free shipping. It does a great job on my boils from 4 gallons to 8 gallons w/o using too much propane. If you already have the size of brewpot you like buying a new turkey fryer may cost more due to the pot included in the kit.

I bought the SQ14 when I went AG. No problems whatever; it seems very well matched with my 30 qt. brewpot (which I insulated, back when I was doing extract batches on the kitchen cooktop).

+1 sq14

Forget the BTU ratings, they're garbage. I had a 210k-BTU "kick-a-banjo" burner and a 55k-BTU SQ14, and guess which one heats wort up faster?

Many people use turkey friers, although I know some people don't love the "jet" burners. Remember that the time to heat up oil tells you next to nothing about the time to heat up water or wort, oil's a lot easier to heat up.

Just get one. Its only $40.

This one works great! Used it for the first time on Sunday.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabe...=AllProducts&Ntt=burners&x=6&y=14&Ntt=burners

I'd go big as you can. I picked up the camp chef single burner with the extended legs. 65k btu I think. It'll get 20g. of wort in a 25g. kettle to a boil in under 20 min. the extra height of the extended legs lets you transfer right from the kettle spigot without having to siphon.

maestrotee said:

Just bought my SQ14 yesterday, delivering Fri! I almost bought one of those turkey fryer set-ups, but some wise one on this board enlightened me to the pesky auto-shut offs (after 20 mins or so) on those things that are nearly impossible to override. Very annoying if so. Just be aware.

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Not true, override takes all of 5 minutes and a wire nut.

Want a 7 gallon stainless steel boil pot with a spigot installed for $40 more?

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Sho...y-Fryer-with-Spigot/product/10211714/-1631023

Bypassing the timer takes less than 5 minutes and a single wire nut. I use it, it can get a boil going in no time but I tend to bring it up slower so I don't burn a bunch of wort on the bottom of the pan.

I have a couple of 30k btu burners but they are for camping now.

Upgraded to a couple of 58k burners and it's a huge difference. Picked mine up at BiMart for 29 bucks. I bet I cut close to an hour off of my brewday by doing so and have a much more consistent rolling boil with a lot more control over it.

FWIW, I don't know anyone who's used the SQ-14 (~$50, can buy at Depot or on Amazon) who doesn't love it. You could always be the first, but I think the odds are pretty strongly in your favor. It's powerful, clean-burning, built pretty strong (stronger than it looks), pretty efficient in its propane usage. Flame's easy to control, so you can dial it back on your boil (save gas) or use it on a decoction mash, if that's your thing.

the_bird said:

Forget the BTU ratings, they're garbage. I had a 210k-BTU "kick-a-banjo" burner and a 55k-BTU SQ14, and guess which one heats wort up faster?

Many people use turkey friers, although I know some people don't love the "jet" burners. Remember that the time to heat up oil tells you next to nothing about the time to heat up water or wort, oil's a lot easier to heat up.

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What the_bird said. BTU ratings are ambiguous at best. I've a couple of K-A-B burners. I'm certain I'm not getting anywhere near 210K BTU out of them. The main problem is the limitation imposed by the tanks most of us use. Even a full 20# tank will not allow the propane to pull off quick enough to push 210k or even close to that number. When the tank empties, the BTUs drop further.

Since I already have the KAB, I'm going to look into getting a larger tank. Were I to do it again, I'd probably get the SQ-14 or go electric and be done with it. Good luck in your decision.