propane burner useage on wood deck?

It sounds like a fire waiting to happen, but does anyone do this? I just picked up the Bayou Classic ($40 one) because the electric stove in my new apartment couldnt heat a large (4 gal) volume of water past 150. I have a big wood deck (about 12x12) right outside my door which would be the most convenient place to do it, but i dont want to go burning the apartment building im in down. Could i put a piece of metal under it to deflect the heat?

the only other place would be in the grass way out back, but going up a flight of stairs with hot wort sounds like another accident waiting to happen. thanks in advance for any advice.

I think you're OK, but alot of those Apt. Management companies are really anal about thinks like that. I'd venture a guess that more fires are caused by smoking than by cooking on your deck.

Most fires with these burners are caused by either the burner being knocked over, or by the hot oil (when used as a turkey frier) boiling over and turning into a fireball.

There's relatively little heat radiated downwards, and a moderate amount laterally. I'd worry more about your landlord having rules against use of propane devices.

I have used my propane burner to boil wort on my wood deck literally dozens of times without incident. Wood is composed of 79% combustibles and 21% water. First, the water boils off, then at 450°F the wood particles begin evolving volatiles. Carbon ignites between 765°F and 1115°F the volatiles, which include hydrogen, Methane, Ethylene, Ethane, Benzene and Carbon Monoxide ignite within a range of 1000°F to 1300°F.

So unless you are going to have the burner facing upside down and in direct contact with the deck, I don't think you have anything to worry about.

That does not mean that it is not important to use caution. If you are really concerned, keep the wood directly under the burner wet, and having a fire extinguisher handy is always a good idea.

John

Wondering if buying a piece of concrete backer board to place under the burner might not be a bad idea. SWMBO's old roommate had a piece of asbestos board that she used for this purpose, doubt you can still buy that these days.

I have my 3 tier system setup on my deck. Someone told me i should have a fire extingisher around, but i still haven't even done that yet. I have had no problems. The deck below, and the wall that it leans on don't really get hot even.

I wouldnt worry about the burner on your deck UNLESS you are using it with oil. heat rises therefor the amount of heat actually getting to your deck is minimal. Like said above the reason you see fires with these things is people are either retarded and put it to close (laterally) to combustables OR from spills and splatter. I have yet to see wort catch on fire . . . yeah I tried . . . It's a fireman thing.

Would a cement board wouldnt be a bad idea but I think it would probably be unneeded. I think the most the cement board would do for you is catch the spills you do have so you dont end up with a discolored sticky spot on your deck.

Then again you live in Chicago . . . if your last name is O'Leary I would take all the precautions you can . . . O'Learys tend to get a bad rap down there in the flat lands . . . and dont brew near your cow . . . and if ya see a one legged guy named Sullivan kick his ass . . .

lol pumbaa. Thanks for the advice guys, I just saw all the warnings in the burner manual and figured I should double check. So if the landlord is uneasy about it i'll put a cement board underneath.

You could always do what I did and that's get a large oil catch pan (looks like a giant cookie sheet) from Auto Zone or Advance Auto Parts. I brew in my shed (plywood floor) and I got it to catch any boil overs or other spills, you could get one to serve for both purposes.

Since I got married, SWMBO keeps fire extinguishers close by for all of my projects. My profile title says it all...

What precautions would you take to put your BBQ there? Trust me, people have BBQ'ed on wooden decks- at least once.

the_bird said:

... a piece of concrete backer board to place under the burner...

Click to expand...

If you're worried about it, I second this notion. $11 for a 3'x5' piece of concrete board to put under the burner sounds well worth it for the peace of mind.

well, I did 2 batches back to back this weekend, and there were no heat issues under the burner. Of course the second i get everything set up to start boiling the wort the landlord walks by, and got freaked out when he thought it was a pot full of oil for deep frying. He gave me a sideways look when I told him i was brewing, so I gave him a beer and it was smooth sailing since then.

and good god, it goes so much quicker on the burner then it ever did on my old gas stove. :rockin:

Odds are it is against the apt. rules but who really cares?

I second the fire extinguisher. You should have at least one in the kitchen anyways!

casebrew said:

What precautions would you take to put your BBQ there? Trust me, people have BBQ'ed on wooden decks- at least once.

Click to expand...

The deck will most likely suffer no damage.

Your analogy isn't that great though. The burners for a propane burner are a LOT closer to the wood than those on a gas grill. If the grill is going to damage the wood, it's likely stains coming from grease dripping from either a full, misaligned or missing grease trap.

Yuri_Rage said:

Since I got married, SWMBO keeps fire extinguishers close by for all of my projects. My profile title says it all...

Click to expand...

Tim Allen clone? So, you're woefully unfunny; you like to grunt like an ape in an attempt to get laughs, but you just come off looking like a comically inept retard; you think it's clever to attach a V-8 to everything you see, in yet another attempt to get cheap laughs, but instead, it just makes everyone want to change the channel because it's the same lame gag all over again. And when it all fails, you resort to making hideously awful motion pictures.

Or did you just mean "accident-prone"?

I don't think you would be in any danger, but like some have said in this thread, yourl landlord might have some policy against it. Best to check into it first.

Also some state/city/county ordinances may have something prohibiting this. A buddy of mine moved into an apartment in Waukesha, WI and the landlord stated that there is a state ordinance against grilling on a wooden deck. Then again, that was 10 years ago, so things may be different now.

I'd keep a fire extinguisher handy and keep an eye on it but I think you will be just fine.

Evan! said:

Tim Allen clone?

Click to expand...

...off the top rope...of sarcasm...

So, you're woefully unfunny
perhaps...

you like to grunt like an ape
so?

you just come off looking like a comically inept retard
comically inept? probably
retard? ...only after too much homebrew

you think it's clever to attach a V-8 to everything you see
clever, no...fun, yes!

And when it all fails, you resort to making hideously awful motion pictures.
no, all of my movies feature only the best 70's funk soundtracks, and I, too, think plots are over-rated

Or did you just mean "accident-prone"?
that and "more power" kinda embodies my projects...

The horror stories in regards to burners are from boil overs while frying turkeys. Many wooden decks caught fire from the combustable hot oil! A wort boil over will not catch fire, and I would not worry about it.

Use a spray bottle filled with water to knock down the foam done!

I even have a sheild to protect the flame from the wind, which you would think would divert some heat to the wooden deck, around the base of my burner. Haven't had an issue with too much heat on the deck yet.