Funkenjaeger
Well-Known Member
I've got a little 55k BTU turkey fryer propane burner. One of the cheap ones from walmart that comes with the 30qt aluminum pot. I don't know the brand/model but it's square and has 4 legs which are steel angle iron. It's not exactly built like a tank, though it's been sturdy enough for 5gal batches, but I'm thinking ahead to getting a keggle and doing 10g batches. In that case, I'd also prefer to chill it in place and then drain to fermenters via a valve, to avoid having to carry a full keg indoors.
This means I'm likely going to need to make the burner stand a little bit taller, probably 4 inches higher would be enough for siphoning into better bottles. So, I need to make it A) taller, B) stronger, and C) wider (to hold a keggle). In other words, scrap the whole thing except for the burner itself and the windscreen, and just build a whole new stand.
I've got a friend with a welder, and he can get me various types of steel tubing and other stock material. So I'm trying to think of just how this thing should be built. So far I've been looking at this design which is for a 3-keg brewing system:
http://hbd.org/mtippin/2tier.html
and it uses a bunch of smaller pieces of steel to support the burner. It seems like a workable design for my purposes. I may, however, have to add some additional thin steel support in the area directly over the burner, to support the flimsy aluminum turkey fryer pot which I will have to use in the mean time before I can finally acquire and convert a keg.
So basically, I've gathered that it should be about 17" wide, and have some manner of beams throughout the center area to support the keg. But does a keg need to be supported in the center or just supported on the ring around the edge? (is it weird that I'm a college student and haven't even seen a sanke keg up close in person?) if I only need to support a keggle around the edge, then I can just use thinner steel supports in the center to handle the aluminum turkey fryer pot, which should help minimize the amount of heat lost from the burner heating the stand.
Anyone got any advice? Anyone built a burner stand like this before? I know most of you who are willing to go to such lengths as to start welding up a custom burner stand are more likely to go one step further and just make complete 3-keg brewing system, but living in an apartment now that's just not a possibility for me.
This means I'm likely going to need to make the burner stand a little bit taller, probably 4 inches higher would be enough for siphoning into better bottles. So, I need to make it A) taller, B) stronger, and C) wider (to hold a keggle). In other words, scrap the whole thing except for the burner itself and the windscreen, and just build a whole new stand.
I've got a friend with a welder, and he can get me various types of steel tubing and other stock material. So I'm trying to think of just how this thing should be built. So far I've been looking at this design which is for a 3-keg brewing system:
http://hbd.org/mtippin/2tier.html
and it uses a bunch of smaller pieces of steel to support the burner. It seems like a workable design for my purposes. I may, however, have to add some additional thin steel support in the area directly over the burner, to support the flimsy aluminum turkey fryer pot which I will have to use in the mean time before I can finally acquire and convert a keg.
So basically, I've gathered that it should be about 17" wide, and have some manner of beams throughout the center area to support the keg. But does a keg need to be supported in the center or just supported on the ring around the edge? (is it weird that I'm a college student and haven't even seen a sanke keg up close in person?) if I only need to support a keggle around the edge, then I can just use thinner steel supports in the center to handle the aluminum turkey fryer pot, which should help minimize the amount of heat lost from the burner heating the stand.
Anyone got any advice? Anyone built a burner stand like this before? I know most of you who are willing to go to such lengths as to start welding up a custom burner stand are more likely to go one step further and just make complete 3-keg brewing system, but living in an apartment now that's just not a possibility for me.
