!!!???What's the BEST propane burner???!!!

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

yeqmaster

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2007
Messages
183
Reaction score
3
Location
Oakland, CA
Hello. After a couple years of stove top brewing dealing with the terrors of boil-overs, I have decided to bump up to a propane burner that I can either use in my garage or outdoors. (If the garage door is open will the ventilation be sufficient?) I have been looking around and found some that I though looked pretty good. I just missed out on a craigslist burner that the guy was selling for $10 and looked perfect... o well... Here are a couple that I am looking at;

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000291GBQ/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009JXYQ4/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

How would you say that these two compare? I have a 40 quart kettle and plan on eventually going even larger... maybe a keggle in the future. Anyways, I need something that will provide a steady and solid amount of heat. Oh and did I mention, as cheap as possible... Any suggestions?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I can't speak to the two burners as I've never used them. But I can address your first question. I do all my brewing in my garage with the door open. I find it provides great ventalation, keeps me out of the sun, and in from any rain or snow. And it cuts down on wind, which is nice.
 
Either will work, but if it were me, I'd opt for the second unit (SQ14). Sturdier base and a nice banjo-style burnier. If you do a search on the model #s, you should get a lot of different results posted.
 
I used the SQ14 and it works for 11gal batches in a keggle. Very sturdy, but it does take a while to get 14gal boiling.
 
Yeqmaster - I know your dilemma. You probably searched and searched and all you got was dozens of everybody's opinions and that these *** different models were fine for *** different people with a other people coming in and agreeing without ever seeing a kind of consensus.

I still don't know which one I am going to get. Probably the 1st decent one that I can find locally. Sorry not to be any help.:eek:
 
I like this monster.
DSCF0310.jpg
[/IMG]
 
Thanks for the help... is the one pictured above custom built or can you actually purchase these somewhere? Is that a 10" diameter burner?
 
Its a bayou burner with 210,000 BTU

Its what I use, dont spend money on a burner then late wish you had a bigger one for 10g brews. Trust me
 
It's actually rather simple.

1.) Compare btu's and get the most btu's you can for what you are looking to spend. The more heat it can generate, the faster you will get to a boil.

2.) Compare stands/bases. How comfortable would you be with the burner base stand when you consider it will be holding potentially 200+ pounds of 212*F liquid? (5 gal water = ~80lb *3 = 240 + ~30lb keg = 300lbs.....)
 
I just ordered the top one a few days ago. The legs look ok, but if I get nervous, I have access to a welder so they should be easy to strengthen.
 
I have the top one, and the legs are very sturdy. A 200lb person can stand on it, and it doesn't really bend or feel like it's going to break on you. Does take a while to get a boil going, but that may just be my air/fuel mixture needing an adjustment.
 
Either will work, but if it were me, I'd opt for the second unit (SQ14). Sturdier base and a nice banjo-style burnier. If you do a search on the model #s, you should get a lot of different results posted.

+1 on all points. That is the one I am looking to buy as well.
 
A gallon of water is about 8.3 pounds... Still a lot of weight to consider, regardless.
 
Thanks everyone!!!

I just ordered the top one a few days ago. The legs look ok, but if I get nervous, I have access to a welder so they should be easy to strengthen.

Do you mean the one picture above or the top link that I originally posted?
 
I'll put a vote in for the Bayou Classic KAB4. I bought it a year ago and have had no problems.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
i just bought this one,

http://www.amazon.com/Bayou-Classic-DB350-Outdoor-Extension/dp/B0009JXYPA/ref=pd_sbs_ol_1

i havent had a chance to make a brew on it yet, due to buying a new house (read ZERO time) LOL. So far ive been real happy with it, there was only a couple of things that i dislike about it. The little tables on the side, just slide on with these little upside down U's. Not real strong in my opinion. I took the tables and layed them on top of the burners and then purchased some beef gate hinges and welded them to the side, so they fold out but when storage is needed can be layed on top of the burner area. I also plan on reinforcing the leg area to stiffen the legs and just get less wobbles from the stand. It isnt too bad but i would like it to be a bit less wobbly.

other than that i have no real complains with the system. And it was relatively cheap, i also like the face i can slap a griddle on it and cook some mass bacon LOL
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Back
Top