KAB4 and how to use it

So, i just got done with my second full boil using my KAB4 and i'm still not comfortable with it.

I don't really have any experience with burners like this and i can't seem to get my airflow mix right.

I don't know if it's wind that is effecting my flame or what, but i'll get it boiling and then a second later it has stopped. I also can't seem to dial back the amount of gas i'm using after i get it to a boil.

I'll try to describe my regulator and mixture settings. The regulator seems to work best if it's open to where the know is inline with the hose to the burner (make sense?) so around half way open.

The air mixture is opened just under half way (so it's letting in half the air possible). These two things seem to cause the flames to show blue right near the tips and if i give it more air the flame seems to move up close to the pot but went out a few times if i went too far.

What should i be looking for with my flame? I think it took mean around an hour to bring 6.5 gallons to a boil (2.5 gallons was warmed during mash and the rest was room temp). DOes that seem normal or am i not cranking the 210K BTUs enough?

I am trying not to burn through gas too quickly, but i also want to make sure i'm getting the most BTUs from the propane as i can.

THanks for any help.

I have the same burner with 30psi regulator. Wind will effect any open burner like this so minimize drafts by brewing when it is not windy, or by forming some flashing metal around the burner, or brew inside or in a garage.

I noticed it was not getting enough primary air and drilled out the mixed face with two 3/8" holes (so it looks like a smiley face). There are ports in the burner casting on the top and bottom. Burns much cleaner and more efficiently now. If you cut/drill out too much you can always slide it more to closed. The burner should not deposit any soot on your kettle in draft-free conditions.

The burner used to hold a boil well at the "straight" setting you described but as it has aged it seems better a little more closed than that, probably due to the valve loostening a bit. At that setting your input more like 50k btu/h or less. I never run it wide open because the flames just roll out and that energy is wasted. The burner is a bit overkill and the range we are adjusting is near the minimum.

If you feel uneasy enough with it you could try a 20 or even 10 psi regulator.

I've thought about changing to a smaller regulator, but i hate the idea of dropping money without seeing if i can figure this one out. Course, much more propane and i'll have to since the 30 PSI one EATs the stuff.

What should i be looking for in my flames? I've noticed without enough air the flame is yellow and then blue at the tips. More air and the flame gets higher and clear near the tips and blue higher up. THis is also where i get the jet engine sound. It is also where the flame seems to blow itself out. I just don't know what is optimum and it's driving me crazy. I've had some soot on the bottom of the kettle, but i thought that was mostly from the paint getting burned off.

I think i'm going to have to find something to block the wind better. I have to brew on the back patio, so i'm exposed to the wind on three sides.

I'm still having the same issues with my burner. No matter what I do with the air intake thing I can't get a clean blue flame. I can get a bit of blue at the bottom, but that's about all.

You have to adjust both the valve and the air intake. once you dial it in it rocks.

I do have to switch out propane bottles as mine freeze mid way through the boil

chillHayze said:

I noticed it was not getting enough primary air and drilled out the mixed face with two 3/8" holes (so it looks like a smiley face). There are ports in the burner casting on the top and bottom. Burns much cleaner and more efficiently now. If you cut/drill out too much you can always slide it more to closed. The burner should not deposit any soot on your kettle in draft-free conditions.

Click to expand...

Well, don't I feel like a horse's ass. I have my air wide open and want more but never thought of modifying the apparatus. I'm normally the kind of guy who winds up modifying damn near everything. For some reason I just accepted that I was at the limit of air that it could draw. Thanks for the tip, chill.

MikeFlynn74 said:

You have to adjust both the valve and the air intake. once you dial it in it rocks.

I do have to switch out propane bottles as mine freeze mid way through the boil

Click to expand...

Yeah, i know the right combo is somewhere in there, but the balance of the two still eludes me. I assume it has to do with each burner and each location, but any help as to what works for you would be great.

Also, what kind of flame do you achieve? Blue, clear, etc.

I look for a flame that has no yellow in it at all. Yellow flame and soot is incomplete combustion. The black stuff is unburnt fuel sticking to your pot.

Blue flame with a light yellow tip. Thats the optimum setting

I have my burner sitting on two cinder blocks to give the whole setup a bit more height (don't worry, it's very stable as they are sitting on the side and not the ends).

Anyone have a suggestion on what would work for blocking the wind? I was thinking i could take some sheet aluminum and wrap it around the blocks. This way it would be big enough to not allow air underneath the burner and would give my megapot plenty of room. Any other suggestions?

you will be fine Just make sure its blocking any wind. It will get enough 02