Help with Indoor NG setup

My use of the kitchen for my all-grain brews is becoming a nuisance. I do 5 gallon batches and would really appreciate some help getting an simple, economical plan together for brewing out of my basement.

We already have gas run to the basement (1/2" black iron pipe) for a dryer that is not used. I would prefer a safe, simple indoor set-up that is, of course, as cheap as possible (a hard sell otherwise).

I read through some posts of burner set-ups by Yuri and others but I am unsure of the BTU's I need for 8-9 gallons of wort (pre-boil). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

I find that a 20,000 BTU burner is sufficient. There are cast-iron burners available in this range that run quietly and that will work off a standard 7" w.c. natural gas line. For comparison, a typical kitchen stove burner is 7,000-11,000 BTU.

Can you suggest some sources? I cannot find any when digging around, especially any mounted in a stand. Thanks again.

The one I have was originally propane, and came from a homebrew supply store. They sold me a replacement orfice for it for converting it to natural gas. Then we moved to a house that had propane so I've converted it back. Lehman's has one that can be converted: Lehman's - Products for Simple, Self-sufficient Living

You could also get something like this and have your gas co. drill out the orfice for you:

Low Pressure Gas Burner & Stove 1 Burner : BBQ Guys

The conversion from propane involves drilling out the orfice slightly and adjusting the air shutter. Some gas cos. will do this for a nominal charge, some will not.

Or here's a pair on amazon:
Amazon.com: Camp Chef NGKIT Natural Gas Conversion Kit: Patio, Lawn & Garden
Amazon.com: Camp Chef Sportsman Series SL-30L Single Burner Low pressure Cooking System with Detachable legs and Round top, Black: Patio, Lawn & Garden


The Natural Gas kits from Amazon and Lehmans include a hose and disconnect which is what drives up the price.

you might be able to take a salvaged water heater burner from a dead water heater, and a gas valve salvaged from either the same water heater or from a furnace or simply adapt down to connect directly into the burner... hell i think i have a couple just sitting around and a gas vavlue with it... PM me if your interested, we can work somthing out... then you need to build a burner stand for your pot... a regular water heater burner is 40,000 Btu and will boil 10gallons in less then 30 mins, you should be able to hook directtly from your 1/2 drop for your dryer with out a problem with a flexiable connector and a simple 1/2 brass gas valve (both avaible at your local lowes or Home Depot), you can also adjust the 1/2 brass valve to control the flame on the water heater (not perfectly but it should allow you some control...

other then this there are pros for useing a water heater burner.... with adaquate air and natral gas pressue you get 40,000 btu's and no CO (the most common ehxaust gas with a modern low effenciety burner is NOX which inst good but if you have a exhaust hood or can rig one up some how youll be good to go) You should have the pots and other stuff... im not sure what else youd need... I just had a ass kicken idea... PM me later i have an idea for you

cheers

Thanks for all the replies. All basement schemes have been rejected. Looks like I'm headed to the deck. Shouldn't be so bad. The dog will love it. I'll just have to be careful to keep the frisbees out of my brew.

I want to brew in the basement as well. My girlfriend would never allow me to play with the gas. I think I am going to go with heat sticks. I am still reading up on them right now.

My plan is to have a bar that has a window behind it. When you look through the window you see the brew room. Ideally the fermentors will be on a shelf on the other side of the glass.

You do have to be careful with gas because you can in fact blow yourself up. That said, it isn't that hard to do right, albeit something you want to do early in the day before you have a homebrew.

You could always look into finding a used (or new depending on your budget) gas range top. You could pick up a new GE one for about $500. I'm sure there are others that are cheaper.

http://http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=SPECPAGE&SKU=JGP328BEKBB&SITEID=GEA&TABID=2

Build a nice table for it near a window in the basement and install a little range hood for the moisture. I think it would work good.