Cracked my stovetop

[Calistar]

Well, the brewing itself went great for my first try (Irish red Ale extract kit from Northern Brewer). However as the wort was sitting in the ice bath we heard a loud crack, thinking it was ice we proceeded talking and enjoying drinks. I don't think it was the weight, I think the condensation which built up dripped on the hot stove causing the crack. My fan couldn't keep up.
When my wife returned she pointed out a large crack in our glass stovetop. Brewing just became a bit more expensive....
I will likely be purchasing a burner for the next brew, I'm not gonna take this chance again with the new stove.
Rob

 

[ncbrewer]

I haven't heard of that happening before - really a drag. I hope others with a glass stovetop read this. And welcome to the forum.

 

[GilSwillBasementBrews]

I never had issues on my stove. The only question that comes to mind is how did your pot sitting in an ice bath cause your stovetop to crack? Wouldn't the ice bath be done in the sink? Not sure I understand your methodology here. Been a long day so probably just me but I don't get it????

 

[canehdianman]

Definitely don't be doing your icebath on the stove.

Thermodynamics are a mother f*****.

 

[kh54s10]

I never had issues on my stove. The only question that comes to mind is how did your pot sitting in an ice bath cause your stovetop to crack? Wouldn't the ice bath be done in the sink? Not sure I understand your methodology here. Been a long day so probably just me but I don't get it????

He only said that it was while the wort was in the ice bath that they heard the crack.

 

[Calistar]

Yeah, sorry for the miscommunication. The wort was chilling in an ice bath in the sink. When we heard the crack we figured it was just ice cracking, and didn't see the crack in the stove right away.
I can only theorize that the condensation that collected on the range hood dripped onto the hot stove and caused the crack.

 

[The_Bishop]

You may be able to replace just the stove top, instead of the whole stove.

 

[phil74501]

You may be able to replace just the stove top, instead of the whole stove.

You can. I'm not saying it will be cheap, but cheaper than buying an entirely new stove. Find the make and model number and google it. I watched a friend do one once. You just unplug and plug in, it's not that difficult. I would unplug the stove first though.

 

[tgmartin000]

That blows! Brewing outside is the way to go, though.

 

[Calistar]

any recommendations for a burner setup? I'm already calling this my Thousand Dollar Ale because of the broken stove

 

[Brownalemikie]

Amazing......how close is your sink to the stove? I will say that glass does break for no reason. We had a 30 gallon aquarium that cracked while we were in the same room watching tv. All of a sudden water was all over the place.....what a mess. The glass cracked right down the middle of the pane.

 

[TX_Brewing]

Glass is funny like that, it could have just as easily cracked after the next time you fried eggs. Or maybe it has to do with the long heat soak time, but I have simmered soups on a stove for hours and not had an issue. Bummer, but stuff happens in life, and it is likely the stove would have cracked anyway.

As for burner recommendations... I assum you mean propane? For that I will recommend blichmann, if you are on a tighter budget there is the bayou classic, and I haven't seen the price but the new anvil burner looks nice. Even cheaper, go to a local sporting goods store and get a turkey fried burner (just don't get the jet type) which can be had for about $30 here in Houston.

 

[benco]

Another one here for blichmann.

 

[JonM]

Another vote for Blichmann. I really like how the kettle sits directly on the legs, which is really stable. Add the leg extensions, and the kettle valve is at the perfect height to drain into a fermenter by gravity alone.

 

[JonM]

And Northern Brewer is having a $99 kettle/simple burner combo deal right now.

 

[littletommy]

If you have a scratch and dent appliance dealer anywhere near you, it may be well worth a visit to see if the have either a top, or the whole dang range to replace your broken one. We bought a glass top drop in range at a local scratch and dent shop for less than what a new top alone would have cost, I'm talking a $2600 range for under a grand, and the only thing wrong with it was one of the diagonal braces on the back was loose and twisted.

 

[LBussy]

Blichmann. Full stop.

 

[applescrap]

Damn that sucks, fear of that with our new stove, led me outside. I wish I would have kept old stove and brewed in the garage. Anyways I didnt have 220 in garage so that was out. I tried Blichman, used it 2x and didn't like it and sold it. It's not that I didn't like the blichmann burner, I didn't like using propane. I'm certain though, that I wasn't using it right. Others have had far better results. So I paid the money for the electric and realized after I spent plenty of money, why didn't I just give that damn burner a chance. I guess my point is propane is really worth considering. It's cheaper up front and very durable. Electric can be inexpensive to if you use the right parts and have some skills but there will be a lag in time before you brew. Electric can also get very expensive. I have enjoyed the electric and my time was worth the extra money so I'm not too upset as I do believe it is faster. I can't believe I used to brew inside. I love being outside and making messes everywhere and laughing at the sky. Spraying sanatizer around like the Swedish Chef on The Muppets. Ok my 2 cents

 

[Sailingeric]

Had that happen at my old house. The wife and I had spent a couple weeks painting, doing a tile backslash, new kitchen sink and faucet, and had new flooring put in, the next day she was cooking dinner and POP, the glass top stove cracked. It can just happen.. a small mico crack or imperfection finally gives way after enough heating and cooling cycles. It may be cheaper or about the same price of just getting a new stove. We ended up getting a new one at Home Depot that was on sale for what it would have cost to get a glass top, if you can find one... depending on the age of the stove.

 

[Calistar]

I just got the email about the one one sale at NB. I will likely pick up that one so i will have a decent kettle as well. As far as the stove goes, its not terribly much more for a basic stove ($250 vs $500), so that is how we are going. Here in Central Virginia i will have plenty of time to brew outside.