Is it possible to beef up the burner?

[MN_Jay]

My crappy LP burner now can barely boil 6.5 gallons, by barely I mean sometimes it doesn't even look like it's boiling. Is there something I can do, like buy a different regulator, that can get a little more juice out of this thing. I've played with the air restrictor and it seems that wide open gets me the bluest and biggest flame.

I should have known better than to buy something from Menards, but what's done is done I guess.

 

[beerocd]

My crappy LP burner now can barely boil 6.5 gallons,
.

I just looked up the price of replacement regulators; looks like you'd do well to buy another burner setup.
$20-30 just for the reg and hose, I'm guessing you need at least 15 PSI. I have two burners, one 10 and one 15. The ten would only be good for keeping mash temps. The 15 will give a violent boil.
This way you'll have one for MLT one for BK.

Or, if you JUST got it from Menards - return it and tell em its CR4P!

-OCD

 

[samc]

I have a 5 psi regulator that I don't use for beer anymore but it will easily boil 6.5 gallons so any reg you get that is 5 or higher will do the trick. Check what regulator psi you are running. Also make sure your tank safety valve is not coming on because you are opening the valve too fast.

 

[beerocd]

So if 5psi will work, then he's got a low pressure, non-adjustable maybe ?

(But my 10psi still sucks.)

-OCD

 

[Xakk]

I went from a 10psi to a 20psi regulator and it made all the difference in the world. It used to take me upwards of 40 minutes to bring 7 gallons of wort to what could barely be called a boil. My last batch was at a full rolling boil 8 minutes after my last runnings hit the pot, and came damned close to boiling over.

The problem I kept running into is that none of the turkey fryers I was looking at would tell me what the pressure was on their regulator, only that they came with a "high pressure" one. Which generally turned out to be 10psi.

Anyway. I went this route.

Propane Regulator Kits, Stainless Steel 20 PSI Propane Regulator Kit

 

[MN_Jay]

That's exactly my problem, I have no idea what PSI it is - even if I turn it all the way to high (which I do), it still takes 40 minutes to get 4 gallons of water to 185 degrees

 

[Icewalker]

In all seriousness though - you should consider yourself lucky. I'm trying to do the same job on my wifes' electric cooktop .... that brings a new definition to the phrase inefficient. I swear my beard must grow at least an inch every time I brew.

Does anyone make a large version of something similar to the 'jetboil' camping pot? Making more efficient use of the heat available .....