Message from lanlord (balcony brewing)

[SHbrewing]

Hi Guys,

I have been brewing extract for a few years now, and decided to make the jump to all grain. So I emailed my condo building manager, to see if this was okay with them. I live in a city in the middle of downtown, so lots of steam during the winter months would cause attention.



This is what they had to say.

To be honest, I think it would be unsafe on the balcony. If you had heated the water, then in the transfer to inside, the container spilled and people were on the decks below, major injury could occur. However, that said, you are not able to store or operate the propane tank inside your apartment.

If you would like to wait for me to hear from the Fire department, I am happy to give you a firm answer then, but my gut tells me it is not safe.


Anyone else living in apartments/condos have this issue?

 

[theseeker4]

Hi Guys,

I have been brewing extract for a few years now, and decided to make the jump to all grain. So I emailed my condo building manager, to see if this was okay with them. I live in a city in the middle of downtown, so lots of steam during the winter months would cause attention.



This is what they had to say.

To be honest, I think it would be unsafe on the balcony. If you had heated the water, then in the transfer to inside, the container spilled and people were on the decks below, major injury could occur. However, that said, you are not able to store or operate the propane tank inside your apartment.

If you would like to wait for me to hear from the Fire department, I am happy to give you a firm answer then, but my gut tells me it is not safe.


Anyone else living in apartments/condos have this issue?

Personally, If I were restricted from brewing outside, I would just commit to doing 3 gallon batches on the stove top, and look into scaling up when I had the opportunity to move. No propane, and you still get a decent amount of beer out of each batch. Or, if you have the electrical capacity to do so, you could look into boosting stove top brewing with an electric element, and do full size 5 gallon batches inside. Good luck!

 

[mb82]

Or build a 120volt electric system. Mine uses two different plugs that are on different lines so I can run 3.2K watts and do 5 gal batches. I understand the landlords concerns. Similar ones were expressed to me when I moved into my current place.

 

[JonM]

You can be assured that the fire department will tell you that boiling liquid on a balcony with neighbors below is not safe. Is there someplace on the grounds where you can brew at ground level?

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, many state fire codes disallow the use of gas-fired appliances on upper story decks/balconies in multi-family dwellings, so this plan technically wouldn't fly regardless of the building policy...

Cheers!

 

[wilserbrewer]

I would brew indoors in your kitchen. Either small batch stovetop, or large batches with an e-kettle.

Brew hardware's Hot Rod heatstick is a great tool to supplement your stove, or boil alone with enough watts.

While most here build elaborate electric systems, it can be done simply and inexpensively as well.

JMO, hauling water and equipment to the balcony to use a propane burner sounds like a hassle compared to brewing indoors at the kitchen sink....

 

[Pappers_]

I live in an apartment in the city, downtown Chicago, and room is limited. I am a member of a homebrew club and we have built and maintain our own brewhouse, which club members share.

If I were brewing in my home, though, I would look into the Grainfather system or something like it. You can see it in the forum's list of sponsors here https://www.homebrewtalk.com/sponsors/ Looks slick.

Sorry about your landlord being difficult. Its always hard to know whether to ask permission first or forgiveness later.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Its always hard to know whether to ask permission first or forgiveness later.

Not when your 99% sure you're not going to like the answer to your question. lol

Accidents happen, when using a propane burner it's kinda nice to have a little room to back away quickly...how does one "jump back jack" on a 10th floor balcony.

Brew inside, I think you will be much happier in the long run.

 

[Pappers_]

Not when your 99% sure you're not going to like the answer to your question. lol

Accidents happen, when using a propane burner it's kinda nice to have a little room to back away quickly...how does one "jump back jack" on a 10th floor balcony.

Brew inside, I think you will be much happier in the long run.

You're right of course. And now that the question's been asked and answered by the landlord, there is no other choice.

Whether it is actually safe to brew on a porch depends on a lot of factors - a lot of the porches here on converted industrial buildings are metal, for example and I wouldn't worry as much about it. I was more commenting on human nature than the actual safety concern. I agree, in his situation, at this point, he can't brew on his porch.

 

[Epimetheus]

You can be assured that the fire department will tell you that boiling liquid on a balcony with neighbors below is not safe. Is there someplace on the grounds where you can brew at ground level?

'zactly what I was thinking. But then I read the electric brewing suggestions and they are much better for apartment living. If you are outside on the ground floor there are kids, and worse, the curious can-I-poke-at-that adults.


There are many ways to get around the limitations of electric stove top brewing - here are a few

• as suggested, 3 gallon batches. Perfect for 1 case at a time.
• A helper heater stick. (I now use a 1200W stick on a 15A circuit plus the stovetop)
• Patience. I started with 4 gal on the electric stovetop, mashed and boiled, then diluted to 5 gal. It took 45 min to reach a boil, covered.

 

[Sailingeric]

I own a house with a nice big deck but I still brew on the ground away from the house just in case the deck gets to hot from my burner or should I have a boil over or spill it will just be in dirt and not on the deck. Brew at ground level and if you have split the batch to get it up the stairs still better than not brewing at all.

 

[ArcaneXor]

You could look into getting a Grainfather or build your own electric brewing system.

 

[unionrdr]

I was doing 2.5 to 3.5 gallon boils on a GE stove that was like 3,200w or so. Our new Frigidaire is 3,600W induction smooth top. either way, a 3 gallon partial boil would be fine to make 5 gallon batches. you are not restricted completely, just because you'll likely be on the stove. Partial boil should work fine. I do pb/pm biab as well.

 

[beergolf]

Depends on the stove you have but you could also do full boil all grain in the kitchen. Just split the boil between two pots. I have done that at times when I wanted to brew and the weather was really bad. Works just fine.

 

[chickypad]

Given the number of wort spills I've had over the years I actually don't think it's unreasonable to not allow you to brew with balconies below regardless of laws, but I'm surprised the landlord seems to allow propane at all on balconies. Here is a summary of CA fire code:

- No open-flame cooking devices are allowed on combustible decks, patios, etc. or within 10 feet of structures.
- The one exception to the rule is apartments that have automatic sprinkler systems on the deck or balcony.
- If your apartment does have automatic sprinkler systems, you still can’t have a gas grill with a propane tank larger than one pound gas capacity.

 

[max384]

If I were the landlord, I wouldn't allow that either. If he gave you permission, and there were a spill and injuries, it would be him that would be liable for damages. It sucks, but I can't blame him.

I'd go with a cheap electric setup, or just stick with extract if I were you.

 

[SHbrewing]

Thank you all for your feedback!


Much appreciated

 

[Jim_Holmes]

i just did a full 7gallon 90 minute boil Biab on my electric stove last night due to weather outside it takes longer to boil but it can be done, so your not really limited you just have to find your way to do it

 

[MilkyLicker]

I did 5g batches stovetop for 3 years. Worked fine.

 

[moreb33rplz]

I only do 5gal stove top batches. I have a gas stove, and it makes a mess, but the beer is tasty.

 

[rawlus]

code where i live disallows propane on balconies. i have a grainfather and brew in the kitchen in a 3rd floor condo no problems - bathroom fan takes care of any abundance of moisture.
have not considered brewing outdoors.

 

[Spartan1979]

One solution would be to find someone to brew with that doesn't live in an apartment and is willing to split batches.

 

[RM-MN]

code where i live disallows propane on balconies. i have a grainfather and brew in the kitchen in a 3rd floor condo no problems - bathroom fan takes care of any abundance of moisture.
have not considered brewing outdoors.

Code everywhere disallows bringing a propane tank indoors so even bringing the tank to your balcony would be against the law. The only way around that would be to haul it up with a rope.

 

[harleybug88]

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ0up_MjsLk&feature=player_embedded#t=1[/ame]
What Tyrone Green would say about it.

 

[unionrdr]

...or SNL's Mr robinson's Neighborhood...