Porcelianized Steel pot

[dpolug]

I have found a large 30qt porcellinaized steel pot for what seems like a good price. Is this a brewable pot?

 

[Yooper]

porcelianized? Like a coating? It should be fine as long as there isn't any chips in it with bare metal (rust) poking through.

 

[dpolug]

Looks that way. I can't see a brand name or anything. It is a post on craigs list. From what it says it is a 30qt porcelianized steel pot with a 170,000 BTU burner. Its just a large black pot.

 

[Yooper]

Looks that way. I can't see a brand name or anything. It is a post on craigs list. From what it says it is a 30qt porcelianized steel pot with a 170,000 BTU burner. Its just a large black pot.

As long as the coating isnt' chipped, that's great!

 

[mnadamn]

I am kinda curious... What are the ill effects of the chipped coating and can it be repaired? I have come across 3 8 gal pots like this and one has chips in it

 

[surfbrewer]

Like Yooper said, RUST. When I first started that is the type of pot that I used. They are sometimes called canning pots and are the same thing as some camping gear. They work fine, as long as the porcelain is intact, otherwise they can impart off flavors due to the contact with the metal.

 

[mnadamn]

This i figured... but is there a possibility of "filling" this chip?

 

[Gregredic]

This i figured... but is there a possibility of "filling" this chip?

I wouldn't even begin to think about trying to fix a chip. If there is a chip, you will definitely expierence a metalic taste in your brew.

 

[surfbrewer]

I agree with Gregredic that it is a bad idea to file one of these down. If nothing else, it seems like a waste of time due to the relatively inexpensive cost of buying a new one, IMO.

 

[dpolug]

Thanks! The shoe string budget I'm working with will allow the $35 for a kettle and a burner. I figured it was to good of a deal to work out. Especialy since it is new.

 

[dpolug]

Is the 170,000 BTU Burner overkill? I'm still setting up for my first extract brew

 

[surfbrewer]

I think you will probably have to be somewhat careful with how much heat you apply to that type of pot. It will take quite a bit and should work fine for you but those pots aren't usually very thick.

Cheers

 

[dpolug]

So now, I test boiled this thing.
It took me an hour to get it up to a full boil.
I started at a low setting, then inched it up each time the thermometer stopped moving.

But now I have a few more questions:

1. You were correct in that it is a thin pot. Can a do a full burn just as I put the pot on or should I increase incrementally?
2. What is a reasonable amount of time to get 5 gallons boiling with a pot such as this?

 

[EvilTOJ]

I would do a full burn as soon as it's on the pot. I don't know about the amount of time it'll take to get to a full boil, but that usually depends more on the heat from the burner, not the thickness of the pot.

 

[dpolug]

I have to admit.... My experience level is pretty apparent especially when I look back at the first post and I refer to this 30qt pot as “big.”
Some of the setups people have,( 55 gallon kettles) are hard to grasp for a novice such as myself!

 

[surfbrewer]

Yeah an hour to bring 5 gallons to boil is a long time. Once you get some liquid in the bottom of the pot start your flame and heat it as you are filling the pot. Also, just go with a high flame from the beginning instead of inching it up. All i meant before was that you will want to keep an eye on the metal over time.

Cheers