Turkey fryer in garage?

[LoneTreeFarms]

I recently got a turkey fryer for Christmas and was looking at making a batch this weekend. It says not to use indoors but I'm assuming that this is when you're boiling hot oil? Do people use the fryers in the garage and just open a window or crack a door for ventilation? It's 10 degrees outside so I'd prefer to not be outside. Thanks.

 

[jaydog2314]

i brew all my batches in the garage, brewed one yesterday, yes i crack the side door and main door for ventilation/fresh air. i dress in layers b/c it gets cold but I also use a space heater and when I can I hang out inside (during mash, while cleaning). it's not too bad but I'm a cold weather person! DO NOT use the burner inside, without professional ventilation it is dangerous. Enjoy your brew day.

 

[NivekD]

Brewin' in the garage with propane is fine as long as you have good ventilation...go for it.

 

[MindenMan]

I too use my turkey fryer setup in my garage for making beer. The "Do not use indoors" warning is specifically for deep frying. If the pot boils over full of hot oil, say goodbye to your house. If it was hazardous to boil in a garage/carport, no one would be doing it. If your wort boils over it will put the fire out, not accelerate it. This only my opinion, and do not suggest this is a safe action for anyone to use. (disclaimer)

 

[N3Bruce]

If it is propane powered, keep it outside or at least in a garage with the door open, and some cross ventilation, a leak or a flame out could fill your house with gas, or cause a buildup of CO and CO2 that will suffocate you. If you have a garage or shed, keep the door open and make sure there is cross ventilation.

For wintertime brewing I have an electric turkey fryer modified with extra insulation that can heat 6 gallons of water, but it takes a while to heat it. I start with hot tap water at 130 degrees, bring it to 190-195 degrees, then pump it into my HLT cooler for sparging. For mashing in, I repeat the process, and heat the hot tap water to strike temperature, then at sparge time I add my stored hot water with a gravity feed system. It takes longer, but I can do it safely in the relative comfort of my basement.

 

[thatjonguy]

Do it safe. Ventilation and a CO detector. The one in my garage shows PPM of CO when I have my space heater going.

Keep the frying outside. It makes a mess and stinks up the garage.

 

[LoneTreeFarms]

thanks everyone for the feedback. i actually plan on doing some brewing this weekend.

 

[bbohanon]

I too use my turkey fryer setup in my garage for making beer. The "Do not use indoors" warning is specifically for deep frying. If the pot boils over full of hot oil, say goodbye to your house. If it was hazardous to boil in a garage/carport, no one would be doing it. If your wort boils over it will put the fire out, not accelerate it. This only my opinion, and do not suggest this is a safe action for anyone to use. (disclaimer)

+1 on this coming from a turkey frying background as well as a beer brewing background.
I too brew in my garage with the bayou classic turkey fryer burner.
Ventilate by cracking the garage door about 12 inches and I am down and away.

 

[Joe13]

i use one all the time. I open one door about 3 feet and place the burner near that opening. It's close enough to feed on air from outside, and the burner helps keep the cold out.

 

[b-boy]

I have a CO detector in the garage, I crack my garage door about 6 inches, and I have a rear entry door with a sliding window that I open to get a cross flow of air.

The only issue I've had is that my garage door opener stops working after I brew. I have to unplug it and plug it back in. I think it has to do with the steam coming off the pot.

 

[solbes]

I have open soffits in my garage, plus the roof vents. In the winter, snow build up usually keeps about a 1/2" gap on the bottom of the door. That seems to be good enough to keep it vented. I've done 15-20 batches this way and never a stray headache. A CO detector is smart, maybe I should check with it sometime.