Where to safely use turkey fryer?

[fg12351]

Hey all,

I've got one extract brew under my belt and everything went great! Since we have a very crappy electric range the wife-unit bought a bayou classic and a 30 Qt. SS pot for my birthday. I'm gearing up to brew another extract kit this weekend and I want to use the fryer and do a full boil. I'm wondering where is the safe place to use this thing? It's got A LOT of disclaimers on it so I would prefer not to burn my self and/or the house down.

I know, not to use it in the house, we have wood deck out back but that doesn't seem safe either. The driveway? How far from the house should I be?

I assume the garage is off limits. I have a propane heater I have used in the garage before (with the tank outside).

I have lots of trees so I assume I don't want to be under them.

Thanks guys for the help in advance!

 

[Edcculus]

FWIW, those disclaimers are directed more toward someone using it to heat a pot full of oil and fry something like a turkey. Boiling wort (even 7 gallons) is a LOT less hazardous. If you tip, the worst that happens are burns to you. That and a very sticky mess. A spill while boiling wort will probably put out the burner anyways. Spilling hot oil can cause fires if you are on grass, a wooden deck etc.

Driveway is always a safe bet. Garage is fine as long as you have VERY good ventilation. Like the garage door all the way open. The danger is not in the tank exploding, but in build up of carbon monoxide in a closed space. Wood deck probably isn't the best...but hell, I've done it more than once.

 

[ekranzusch]

Wood deck is fine, I use mine in the garage all the time. It's important to wear shoes, wort burns when hot! It's also really important to have good ventilation. You're dealing with wort not fryer oil so your odds of burning things down with it are slim to none...

 

[fg12351]

Thanks guys, I was thinking the garage with the door open was the best bet and easier than in the driveway. Thanks!

 

[msa8967]

I use my fryer at the edge of garage at the start of the driveway with the door open. One thing to look at on your turkey fryer is to see if there is an automatic shutoff every 15 minutes. This is often done to prevent boilovers for oil. Just FYI ...Wouldn't want you to think there was a defect in your fryer if it has this option.

 

[mvdilts]

I agree with Edcculus and livErD69. Personally I have used my turkey fryer on my driveway and on a friend's wooden deck without issue.
One other thing to keep in mind for fryer placement is that it does kick out some heat so keep it away from combustible or meltable materials (e.g. vinyl siding, vinyl tubing, plastic buckets, etc). Happy brewing!

 

[android]

+1 to a ventilated garage. it's all i ever do. i like to shut the door just a tad, open the back door and turn on a fan. my neighbors are a tad too nosy when the door is all the way up. i'm still here.

 

[whatsleftofyou]

I even brew in the garage in the middle of Michigan Winter with the door open only maybe a foot. I keep the burner relatively close to the door for ventilation, and haven't died yet.

 

[JetSmooth]

I brew on my wooden deck with a "BBQ mat" underneath, just to deflect some of the heat and catch any spillage. Though I don't really think the heat is an issue.

 

[starrfish]

I brew under a tree, no problems with heat rising there. I put 4 12" paving stones under my brew pot just so I wouldn't have a problem with dry grass catching fire... although it doesn't seem to get too hot under burner. I am thinking about running a 12' x 18' tarp rain shelter like I do when I go camping, been rained out of brew day several times this summer. This is the only problem I've found with outdoor brewing.

 

[fatmoose]

I've got a window in my garage, I fired up my propane burner next to there with a box fan running during the cooler months. During the warmer months I've been just keeping the garage door open all the way with the fan running to get some circulation, I'm still standing. I've also brewed on my deck, it's not wood it's one of those composite materials that may or may not be composed of wood scrap product.

As Eddculus said most of those warnings are geared towards the used of the burner as a fryer which is a considerably more dangerous pursuit than boiling sugary water. Fire it up somewhere that is flat, stable and has decent ventilation.

 

[Homercidal]

Garage or driveway for me. I don't have a driveway in front of the garage yet, but if I did, I'd probably boil out there instead of inside in the warm months. I've brewed a few times inside the garage in the winter and it's been fine with the door open a foot or two.

 

[Diver165]

I'm probably going to be flamed big time over this... (pun intended)

But seriously, I don't need to turn my turkey fryer up that much to boil water. Honestly, the flame is relatively low. I cook with gas in the home. I have a 6 burner electrolux stove and I've had all 6 burners blasting away cooking say a holiday dinner. You would think all 6 burners of that stove going full out would produce more carbon monoxide than one turkey burner on say a medium setting.

FWIW I too boil in the driveway outside my kitchen. But I am in the process of building a brew kitchen. I plan on putting a vented hood over the brew cooking area of course and sticking with gas cooking.

 

[djt17]

Wooden deck with fire extinguisher handy, just in case.

 

[robertbartsch]

it is an open flame which any fireman will tell you can be dangerous. I would use this outdoors only.

 

[fatmoose]

I'm probably going to be flamed big time over this... (pun intended)

But seriously, I don't need to turn my turkey fryer up that much to boil water. Honestly, the flame is relatively low. I cook with gas in the home. I have a 6 burner electrolux stove and I've had all 6 burners blasting away cooking say a holiday dinner. You would think all 6 burners of that stove going full out would produce more carbon monoxide than one turkey burner on say a medium setting.

FWIW I too boil in the driveway outside my kitchen. But I am in the process of building a brew kitchen. I plan on putting a vented hood over the brew cooking area of course and sticking with gas cooking.

I believe the safety of using the burners indoors (in terms of ventilation) has to do with how the burners are designed. If I recall correctly you don't have an issue with carbon monoxide production as long as you're getting a blue flame. An orange/yellow flame indicates that the gas isn't burning cleanly and you're going to be generating carbon monoxide. The burners you have on an indoor range are engineered in such a fashion that they always burn efficiently and you should always see a blue flame. The burners on a turkey fryer are not engineered to the same tolerances so you're not guaranteed of a good clean burn.

DISCLAIMER: Don't anyone risk their lives based on the above. If something says it isn't for indoor use then don't use it indoors.

 

[Got Trub?]

CO results from inefficient combustion. As fatmoose stated indoor gas ranges are designed and tested to burn much more efficiently than your turkey fryer burner and therefore produce much less CO. If you are using one in your garage you might consider investing in a CO detector. They aren't that expensive - especially considering the alternative...

GT

 

[Diver165]

CO results from inefficient combustion. As fatmoose stated indoor gas ranges are designed and tested to burn much more efficiently than your turkey fryer burner and therefore produce much less CO. If you are using one in your garage you might consider investing in a CO detector. They aren't that expensive - especially considering the alternative...

GT

Simple and straight forward explanation.

I want to stick with gas but I don't want to kill myself or others either.