My Weldless Build Using Strut

Rbeckett · Feb 8, 2013

ANy build should be allowed to burn off the zinc before you ise it. Zinc Flu is no fun, keep your head and face away from the whispy gray fumes and let the zinc burn completely off on super dooper blow torch high so that you dont have a contamination issue later on. Zinc can be removed succesfully, but attention must be paid to insure it is all completely burned off prior to exposing your brew to zinc fumes. Take it from an old skool welder with COPD, dont take chances. It is much nicer to be able to breathe without struggling due to being young and stupid a long time ago. Just sayin,, be carefull with zinc and you will be just fine, but ya gotta eliminate it safely and completely to avoid issues later on.... Nuff said......
Wheelchair Bob

LiquidFlame · Feb 8, 2013

Rbeckett said:
ANy build should be allowed to burn off the zinc before you ise it. Zinc Flu is no fun, keep your head and face away from the whispy gray fumes and let the zinc burn completely off on super dooper blow torch high so that you dont have a contamination issue later on. Zinc can be removed succesfully, but attention must be paid to insure it is all completely burned off prior to exposing your brew to zinc fumes. Take it from an old skool welder with COPD, dont take chances. It is much nicer to be able to breathe without struggling due to being young and stupid a long time ago. Just sayin,, be carefull with zinc and you will be just fine, but ya gotta eliminate it safely and completely to avoid issues later on.... Nuff said......
Wheelchair Bob

And for those of us that don't have a blow torch or are going to be using gas burners, is there another way of removing it?

snaps10 · Feb 8, 2013

Soak it in vinegar I believe

TerraNova · Feb 8, 2013

Rbeckett said:
ANy build should be allowed to burn off the zinc before you ise it. Zinc Flu is no fun, keep your head and face away from the whispy gray fumes and let the zinc burn completely off on super dooper blow torch high so that you dont have a contamination issue later on. Zinc can be removed succesfully, but attention must be paid to insure it is all completely burned off prior to exposing your brew to zinc fumes. Take it from an old skool welder with COPD, dont take chances. It is much nicer to be able to breathe without struggling due to being young and stupid a long time ago. Just sayin,, be carefull with zinc and you will be just fine, but ya gotta eliminate it safely and completely to avoid issues later on.... Nuff said......
Wheelchair Bob

Thanks, this combined with the zinc flaking off during a brew session makes me think Stainless is the way to go for me.

Someone suggested soaking the metal in vinegar (or other acid I am assuming)...how do you soak 5 foot metal rods at home? To get it done commercially would make it cheaper to go with stainless.

b-boy · Feb 8, 2013

I purchased 2 10-tip burners from Bayou Classic about 1-1/2 weeks ago. Anyone ever deal with these guys? I'm a little concerned by the way they do business. Just looking for some reassurance.

I placed my order online and received an email instructing me to call a phone to submit my CC information. When I called, I got an answering machine listing about 6 other companies they own. I left a voicemail. I never heard back, so I called them several times and finally got a pickup. I reluctantly gave them my CC info, even though I was a little bit leary about it. I never heard anything after that. No CC charge, no follow-up email, and no product. I honestly believe they never processed my order.

I called several times and I kept getting their answering machine. I finally left another message last night. Today I got an email saying the items are not available and will not ship till late next week. Honestly, if I could have gotten these burners somewhere else I probably would have.

bobbrewedit · Feb 8, 2013

Hmmm, that's a bummer man. Bad business for sure.

sweetcell · Feb 8, 2013

b-boy said:
I purchased 2 10-tip burners from Bayou Classic about 1-1/2 weeks ago. Anyone ever deal with these guys?

what is the URL that you ordered from?

there are many vendors have that "Bayou Classic" in them, it's like a freakin' franchise. BC is actually the manufacturer, i don't think they sell directly. their website, www.thebayou.com, uses www.pelicansky.com as their vendor. did you use them, or www.bayouclassicdepot.com, or www.bayouclassicstore.com, or from any number of others with "BC" in the URL...

(yes, i've been researching pots recently)

b-boy · Feb 8, 2013

sweetcell said:
what is the URL that you ordered from?

there are many vendors have that "Bayou Classic" in them, it's like a freakin' franchise. BC is actually the manufacturer, i don't think they sell directly. their website, www.thebayou.com, uses www.pelicansky.com as their vendor. did you use them, or www.bayouclassicdepot.com, or www.bayouclassicstore.com, or from any number of others with "BC" in the URL...

(yes, i've been researching pots recently)

It was www.bayouclassicdepot.com. The wesbite looked OK, but it seems like there is 1 guy running everything behind the scenes. They seem to be the only place that has the 10-jet burners for less than $100 each. If I get them I'll be happy, but I hope I don't have to wait 3 months.

I guess I'm spoiled, but I'm used to ordering something online and getting it in 2 days, along with email confirmations and shipping notifications.

snaps10 · Feb 9, 2013

I may end up going with stainless for the section of mine under my boils kettle. My HLT will be electric and my LMT is going to be a RIMS at this time. The boil kettle will be the only thing Natural Gas. I should only need four 18" pieces and some angle brackets. Not too much money for my rig staying bling.
Has anyone attempted to paint the Superstrut without prepping the galvanized yet? I know they say its paint ready, but just curious if anyone had tried it yet.

MrRoboto · Feb 9, 2013

b-boy said:
It was www.bayouclassicdepot.com. The wesbite looked OK, but it seems like there is 1 guy running everything behind the scenes. They seem to be the only place that has the 10-jet burners for less than $100 each. If I get them I'll be happy, but I hope I don't have to wait 3 months.

I guess I'm spoiled, but I'm used to ordering something online and getting it in 2 days, along with email confirmations and shipping notifications.

The bayouclassicdepot 10 tip burners are some of the cheapest quality out there look through old threads where people have tips fall out and cant thread back in. Just look at their disclaimer on the page about how none of them are tested and you cant return them.

Im not sure how you plan on igniting the burners but also not that bayouclassicdepot burners the 10 tips do not have the threaded hole for a standing pilot..

Much better quality can be found here http://www.topfoodservice.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=KECABJ

They have a good price and search the site for pilot also for around $5 you can get a pilot that threads into the burner they also have cool little manual pilot shutoff valves that fit 1/4 inch tubing and also cheap gas lines. $48 for a better quality burner is fair IMO... Plus there are many people on this forum who have used them and they are really happy with them.

ianw58 · Feb 9, 2013

MrRoboto said:
Much better quality can be found here http://www.topfoodservice.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=KECABJ

They have a good price and search the site for pilot also for around $5 you can get a pilot that threads into the burner they also have cool little manual pilot shutoff valves that fit 1/4 inch tubing and also cheap gas lines. $48 for a better quality burner is fair IMO... Plus there are many people on this forum who have used them and they are really happy with them.

What size burner do you recommend for a 15 gallon kettle - 16" diameter?

Do you have a source for the pilot light?

b-boy · Feb 9, 2013

MrRoboto said:
The bayouclassicdepot 10 tip burners are some of the cheapest quality out there look through old threads where people have tips fall out and cant thread back in. Just look at their disclaimer on the page about how none of them are tested and you cant return them.

Im not sure how you plan on igniting the burners but also not that bayouclassicdepot burners the 10 tips do not have the threaded hole for a standing pilot..

Much better quality can be found here http://www.topfoodservice.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=KECABJ

They have a good price and search the site for pilot also for around $5 you can get a pilot that threads into the burner they also have cool little manual pilot shutoff valves that fit 1/4 inch tubing and also cheap gas lines. $48 for a better quality burner is fair IMO... Plus there are many people on this forum who have used them and they are really happy with them.

Awesome! Thanks. I have been googling for weeks and I never came accross that site. I don't have a problem spending the extra money, especially if I can get the burners in a reasonable time. I'm going to cancel my other order.

b-boy · Feb 9, 2013

ianw58 said:
Do you have a source for the pilot light?

Yes - I'd love to get more info on the pilot light. I originally had no plans to do this, but while I'm getting the burners I may as well take advantage of it. I'm not familiar with everything I would need. What pieces would I need to get?

MrRoboto · Feb 9, 2013

b-boy said:
Yes - I'd love to get more info on the pilot light. I originally had no plans to do this, but while I'm getting the burners I may as well take advantage of it. I'm not familiar with everything I would need. What pieces would I need to get?

Here is links on the same site all you have to do is type the word pilot into the search box they have several methods that will work well but this is what was original brutus 10 and on you will need this stuff

http://www.topfoodservice.com/Merch...een=PROD&Product_Code=KECAP002&Category_Code=
That same pilot is sold for $15 at a online homebrew store

a pilot tube there are several options for this as well you can use a gas hose also but this is a cheaper way to go
http://www.topfoodservice.com/Merch...een=PROD&Product_Code=KECAP011&Category_Code=

Some shutoff valses would make good adapters and be usefull coming out of gas piping on rig
http://www.topfoodservice.com/Merch...een=PROD&Product_Code=KECAV015&Category_Code=

b-boy · Feb 9, 2013

MrRoboto said:
Here is links on the same site all you have to do is type the word pilot into the search box they have several methods that will work well but this is what was original brutus 10 and on you will need this stuff

http://www.topfoodservice.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=KECAP002&Category_Code=
That same pilot is sold for $15 at a online homebrew store

a pilot tube there are several options for this as well you can use a gas hose also but this is a cheaper way to go
http://www.topfoodservice.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=KECAP011&Category_Code=

Some shutoff valses would make good adapters and be usefull coming out of gas piping on rig
http://www.topfoodservice.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=KECAV015&Category_Code=

Thanks. Appreciate the information.

lschiavo · Feb 9, 2013

TerraNova said:
Thanks, this combined with the zinc flaking off during a brew session makes me think Stainless is the way to go for me.

Someone suggested soaking the metal in vinegar (or other acid I am assuming)...how do you soak 5 foot metal rods at home? To get it done commercially would make it cheaper to go with stainless.

I'd use a length of pipe stood up with the bottom capped.

HDIr0n · Feb 10, 2013

I think if you spray it it will work as well, you just need an area available to do so. Then I would hit it with a wire brush on an angle grinder.

-G

Reaver · Feb 10, 2013

lschiavo said:
I'd use a length of pipe stood up with the bottom capped.

Brilliant idea there... couple of options to expand on that.

I would say use a piece of PVC, with the bottom capped. Lay it on an angle with the open end propped on a chair or something so you're not trying to work vertical... 5ft pipe plus 5ft strut requires 10ft-ish of clearance + control. Laying it down at a angle will let you work more horizontally. Make sure you use a peice of string on the Strut so you can pull it back out w/o haveing to dump it out and loose all the liquid.

or you could cut down the length of PVC pipe, and make a trough. cap both ends and fill it up.

LiquidFlame · Feb 10, 2013

All the people that are still worried about the zinc, is that because your using a gas system? I just want to make sure that I'm not the only electric brewer that isn't worried. I just don't see how an electric rig could get hot enough externally to dissolve/flake off the zinc coating.

Chrisharvey · Feb 10, 2013

bobbrewedit said:
Still waiting on casters and jet burners to show up in the mail, but I'm getting close. I've still gotta tap into the home natural gas line too.

Do you have a cut list? That's exactly how I want to build mine

HDIr0n · Feb 10, 2013

LiquidFlame said:
All the people that are still worried about the zinc, is that because your using a gas system? I just want to make sure that I'm not the only electric brewer that isn't worried. I just don't see how an electric rig could get hot enough externally to dissolve/flake off the zinc coating.

Yes it is due to the burners, you will not heat up the stand enough to worry about the zinc burning. Due to the way the heating elements work (heating up the water directly vs. indirectly with burners) it will never get that hot.

On my current stand which was the galvanized angle, it burned off the first time I did a wet run, and never noticed the fumes in the subsequent brews.

-G

LiquidFlame · Feb 10, 2013

HDIr0n said:
Yes it is due to the burners, you will not heat up the stand enough to worry about the zinc burning. Due to the way the heating elements work (heating up the water directly vs. indirectly with burners) it will never get that hot.

On my current stand which was the galvanized angle, it burned off the first time I did a wet run, and never noticed the fumes in the subsequent brews.

-G

Is your current stand electric or gas?

HDIr0n · Feb 10, 2013

LiquidFlame said:
Is your current stand electric or gas?

I have ran it first as electric then converted to gas. I have brewed about 25 batches on it. After that first burn in, I couldn't detect any zinc fumes thereafter.

HTH,
-G

bobbrewedit · Feb 11, 2013

Chrisharvey said:
Do you have a cut list? That's exactly how I want to build mine

Message sent. As soon as it's complete I'll post the info here, unless someone else needs it sooner. Good luck bud!

bobbrewedit · Feb 11, 2013

HDIr0n said:
On my current stand which was the galvanized angle, it burned off the first time I did a wet run, and never noticed the fumes in the subsequent brews.

-G

Thanks for posting this. I was starting to wonder with all the vinegar talk, what it was going to take for me to make it safe. This is what I originally assumed, but we all know what happens when all you go on is an assumption!

HDIr0n · Feb 11, 2013

bobbrewedit said:
Thanks for posting this. I was starting to wonder with all the vinegar talk, what it was going to take for me to make it safe. This is what I originally assumed, but we all know what happens when all you go on is an assumption!

No worries, it is better to ask the "dumb" question than to make an "assume"tion.

-G

snaps10 · Feb 12, 2013

HDIr0n said:
No worries, it is better to ask the "dumb" question than to make an "assume"tion.

-G

The only reason I was going to do vinegar or gradual torch burns was so it burned off evenly instead of only burning the sections that get flame licked. That way the whole top section of my stand would be a matching rust color.

I think I'm just going to go stainless on my boil kettle section anyway since my HLT and MLT are going to be electric. I only need to buy two 3' sections. Not too bad.

b-boy · Feb 12, 2013

MrRoboto said:
The bayouclassicdepot 10 tip burners are some of the cheapest quality out there look through old threads where people have tips fall out and cant thread back in. Just look at their disclaimer on the page about how none of them are tested and you cant return them.

Much better quality can be found here http://www.topfoodservice.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=KECABJ

Thanks for the tip. I ordered from these guys - http://www.topfoodservice.com.

The items shipped yesterday, which is actually still earlier than Bayou Classic Depot (even after the 2 weeks I spent waiting for them to repond to my original order). I'm pretty impressed by how fast they got the order out the door.

The weird thing is that they don't take credit cards online. I had to order online, wait for an email with shipping/tax added, then call back and give them my card number. That added 2 days to the process. I don't understand how a company can function online without taking credit cards or at least PayPal? Normally, I wouldn't have bothered completing the order because of that, but I really needed the items.

I canceled my Bayou Classic Depot order, but I haven't received a response from them yet. Hopefully I don't get another box of burners on my doorstep in a few days. I definitely won't deal with them again.

bucfanmike · Feb 14, 2013

im going to start my cutting tomorrow for my stand. Ill be using converted kegs. I dont want to cut all the multiple 45s for the classic look of pot supports. I want my kegs to sit directly on the long spans and the short supports that form the squares. I am thinking of 13" cuts, which with the 1 5/8 struts will make the overall depth just over 16". Im using the big banjo burners. Would I be better to cut it down to 12" to make sure there is enough frame for a good solid area for the kegs?

snaps10 · Feb 14, 2013

I used a $7 BBQ grate for over a year doing 13.5 gallon boils. You'll be fine. Kegs are very strong. FWIW, I'm using keggles until I can afford my 25gal kettles and am only planning on using the two supports front to back to support them. With both the kegs stiffness and strength, and the same from the unistrut I don't foresee any problem at all. I will be rigging something to keep them from sliding though.

My Weldless Build Using Strut

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