Dark Star Burner?

Just used it today - awesome. Boiled 6 gallons fast and steady. Held up to wind well too.

 

I recently received the Dark Star Burner as a gift, as I'm preparing to do my first all-grain brew this weekend. I tried testing it last night, and I had some serious issues, which was a surprise to me because I've read literally nothing but good reviews when considering the price.

I'll explain the situation first. I live in Wisconsin, which last night was very cold. I was attempting to bring 5.5 gallons to a boil in 0 degree F weather with a bit of wind. I also was starting with 45 degree F water. I figured to make it difficult to see just how long it would take with cold water, and in this case, poor conditions. That said, I had a lid on my kettle and I eventually set up some plywood as a wind barrier.

Well, an hour and a half into it, the water was at 130 degrees, and I gave up (still a long way to go to get to boiling). I continually had an issue where the burner was petering out. I could be wrong, but it did not appear that the wind was doing it. I live in the country, so there was a steady draft, but it didn't appear to be affecting the flame too much.

To me it seemed like the gas regulator was gradually limiting the amount of gas going through. I would start out with the regulator only a quarter open let's say, and then I'd have to adjust it every 5-10 minutes, and eventually I'd have to have it completely open for it to continue working. Once I got the flame going well enough, I could set it back down to a lower level.

In most of the videos I saw the burner produces mostly a blue flame. It would start like this with my burner, but soon enough that would turn to orange and yellow flame.

I'm new to this, so I'm wondering what the issue is here. Equipment issue? Or am I just expecting too much out of the product?

I'm planning on going out and buying a new one since I'm planning on brewing this weekend. I don't want it to turn into a 12 hour ordeal because I'm constantly waiting for water to heat up. Either way, I'd like to know why the burner I got isn't working well enough.

 

Update... I had sent an email to Midwest Supplies, where the burner came from, and they responded saying they believe it's a faulty regulator.

 

Propane tank freezing, perhaps? I don't have a burner yet, but have been looking into them and planning to buy. It seems to be a common issue in these forums with the overall suggestion being to somehow keep your tank warm. Try putting the tank in a bucket of warm water while using it next time and see if it works better for you.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Home Brew mobile app

 

@neim - it sounds like something wrong with your air/fuel ratio.

 

I got a new burner yesterday, the 14" Bayou Banjo burner, and it worked great. I don't mind paying extra for the upgrade anyway.

I tend to think the propane wasn't freezing as I didn't notice any frost developing on the line or anything. I also kept everything inside just prior to trying it out. The issues began within the first 5 minutes.

If it was a case where I was not giving it the correct gas/air ratio, then they simply made it far too difficult to get it right. I don't think that's the case though. I honestly think I just got a faulty product (this particular one, I don't believe this would happen with all Dark Star Burners). I ended up getting a refund based on the assumption of a bad regulator.

 

Propane tanks lose tremendous pressure in cold. Propane under pressure needs heat to vaporize. That's why you shouldn't rely on small propane stoves when camping in winter (learned that the hard way). I put my propane tank in a bucket of warm water when it gets cold, and the difference is remarkable.

At 0 degrees, propane is at 24 PSI. Compare that with 80 degrees F, where the PSI is 128. That's a HUGE difference.

See the chart for a full temperature range.

 

I have a DS Burner being shipped as I write. I'd like to run this off my Natural Gas supply on my patio. Anybody done this and know how to convert?

 

Damn, thought this was a habanero thread.

 

Would something like this work like the Dark Star (something I am going to need to get to get started)

http://www.shopperschoice.com/item_...as-Burner-Black-Outdoor-Stove_item_12335.html