Propane use

I used over 2 gallons of propane with my buyou classic BG10 burner (up to 150,000 btu) and a 10psi regulator to make a 6 gallon AG batch. Is that not a bit high?

 

about right i can get 3 brew sessions out of a 5 gal tank

 

That's what I was getting too. I'd usually run out of propane during the 3rd brew session. It got expensive.

I recently switched to NG. At least I won't have to worry about running out anymore, just blowing up my house.

 

An option to save on propane is to build a heatstick. I now use the heatstick to have my HLT mashing water ready when I wake up (set on a timer) and to bring my wort up to a boil quickly. Saves quite a bit of propane.

 

I have a Blichmann burner but haven't used it yet, im kinda curious how that goes thru the gas but im told its very minimal per brew session

 

Since I got my banjo burner, I've been getting about 2 1/2 brews per 20# tank. For now that is my only option so I just got a second tank (so I don't have to "borrow" the BBQ tank) as back-up so I don't run out in the middle of brewing. I figure under $5 to heat strike water, heat sparge water and then boil the wort isn't too bad for now.

 

That is insane! I must get a dozen 5 gallon batches from a single 20# tank. I've got an SQ-14 with a 20psi regulator (I think), and usually heat strike water on the stove, but still... I'd be upset if a tank only made it through a couple of batches. I also get my tanks refilled rather than swapped, so I might be starting off with more gas than other folks.

 

I've been doing double five gallon batches (parti-gyle) and boiling them on two high power burners. I use just over 2.5-3.0 gallons of propane for one brew day. This means I have to top off my 5 gallon tank each time I brew to keep from running out at the worst time.

 

Tell me more!?!

 

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/i-love-waking-up-hot-strike-water-easy-1-2-3-a-381737/

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/heatstick-awesome-142803/

Ton of DIY builds out there. I used the pvc / jb weld method to seal the heating element contacts.

 

FWIW, I got 6 AG batches and crawfish boil (about 3 batches of crawfish) off of one tank using a BG-10 burner and a 10 psi reg before I ran out.

 

I guess the question is what size were the batches and how long did it take to boil. I Was running my BG-10 on fairly high for a little over 2.5 hours total. My batch was 10 gallons of water to get 6.

 

I don't get 12. I get 5 to 6 brews on a 20lb tank (real 20lb filled tank not a 15lb swap tank) with an sq-14 and i heat strike water on the burner.

I did notice an extra 1-2 brews per tank when I switched from a wide pot to a tall narrow Bayou classic 44 quart pot. those short wide pots were sucking a lot of propane.

 

I just filled a couple of tanks this morning and brewed one batch today and used the burner to heat strike water. If I can remember, I'll tally up how many batches I get from this tank. I'm thinking of putting an electric element in one of my kettles for heating strike water now that my kitchen is on a separate floor from my brew area.

 

I'm lucky to get three batches out of a 20 lb tank, though I brew 11.5 gallon batches in converted kegs and I use the propane for everything from warming strike water to boiling the chiller pre-knockout...

 

I guess I should be more specific, I was only doing the boil on propane. I actually heated the mash and sparge water on my stove top, which may account for much of the difference. And I am only doing 5 gallon batches (usually about 6.5 gallons pre-boil).

 

This topic raises an interesting question:

When boiling, who keeps their burner at high flame after the boil starts?

After the wort is boiling well, I can turn the flame down quite a bit and still maintain a strong, rolling boil.

I could see where variations in how high the burner flame is would really impact propane consumption over time.

 

This is one of the reasons I'm putting together an eBIAB setup...no more worries about propane. I hate to run out in the middle of a brew, even if I do have my spare full and ready to go. I think it will be cheaper too...I hope.

 

I turn it down once the boil starts

 

What's an eBIAB? I was considering the heat stick for sparge and strike water but assumed the elements would get disgusting in wort. Is there another electric heat source I am not considering?