Hoppopotomus
Cedar Hollow Brewing
Great work! Keep the progress going and keep posting pics. Looks great so far. 
Basement Brew House
- Thread starter BrewerinBR
- Start date
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OP
OP
Built the burner for the HLT and installed it. Then Built the burner for the BK and put the legs on it. Couple of views of the burners and bench for the mash tun.
Hoppopotomus
Cedar Hollow Brewing
Hmmmm? A lot of wood around a lot of flames??? 
Be careful big fella!
Be careful big fella!
OP
OP
Put the piping together for the propane sealed it, sanded it and put some flat black spray paint on it. Three valves, someday I may want to add a stainless steel mash tun. The lowest connection is the hose to the 20 lb propane tank (outside until in use.).
Hoppopotomus
Cedar Hollow Brewing
Still looks like a lot of wood and a lot of flames. Love the project, just don't burn you your house down.
OP
OP
Hmmmm? A lot of wood around a lot of flames???
Yes indeed, did a test fire up today... the low pressure burners do not put out a large flame. This burner design is the third generation, burner design 1 caught fire, burner design two worked better but still heated the wood to much. This design does not even get the far ends of the burner metal hot. just warm to the touch. I can actually hold on to the far ends of the burner on legs after 45 minutes of burning and move it. Its no 100k burner but better than my meager propane kitchen stove.
![Craft A Brew - Safale BE-256 Yeast - Fermentis - Belgian Ale Dry Yeast - For Belgian & Strong Ales - Ingredients for Home Brewing - Beer Making Supplies - [3 Pack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51bcKEwQmWL._SL500_.jpg)
Hoppopotomus
Cedar Hollow Brewing
Jes don't wanna see your azz get burnup! ....I know I didn't really pull off the gansta' talk right now, but seriously be careful.
....I know I didn't really pull off the gansta' talk right now, but seriously be careful.
OP
OP
Here it is,the old and the new, my old mash tun as an HLT, new cooler mash tun, and the boil kettle all ready to brew... Originally planned to go directly to a 10 gallon setup, but jumped to 5 gallons for now, since my boil kettle can handle it just needed the mash tun.
OP
OP
Jes don't wanna see your azz get burnup!
I certainly will be very cautious, thank you. Installed a CO Detector and a Smoke Detector, and have a large fire extinguisher at the ready. Also rule number 1 is if those burners are lit then I am in the room, no exception. Cannot wait to give it a go tomorrow, just will be very watchful and cautious.
Hoppopotomus
Cedar Hollow Brewing
What are you brewing my man?
OP
OP
Breaking in my new brew room, brew rig and equipment setup with an American Amber Ale. Just lit the strike up...1:11 PM Labor Day 2011
OP
OP
Wow... worked like a champ...hit the strike temp, missed the decoction temp. (just added 1 qt boiling water) and brought up. Pics of Pale Ale, and brew stool and the rig in action, first running's and sparging!!! (note the fan.. does get a little warm...)
I need more fermenters!!!
I need more fermenters!!!
LoveMiBeer
Member
Congrats! Beautiful setup. Enjoy making beer in your brew basement.
OP
OP
Installed the Exhaust Fan, built a mount to fit into the window so I would not have to cut holes in house, plus a straight shot from just above the burners out the window. With the fall air getting cooler, the brew room is staying quite cool. Sink and plumbing is next ...
Dougan
Well-Known Member
Awesome build. Just got myself a house and I am aspiring to do something like this myself eventually. I conveniently have a chimney that isn't being used so I may take advantage of that. Seeing these pictures gets me motivated.
Say, a tip-- I didn't read every post you had but just in case, I would consider changing those outlets to ground fault protected outlets. Might be overkill but It's probably required by building codes in your area (with the sink), although I think you can't really go into a basement brewery project with the expectation that you'll meet building codes.
Say, a tip-- I didn't read every post you had but just in case, I would consider changing those outlets to ground fault protected outlets. Might be overkill but It's probably required by building codes in your area (with the sink), although I think you can't really go into a basement brewery project with the expectation that you'll meet building codes
.BrewinBR:
This is a nice setup. I am also in Big Rapids; however, just graduating this dec 17. Are you happy to hear that Crankers is finally opening the Brewery in the spring? I wish I would be around for it, but I guess it could be a place to come visit in the future. I like your piece on the Centennial do you know how much the costs is for one batch?
This is a nice setup. I am also in Big Rapids; however, just graduating this dec 17. Are you happy to hear that Crankers is finally opening the Brewery in the spring? I wish I would be around for it, but I guess it could be a place to come visit in the future. I like your piece on the Centennial do you know how much the costs is for one batch?
BigBobsBrews
Well-Known Member
Brewing indoors, with propane, on a wood frame, next to non-gfci outlets. Sorry man, but this has got bad idea written all over it.
Honestly it's like the perfect example of what not to do. Think about it, assuming you don't light your wood stand on fire & burn your house down you still have to worry about carbon monoxide poising. Your vents are near the ceiling, but propane is denser than air (and will therefore sink) so there's an explosion hazard, especially considering how small that room is it would only take a small leak.
I'm not trying to rain on your parade I just don't want anyone to get hurt. I can see you have already put alot of work into this, but I really think you should take a few steps back and reconsider this one.
Honestly it's like the perfect example of what not to do. Think about it, assuming you don't light your wood stand on fire & burn your house down you still have to worry about carbon monoxide poising. Your vents are near the ceiling, but propane is denser than air (and will therefore sink) so there's an explosion hazard, especially considering how small that room is it would only take a small leak.
I'm not trying to rain on your parade I just don't want anyone to get hurt. I can see you have already put alot of work into this, but I really think you should take a few steps back and reconsider this one.
OP
OP
First of all not raining on any parade ... a lot of this has been discussed many times by many others ... I really do appreciate the concern and I have in fact thought this completely through.
1. Propane is denser than air and will settle to the floor so there are multiple fans that run when I have the 20lb tank in the room, which is only when it is in use. Otherwise the tank is outside, all of the connections are tested each time I connect the tank (yes I mean each time, it is part of a check list).
2. You are correct, a big concern is carbon monoxide which is a real worry. However it is in fact lighter than air, slightly, {CO molar mass is 28.0 and air is 28.8} and since it is hot when created it rises. Normally CO so readily mixes with the surrounding air that placement of a detector anywhere in the room will work (yes there is a CO detector and a fire extinguisher). This is why there are fans running at all times, 4 inch 80 CFM fresh air in, a 6 inch 90 CFM exhaust fan. A 21 inch box fan on the floor by the bottle rack blowing toward the door, a 21 in box fan on the floor in the door blowing out and a 21 inch box fan on hinges at the top of the door blowing in. The air circulates in the room so much that even with all burners running the room is still cold... like 52F in the winter.
3. The propane burners are indoor rated burners (not turkey fryer burners) and having brewed 7, five gallon batches, in the room I can verify none of the wood gets even the slightest bit warm. Also if the burners are lit I am in the room and being very much a OCD type person my brew days are planned and documented to 10th degree, including a pre-brew check list.
4 The outlets are connected to an isolated circuit that powers that room and the breaker is ground fault so the entire room is ground fault. No need to ground fault the individual sockets.
Like I said I have really thought this through completely and did the research on the gasses of combustion and burner safety and the proper way to adjust the burners and fire safety. I planned it carefully, and use caution. I was a little concerned about moisture but the air changes in there so fast that I don't even get any condensation during the boil.
1. Propane is denser than air and will settle to the floor so there are multiple fans that run when I have the 20lb tank in the room, which is only when it is in use. Otherwise the tank is outside, all of the connections are tested each time I connect the tank (yes I mean each time, it is part of a check list).
2. You are correct, a big concern is carbon monoxide which is a real worry. However it is in fact lighter than air, slightly, {CO molar mass is 28.0 and air is 28.8} and since it is hot when created it rises. Normally CO so readily mixes with the surrounding air that placement of a detector anywhere in the room will work (yes there is a CO detector and a fire extinguisher). This is why there are fans running at all times, 4 inch 80 CFM fresh air in, a 6 inch 90 CFM exhaust fan. A 21 inch box fan on the floor by the bottle rack blowing toward the door, a 21 in box fan on the floor in the door blowing out and a 21 inch box fan on hinges at the top of the door blowing in. The air circulates in the room so much that even with all burners running the room is still cold... like 52F in the winter.
3. The propane burners are indoor rated burners (not turkey fryer burners) and having brewed 7, five gallon batches, in the room I can verify none of the wood gets even the slightest bit warm. Also if the burners are lit I am in the room and being very much a OCD type person my brew days are planned and documented to 10th degree, including a pre-brew check list.
4 The outlets are connected to an isolated circuit that powers that room and the breaker is ground fault so the entire room is ground fault. No need to ground fault the individual sockets.
Like I said I have really thought this through completely and did the research on the gasses of combustion and burner safety and the proper way to adjust the burners and fire safety. I planned it carefully, and use caution. I was a little concerned about moisture but the air changes in there so fast that I don't even get any condensation during the boil.
OP
OP
Congrats on Graduating... Ferris is great school. My granddaughter will start there next year. I buy the grain in bulk and harvest yeast from Bell's so the cost is not that much, but I have never really ever calculated it out. I knew Crankers was trying to get license but did not know it was really happening, that is pretty good.
I would call your insurance company and ask them if they cover a room like this. You should tell them the truth, something like:
Speaking in third person below as if I was on the phone with them.
I am brewing beer in my basement on a system that I designed and built myself. It has a wooden frame, is attached to an insolated wooden wall. The brewery uses Bayou Classic BG12 gas burners which is capable of supplying 50,000 btu. The burners are made in China. I have read all the complete warning manual that were supplied to me when I bought the Bayou Classic Bg12 burner and fully understand 100% what was said in that manual. Even though I am not following all the safety alerts in the supplied BG12 Manual, I still think what I am doing is right. I also don't think that some of these safety alerts apply to me.
Here is a copy of it for you to read:
http://www.thebayou.com/Pages/Print_files/Gas_cookers_manual.swf
It is my belief that these burners are indoor rated and safe for indoor use even though the safety manual says for outdoor use only. I have installed all the gas plumbing myself, and I check the brewery for safety each time I brew. I have an extensive safety checklist that I made myself that I run through each time I brew. I use a 20lbs Propane tank is inside the house during brewing, however, when I am not brewing I put it outside. I also installed all the electrical myself and think it is safe. I didn't feel the need to install GFCI as the entire circuit is so protected so the whole circuit will blow if there ever is a problem. I have a bunch of fans to dissipate the dangerous gases in the room. The brewery room is less than 100 square feet. I am kinda of worried about the carbon monoxide, however, I think all the fans that I have installed will take care of the carbon monoxide. I also have a co2 detector and fire extinguisher if needed. It is my belief that no inspections are necessary.
End of third person speech.
I agree, it is a very nice setup. I have yet to hear about a disaster, however, when and if something ever happens, I seriously doubt an insurance will pay anything and you may get sued civilly and criminally for neglect in the event you caused damage to your neighbors.
I am an American living in Germany, this kind of thing is seriously forbidden in Germany and my insurance would never pay for damage to life, property or negligence if I blew up my house and my neighbors too.
I would call your local city inspector and have them come and tell you if something like this is ok even if you are not required to get an approval. My best guess would be though no inspection, no insurance coverage, lose lawsuit. The mere fact that this topic is on this forum is a big problem for you if someone should ever find it and need it to use against you.
I would also call the Bayou Classic company and tell them what you have done and see what they say, here is the Tech Support phone number: 1 800-736-8028.
In the end, it's your fiduciary duty to make sure that room is safe for yourself and others in or around.
Just my two cents, brew on and have a great day.
Speaking in third person below as if I was on the phone with them.
I am brewing beer in my basement on a system that I designed and built myself. It has a wooden frame, is attached to an insolated wooden wall. The brewery uses Bayou Classic BG12 gas burners which is capable of supplying 50,000 btu. The burners are made in China. I have read all the complete warning manual that were supplied to me when I bought the Bayou Classic Bg12 burner and fully understand 100% what was said in that manual. Even though I am not following all the safety alerts in the supplied BG12 Manual, I still think what I am doing is right. I also don't think that some of these safety alerts apply to me.
Here is a copy of it for you to read:
http://www.thebayou.com/Pages/Print_files/Gas_cookers_manual.swf
It is my belief that these burners are indoor rated and safe for indoor use even though the safety manual says for outdoor use only. I have installed all the gas plumbing myself, and I check the brewery for safety each time I brew. I have an extensive safety checklist that I made myself that I run through each time I brew. I use a 20lbs Propane tank is inside the house during brewing, however, when I am not brewing I put it outside. I also installed all the electrical myself and think it is safe. I didn't feel the need to install GFCI as the entire circuit is so protected so the whole circuit will blow if there ever is a problem. I have a bunch of fans to dissipate the dangerous gases in the room. The brewery room is less than 100 square feet. I am kinda of worried about the carbon monoxide, however, I think all the fans that I have installed will take care of the carbon monoxide. I also have a co2 detector and fire extinguisher if needed. It is my belief that no inspections are necessary.
End of third person speech.
I agree, it is a very nice setup. I have yet to hear about a disaster, however, when and if something ever happens, I seriously doubt an insurance will pay anything and you may get sued civilly and criminally for neglect in the event you caused damage to your neighbors.
I am an American living in Germany, this kind of thing is seriously forbidden in Germany and my insurance would never pay for damage to life, property or negligence if I blew up my house and my neighbors too.
I would call your local city inspector and have them come and tell you if something like this is ok even if you are not required to get an approval. My best guess would be though no inspection, no insurance coverage, lose lawsuit. The mere fact that this topic is on this forum is a big problem for you if someone should ever find it and need it to use against you.
I would also call the Bayou Classic company and tell them what you have done and see what they say, here is the Tech Support phone number: 1 800-736-8028.
In the end, it's your fiduciary duty to make sure that room is safe for yourself and others in or around.
Just my two cents, brew on and have a great day.
OP
OP
Awesome build. Just got myself a house and I am aspiring to do something like this myself eventually. I conveniently have a chimney that isn't being used so I may take advantage of that. Seeing these pictures gets me motivated.
Say, a tip-- I didn't read every post you had but just in case, I would consider changing those outlets to ground fault protected outlets. Might be overkill but It's probably required by building codes in your area (with the sink), although I think you can't really go into a basement brewery project with the expectation that you'll meet building codes
Thank You ... I really love my brew room, it is nice and works well and I have everything in one place. In my township no permit is required until the work exceeds 100 square feet, so building codes were not an issue since there was no inspection. The room is on an isolated ground fault breaker. Have not got the sink installed yet because I need to solve the drain issue since there is no drain in the basement and need a pump system for it.
Dougan
Well-Known Member
Cool. That ground fault main breaker is probably even better than my suggestion and not much more work since you started from scratch. Good to hear you have thought a lot about safety with all of this.
I still wonder what an insurance company will think of something like thid. My fear is that when I end up doing something like this, there is no level of safety they will be happy with.
OP
OP
No need to worry about hurting the neighbors house, it is about a 1/2 mile away. If my house goes up in flames then it could start a forest fire and then I am totally screwed because it could start some of the 540,000 + acres of the Manistee National Forest that is right next to me. When I sent pics of the wood burners I installed to heat the house the insurance agent said, okay.
I would call Bayou but I am not using their burners, mine are low pressure burners with a low pressure regulator. No way as hot as the high pressure used by most brewers but the high pressure burners are not meant to be used indoors. The low pressure ones I use are clean and efficient and designed to be used indoors. No way near as fast and a 6 to 7 gallon boil takes some time to get a roiling boil but much safer indoors than the hot high pressure less efficient burners.
I will call the insurance agents and send them pics ... that is a good idea. Probably get the same response I did when I sent the pics about the wood stoves.
I would call Bayou but I am not using their burners, mine are low pressure burners with a low pressure regulator. No way as hot as the high pressure used by most brewers but the high pressure burners are not meant to be used indoors. The low pressure ones I use are clean and efficient and designed to be used indoors. No way near as fast and a 6 to 7 gallon boil takes some time to get a roiling boil but much safer indoors than the hot high pressure less efficient burners.
I will call the insurance agents and send them pics ... that is a good idea. Probably get the same response I did when I sent the pics about the wood stoves.
The first few pictures were a bit odd in that the wall studs and ceiling joists look like they are mixed spacing and sometimes up to 46 inches on center. It's not really my cup of tea to do such things but the drywall is up and the train has left the station.
There are people that use propane tanks inside the house and those that warn them against it. You're going to do what you're going to do but I'm glad people voiced their concerns.
I think that brew space can really benefit from an electric conversion.
There are people that use propane tanks inside the house and those that warn them against it. You're going to do what you're going to do but I'm glad people voiced their concerns.
I think that brew space can really benefit from an electric conversion.
pinback
Well-Known Member
you are much farther north, but i know of some insurance companies who freak out at the sight of a chimney, stove or no stove. freak out as in jack the rates up. could just be a gimmick, but quite annoying considering a homeowner that smokes indoors is at equal or great risk for house fire.
its really all about common sense and proper care/maintenance anytime there is fire involved.
its really all about common sense and proper care/maintenance anytime there is fire involved.
OP
OP
Bobby M -- I did and I am still considering going electric and may do so when I move to a 10 or 15 gallon setup. Yes some of the previous stud wall were built in a irregular fashion but since they only support drywall it really did not matter. I did add a couple of studs in places for the drywall.
OP
OP
Wood burners in houses, garages, basements and even 45 year old mobile homes are a common sight here. Our daytime highs this time of year barely clear the freezing point and should normally be lower.
OP
OP
There are so many things wrong with that brew room, let me list them.
No
Old Rasputin,
Bigfoot Barley wine,
Torpedo,
Dirty Old Bastard,
Just to name a few from a long list
Nice job!
Thanks ... I love it, it is great place to brew and bottle and work. All of my equipment and everything I need in one spot, always clean and neat. Thinking about doing a pictorial essay of brew day and a bottling session.
NateLTB
Well-Known Member
What an amazing brew space! You have inspired me to create something like this. Well done!
