Bayou Stainless 24 quart pot vibrate on electric stove??

[gnor]

I'm new to homebrew. I buy a Bayou Stainless 24 quart pot, and try to boil 3 gallons of water on my electric kitchen stove. The pot vibrates vigorously!! I wonder if it happens to anyone of you. I have other stainless pots (16 & 20 quarts) which have tri-plys bottom, and they never vibrate.

 

[W0GWT]

There's moisture on the bottom.
Happens to me all the time.

Otherwise, the bottom could be a little uneven.

 

[gnor]

I wipe the bottom dry, and try again. It still vibrates vigorously. I am disappointed because I wouldn't want to hold the pot the whole time during full boil. Has anyone converted Bayou pot with water heater element? Does it vibrate while using water heater element?

 

[stoutfan87]

Is the pot quite a bit bigger than the burner?

I have a 40qt kettle on an electric stove which is huge in comparison to my burner. That causes the heat to conduct more towards the center and cool when it reaches the outer part of the pot since there's so much surface area. So it's a continuous expansion and contraction of the metal and that causes it to "dance" as my wife likes to say. Needless to say, I need to stir a lot to get an even temperature.


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[gnor]

Does the "dance" stop after you stir the wort till the whole pot gets to even temperature?

 

[stoutfan87]

It helps, yes. If I can stir regularly to keep the wort moving and try to keep the lid on as much as possible, it stops.

I had to master it because it's a glass cooktop and I figure 5+ gallons of wort bouncing around in a stainless kettle can't be good!


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[gnor]

Thanks for your replies. I don't think Bayou Stainless pot fits my brewing environment. I'll return it, and buy another pot with tri-ply bottom.

 

[barnaclebob]

It likely doens't have to do with expansion and contraction of the pot itself because the temp doesn't change that rapidly and the water likely keeps it relatively stable.

What can happen is a the water getting vibrated as it comes to a boil and the bubbles expand and contract at the right frequency.

 

[gnor]

I believe that it has to do with the thin sheet of stainless steel which is used to make the pot. As soon as I turn on the electric stove, the pot vibrates vigorously.

 

[barnaclebob]

Hmm maybe there is some kind of electro magnetic effect going on, If it was happening at 60hz then it would be from the electricity. Or is it more of a wobble?

 

[gnor]

The diameter of the pot is bigger than the electric burner, and the burner is not sitting flush with the the stove top. Everything is fine when the heat is off, the pot is very stable. When the heat is on, yes, the pot vibrates/dances/wobbles vigorously.

 

[Rockn_M]

I had this issue with a small stock pot and it was caused by the bottom being slightly bowed. So when the water started to heat up it began to wobble and dance around. You could feel the bottom go flat when you pushed down on the pot. I went ahead and bought another one with a flat bottom.

 

[jleiii]

I tried my 32 qt SS turkey fryer pot on the stove once, and it danced round so much it moved off the burner. I was heating as I filled it, and even with 2 or 3 gallons in it, it would not stay still. My 5 gallon SS pot never so much as shuddered. I have not tied the big once since, as I have a burner, but was trying the pot on the stove to see how it worked out. It didn't.