BG14 too big for direct fire mash tun?

[experimike]

I am planning to convert my mash tun to direct fire to automate mash temperature control and do step mashes.

I see a number of folks have used BG14 for DFM but also many comments on keeping the heat low. If you had a chance to redo the design after using it for a while, would you stay with the BG14 or go with a smaller burner?

I currently use Natural Gas and BG14 banjo burners for the HLT and boil kettle. They put out a lot of heat.

My mash tum is a heavy wall stainless steel pot and can hold nearly 30 gallons. That means I have a lot of headspace when I brew a 5 gallon batch. I typically brew 5 of 10 gallon batches as I like a lot of variety. I am thinking a building a floating lid to help manage stable mash temperatures.

 

[day_trippr]

You can run a BG-14 remarkably low and still have a wide, very even flame pattern.

If your MLT has a wide diameter this can be A Good Thing as what little heat you need will be spread over the bottom and not concentrated in the middle...

Cheers!

 

[experimike]

Thanks.

 

[Snausages01]

I've got the same burner off of natural gas and have no problems direct firing the mash tun. There is 2.5-3 gallons (~2" of space) below my false bottom so that prevents anything from getting burnt. Also, I have the burner mounted lower on the mash tun than I do on the BK and HLT.

 

[dfess1]

I use the same burner as well. Added benefit is getting strike water up to temp relatively quick.