Blichmann regulator hose on fire

[camelcarlson]

Thanks John! By no means was I trying to blemish the company, I just wanted some sort of explanation for how this could have happened. Cheers!

 

[BlichmannEngineering]

Thanks Camelcarlson - We by no means claim to have omnipotent customer service powers, but if we don't reply in a few days it is likely that we just didn't get your message somehow. In any case, always contact you're retailer first for any issues. They're a great bunch and have staff at the ready to help you and can get us involved if necessary.

 

[kickrjason]

So whats the overall verdict on these? still worth the $$ or has the quality gone downhill? I am looking to replace my current burner sooner then later and this was on the top of my list.

 

[eastoak]

So whats the overall verdict on these? still worth the $$ or has the quality gone downhill? I am looking to replace my current burner sooner then later and this was on the top of my list.

these are all stainless steel so i'm not sure how that could go down in quality but to me it was worth the price. my old bayou classics were not worth the $30 i paid for them.

 

[TomSD]

these are all stainless steel so i'm not sure how that could go down in quality but to me it was worth the price. my old bayou classics were not worth the $30 i paid for them.

Yeah that was kind of my feeling. Don't get me wrong going to full boils and moving the operation outside made my Bayou kit well worth it but after using it for over a year I realize there has to be a better solution. As usual though you get what you paid for and how much you are willing to pay is ultimately a decision only you, as the consumer, can make.

Mine is being delivered today so it looks like they are clearing up their inventory problems and getting caught back up. Just an FYI for those thinking about pulling the trigger.

 

[adroc]

The same thing happened to me during my brew day yesterday and it was scary as ****. I had a 3ft flame thrower shooting out of regulator at exactly the same spot as OP which ended up damaging the gas solenoid valve and electric starter I had hooked it up to. I had to throw myself into the line of fire in order to shut off the propane tank and not burn my whole rig down. I have attached some pictures of the aftermath for your viewing pleasure.

I have also contacted Blichmann and the retailer I purchased the burner from and will update this thread once I hear back from them.

 

[matc]

Holy crap ! What a bummer...that's why one should never use a propane brewing rig inside. **** can happens

 

[Hello]

The same thing happened to me during my brew day yesterday and it was scary as ****. I had a 3ft flame thrower shooting out of regulator at exactly the same spot as OP which ended up damaging the gas solenoid valve and electric starter I had hooked it up to. I had to throw myself into the line of fire in order to shut off the propane tank and not burn my whole rig down. I have attached some pictures of the aftermath for your viewing pleasure. I have also contacted Blichmann and the retailer I purchased the burner from and will update this thread once I hear back from them.

When did you purchase your burner and was it new or used?

 

[day_trippr]

Seems like an E-Stop that shuts everything immediately off is a good feature to add.

And harder gas plumbing - those crimped flex lines clearly are a liability...

Cheers!

 

[adroc]

When did you purchase your burner and was it new or used?

It was purchased new about 4 months ago and used around 6 times so far.

 

[adroc]

Holy crap ! What a bummer...that's why one should never use a propane brewing rig inside. **** can happens

This was not inside, thank god.

 

[adroc]

Seems like an E-Stop that shuts everything immediately off is a good feature to add.

And harder gas plumbing - those crimped flex lines clearly are a liability...

Cheers!

Blichmann says to only use their regulator with their floor burners.

 

[day_trippr]

Blichmann says to only use their regulator with their floor burners.

So? They also sell natural gas conversion kits that preclude using the 0-10 psi propane regulator.

Anyway, the problem isn't the regulator, it's a defective hose. My stand uses the Blichmann regulators with the hoses removed and replaced with hard plumbing - not because I steered away from the stock hoses, just that they were way too long for my needs...

Cheers!

 

[adroc]

Bichmann sent me replacements for all damaged parts(They have great customer service) but still need to wait for them to receive the damaged items and let me know what the cause was.

 

[HopSong]

I have one of the B burners and love it. BUT, look at the photos shown above.. GEEZ.. look at the bend in that hose. I don't know and am not pointing fingers at any of the failures.. but, they are NOT meant to be tightly bent that way.. there is no strain relief on those hoses..

That aside, as John mentioned.. stuff happens.. that's why there is a warranty on most things.

 

[adroc]

I have one of the B burners and love it. BUT, look at the photos shown above.. GEEZ.. look at the bend in that hose. I don't know and am not pointing fingers at any of the failures.. but, they are NOT meant to be tightly bent that way.. there is no strain relief on those hoses..

That aside, as John mentioned.. stuff happens.. that's why there is a warranty on most things.

That was just how the hose rested naturally, there is no tension on it what so ever. When the regulator arrives in the mail, its wound up in a loop which gives it a permanent coil.

 

[63belair]

I have one of the B burners and love it. BUT, look at the photos shown above.. GEEZ.. look at the bend in that hose. I don't know and am not pointing fingers at any of the failures.. but, they are NOT meant to be tightly bent that way.. there is no strain relief on those hoses..

That aside, as John mentioned.. stuff happens.. that's why there is a warranty on most things.

Having spent the last 2 years in telecom construction, this was my first reaction too. Those hoses are bent too much and too close to the junction point.

Hoses and wires should have a gentle bend radius to minimize strain/stress on the hose or wire. Just because the hose hangs a certain way with no external forces acting on it (other than gravity) does not mean that that position is good for the hose. That sharp bend right at the connection puts more strain than you would think on the hose. To reduce the strain on the hose (which can obviously cause failures) it needs to run straight out of the junction and then gradually bend down.

Something tells me hose bend radius wasn't considered when the extension legs were developed. With the burner at ground level there is no issue with bend radius, as the hose comes out of the regulator and travels horizontally to the tank, versus the immediate vertical dive it takes from the elevated burner.

EDIT: So after looking at more pictures of the burner with the leg extensions, it looks like the hose sits in a much more natural position than either of the examples posted here, I'm guessing that when the hose caught on fire, it melted, causing it to bend more to the ground?

 

[StLouBrew]

I have a relatively new burner. I've had problems with these "blowbacks" too. I think mine may have been due to not having a tight connection between the propane hose and the connector on the burner. I'm waiting to hear back from Blichmann to see if that sounds reasonable... seems reasonable.

 

[sivdrinks]

I have a relatively new burner. I've had problems with these "blowbacks" too. I think mine may have been due to not having a tight connection between the propane hose and the connector on the burner. I'm waiting to hear back from Blichmann to see if that sounds reasonable... seems reasonable.

Happened to me once. Make sure that's tight, can be scary.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[TIPA0303]

I have the same burner. Occasionally, wind will blow the flame back into the gas intake area. For this reason, I do not walk away from the burner when it is on.

Haha! For this reason, I would be walking AWAY from the burner when it was on.

I've used numerous ****ty and decent propane burners and never had this issue. Way to go Blingmann!

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Home Brew mobile app

 

[bigdee4933]

I live on a hill with constant winds and blowbacks happen to me at least once a brewday. It's very frustrating considering the cheap turkey fryers I had before never ever did this. I have found taking it off the leg extensions helps a little. I would consider alternatives if you do not have a covering like a garage. I am in the same position as the OP because I went inside to pee and came back out to a jet of fire shooting out the back. Burned the hose up.