Brewing in a basement question. LP or electric

[bniesen]

I don't want to sound like a noob, I have a been brewing outdoors for a few years and would like to move the operation to my basement and not have to lug my carboy down to the basement forever. I'm going to have to install a vent and vent hood for the steam. Does anyone here use an LP tank and stove in their basement and vent it outside or would you invest in a electric burner.
Budget is extremely limited.
Any ideas??

 

[IrregularPulse]

People use gas in their basement. You'll want a strong vent with an open window to draw clean air in. Also a CO detector is a smart move. I wouldn't recommend it without being very comfortable with everything involved. It could kill you.

This Video shows a well planned out setup and he talks about it.

 

[Torg]

Unless you have proper ventilation go for electric. Propane when burned created carbon monoxide so it can be dangerous. Also the output of its burning is water vapor, actually a significant amount. So you could be making your basement very moist. Heat plus moisture makes a very good environment for all those foreign yeasts, molds and bacteria.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Electric! Cheaper to build and sheaper to run IMO

 

[Cart]

+1 on CO detector if you go with gas. Or, if you heat your place with gas/oil and don't already have one in the basement, get one even if you do electric.

 

[bniesen]

thanks guys for the input! It looks like I'll be keeping my eyes open for some electric burners. Any ideas? Electric coils or electric elements??

 

[IrregularPulse]

Common Electric Boil Kettle setup is a 4500-5500 Watt element controlled by a PID. You'll 240V to boil with Electric.

 

[oceanselv]

If you go with electric, be careful. The direct contact between the kettle and the element can lead to overheating the wort. Temperature control with an electric cook top is more difficult than with a gas burner.