Burner in doors

[Evan!]

The fact that this guy is coming on here asking whether this is okay AFTER THE FACT is reason enough to ridicule him. Every year, you hear about idiots who fire up their generator inside when the power goes out, and end up dead from the carbon monoxide fumes. So, why, without asking FIRST, would you even think about firing up a 55,000 BTU propane burner inside? I don't mean to be so harsh, but that sounds like a Darwin Award in the making. And aside from the carbon monoxide issue, there's the whole "bigass flame indoors" thing that should send up a red flag or two. Or fifty.

Put on a coat, grow some balls, and enjoy the blustering, refreshingly cold weather. I know for a fact that the suffering you go through makes the finished product better.

 

[Brewpastor]

Ventalation where ever you brew is central. Also, the floor under those cookers get pretty hot, so fire concern. Also, boil overs happen and I wouldn't want that mess in SWMBO's house. That alone could be a fatal mistake.

 

[the_bird]

Put on a coat, grow some balls, and enjoy the blustering, refreshingly cold weather. I know for a fact that the suffering you go through makes the finished product better.

Dude, you live in Virgina; WTF do you know about the cold?

 

[uglygoat]

lol...

i cant boil outside with the propaine burner here in cleveland oh. it's just too windy to keep the flame on the pot and a rolling boil is near impossible to reach during the winter months. we boil inside the garage, usually with the windows cracked open in front and back to allow a decent air flow. summer and fall we open the door cause it's warm

 

[Dmay]

The fact that this guy is coming on here asking whether this is okay AFTER THE FACT is reason enough to ridicule him. Every year, you hear about idiots who fire up their generator inside when the power goes out, and end up dead from the carbon monoxide fumes. So, why, without asking FIRST, would you even think about firing up a 55,000 BTU propane burner inside? I don't mean to be so harsh, but that sounds like a Darwin Award in the making. And aside from the carbon monoxide issue, there's the whole "bigass flame indoors" thing that should send up a red flag or two. Or fifty.

Put on a coat, grow some balls, and enjoy the blustering, refreshingly cold weather. I know for a fact that the suffering you go through makes the finished product better.

Well Evan yes WTF do you know about the cold in VA, NY has been 0 with wind chill below -25, Its not the fact I don't have big balls, but it takes much longer to heat the wort. And yes kinda foolish to fire up a gas powered generator indoors (much more CO or by product of combustion). My small turkey fryer burns much cleaner and less CO, and Yes I did have ventilation just not on the floor where CO lives. So a Darwin award I'm not sure I am up for but I will agree this is not the best thing to do. But hey thanks for the input.

D-

 

[Evan!]

Well Evan yes WTF do you know about the cold in VA, NY has been 0 with wind chill below -25, Its not the fact I don't have big balls, but it takes much longer to heat the wort. And yes kinda foolish to fire up a gas powered generator indoors (much more CO or by product of combustion). My small turkey fryer burns much cleaner and less CO, and Yes I did have ventilation just not on the floor where CO lives. So a Darwin award I'm not sure I am up for but I will agree this is not the best thing to do. But hey thanks for the input.

Ah, 'twas partly in jest anyhow (the part about the balls ), but, regardless...my point was that when it comes to open flame indoors, it's usually best to make sure it's safe before actually firing it up.

If you have a -25f windchill, man, I'd say it might be time to move . It's a little like the folks who keep rebuilding trailer parks in hurricane alley. Either that, or perhaps think about a system that taps into your natural gas (if you have service), or just become a fair-weather brewer.

Admittedly, our temps here are balmy f'ing caribbean (hehe, up in the 40's today) compared to yours. And you probably have 11 feet of snow too. But IF I were you, and it WAS that cold outside, I think I might have to invest in a NG system, or just move. Propane inside your house is a recipe for disaster, in all seriousness.

 

[Evan!]

Dude, you live in Virgina; WTF do you know about the cold?

The reason I don't live in upstate NY is the same reason I don't live in New Orleans. We get just enough seasonal variation here, without the absurd extremes of the northeast or the deep south. It gets into the teens here, and I shake my fist at the sky .

BTW, birdman, I haven't forgotten about you, I've just been busy. That brew'll be in the mail this week, I promise.

Oh, and by the way, I don't live in "Virgina".

 

[Dmay]

Its all good!! I live for the cold just don't like cooking beer in it. Besides the skiing is much better up here than in the deep south haha

 

[Evan!]

Drink some barleywine. That'll warm you up right nice.

 

[Rocket]

I like to brew with a 5,000,000 BTU propane burner in a small room. I sit on the propane tank right next to the burner, covered in gasoline while lighting a cigar with a butane torch. If I really get excited, I start bumping the propane tank against the burner. If it's taking to long, I just hold a nitrous oxide bottle down next to the flames and open the valve a little.



Just kidding. Wow, this medicine is stronger than I thought.

Anyway, what we really do is brew inside a garage with 15ft ceilings. We open both doors about a foot above the floor to vent the CO. About the worst thing is you can smell the propane exhaust a little near the ceiling (at the top of the stairs). Other than that, we don't have any problems. Just make sure the area around the burner is clear.

 

[Dmay]

I like to brew with a 5,000,000 BTU propane burner in a small room. I sit on the propane tank right next to the burner, covered in gasoline while lighting a cigar with a butane torch. If I really get excited, I start bumping the propane tank against the burner. If it's taking to long, I just hold a nitrous oxide bottle down next to the flames and open the valve a little.



Just kidding. Wow, this medicine is stronger than I thought.

Anyway, what we really do is brew inside a garage with 15ft ceilings. We open both doors about a foot above the floor to vent the CO. About the worst thing is you can smell the propane exhaust a little near the ceiling (at the top of the stairs). Other than that, we don't have any problems. Just make sure the area around the burner is clear.

Now thats a good one!!!!:cross:

I am off to the garage. I have now found an excuse to get a nice brewing sculpture and go to all grain!!! the wife wont complain about that haha

 

[butler1850]

A few folks have compared the 55,000 BTU capacity of the turkey fryer with the maximum out put for a gas oven (Propane in my house).

So I looked up a moderate Kenmore and found the following: (running at full tilt)

No. of Burner Cooking Zones 4 Burner Configuration High output: one 12,200 BTU. nat.
Low output: one 5,000 BTU nat.
All-purpose: two 9,500 BTU nat.
Bake Burner 18,000 BTU Nat.

For a net of 54,200 BTUs. These numbers are for natural gas, and I'm not sure how it converts to propane (numerically... physically it's just a different nozzle.) But, it's pretty close to the 55K BTU numbers being discussed with the fryers.

These are unventilated in the kitchen. Or rather they vent TO the kitchen. Now, I'll agree that you generally don't have all burners running, and the oven at 100% duty cycle, but it happens.

I'm not going to say that a turkey fryer wouldn't be dangerous from a FIRE standpoint, but if it's burning relatively cleanly, I'd say there isn't much danger of being "gassed to death," during a relatively short brew session (4-5 hours max).

In most modern garages, there would be plenty of "leak air" coming in anyway, so I don't think that keeping the door/windows open would be required. In the kitchen, I'd be more worried about the "space" issues of working around a fryer, rather than the gas issues. I'd not be having a homebrew during that session, and I doubt I'd relax if using it in the kitchen.

I'd bet most of the "they all died of gas" cases are those caused by poorly functioning equipment, which has been left running for several days, rather than the few hours that you'd be brewing.

 

[boo boo]

Butler1850 thay may be so , but I wouldn't risk MY life on it.

 

[Kaiser]

This is really an interesting thread as I have been thinking about building a 10 gal brewing set-up in my basement. First assesments have shown that it will be difficult to generate the necessary heat electrically. I'll now have to look into ways of making propane save indoors. My thinking was that if it works for stoves, why wouldn't it work for a brewing set-up.

I currently brew in my garage with the garage door open. I thhink its fine though I wish I would have an option that works better for me

Kai

 

[Cheesefood]

Seems to me that it's a LOT cheaper to spend the $80 on a garage heater than the $5,000 for either a coffin or insurance deductible.

When I go AG, I plan on doing it in the garage (during winter) but with the door wide open. I may get another propane tank and a heater attachment to keep the garage warm enough to work on other projects while I'm out there.

Ovens are built to contain the fire, should anything go wrong inside. Turkey Fryers are known to cause fires as-is. I'm actually considering getting a scrap piece of gypsum to attach to the bottom of my fryer for fireproofing purposes.

 

[brewt00l]

Turkey Fryers are known to cause fires as-is.

From what I have seen, much of that is due to the fry oil when it is used to fry turkeys.

Course, using caution with open flame sources is never a bad thing.

 

[ayrton]

The link posted earlier claims that it is "dangerous and unlawful" to store a propane tank indoors. The site appears to have been Canadian, true, but it'd be worth checking out the laws where you live regarding the use of propane tanks indoors.

Also, forget about CO for a second; the danger to your home alone isn't worth the convenience you gain. A large, open flame on a burner that could easily tip over is just a bad, bad idea. Use the garage or bundle up and go outside. My last brew day was outdoors, and with the wind I was in the single digits and lower. Brrr.

 

[Pumbaa]

A large, open flame on a burner that could easily tip over is just a bad, bad idea.

What kind of fryer are you using? Both my burners have a guard around the burner it's self and I could run right into either one of them and maybe scoot them acorss the floor a bit but neither are going to tip . . . and I have a 3 leg and a 4 leg burner.

It comes down to simple common sense. If you are going to use a fryer to make BEER inside make sure you have good ventalation (CFM should equal about twice the squar footage of the area you are cooking in, 200sqare feet means about 400 CFM and vent it outside) and make sure you have good clearance from combustables around the burner in ALL directions (I would guess 3-5 feet).

I'd be more worried one of you guys would burn your house down with a space heater or candle, or kill yourself with CO2 by a malfunctioning furnace or water heater then doing either with a turkey fryer used for brewing.

oh and BTW . . .

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml04/04041.html
CPSC Issues Safety Tips for Turkey Fryers

 

[Dmay]

The link posted earlier claims that it is "dangerous and unlawful" to store a propane tank indoors. The site appears to have been Canadian, true, but it'd be worth checking out the laws where you live regarding the use of propane tanks indoors.

Also, forget about CO for a second; the danger to your home alone isn't worth the convenience you gain. A large, open flame on a burner that could easily tip over is just a bad, bad idea. Use the garage or bundle up and go outside. My last brew day was outdoors, and with the wind I was in the single digits and lower. Brrr.

If we are worried about flame tip over why would the garage be any better. both concrete floors open spaces the only difference between the basement and the garage is I have much less gasoline, either, oil, dry gas you know those highly flammable things most guys have in the garage. Basemanet has nice concrete floors (nonflammable), open space.

 

[fifelee]

--- The follow advice is to be used at your own ******* risk. I want no responsibility and if you burn down your house I will laugh at you. ---

In order to meet code, many commercial breweries weld a skirt around the base of their kettle. The skirt has a duct attached at the highest point that goes outside. The rising fumes are trapped and vented away (it also helps to retain heat). A basement brewer could do the same, but would have to create more of a permanent kettle location. Not the one you pack up and stuff in the closet.

 

[D*Bo]

Most states (possibly all) it is illegal to store propane tanks (combustable gases) indoors (in the house or attached garages/carports/storage sheds). Not to mention your insurance will not cover damages if found, even if it isn't the cause. Much like them finding wiring not on the prints during a post fire inspection, coverage revoked.


Natural gas burns cleaner and more complete than propane. If you aren't getting enough fresh air, the propane will produce more byproducts.

Has anyone talked to Mike Judge about this yet?

 

[Kaiser]

Much like them finding wiring not on the prints during a post fire inspection, coverage revoked.

This is interesting. Which prints would a hired electrician put new wiring on? And it should certainly be allowed for an electrican to install new wiring.

Kai

 

[eelpout]

see this
http://www.co.warren.oh.us/bldginsp/building/propane.htm

we have used propane for atleast 40 years at our house.
didnt die yet.
and yes this is the same gas that is in the 20 or 35 or 100 lb tanks.

I have probably run about 50 batches with my fryer in the basement no problems.
but yes I open the windows and run fans in them. Have a CO meter right there and upstairs. I think it went off once,, but i was running out of gas and the flame was flickerin other than that no problems