Drips from oven hood

[Jobe5217]

I was wondering how others deal with the drips coming from the hood above an oven. I live in a rental and the hood is old and greasy on the underside. During my first (and only) brew I noticed that after the full boil had been going for a while, with the exhaust fan on high, that water was dripping into my pot! Fortunately there was no affect on flavor and it turned out well.

At this point I am confined to the kitchen for brewing but I would like a floor burner or something in the future. My only solution at this point is to wipe the hood with a paper towel frequently. Is it okay to lower boil temp?

 

[zachattack]

You want a vigorous boil, especially if you're doing all grain brewing. I've only brewed on kitchen stoves (3 different ones) and can't say I've ever had this problem. I don't think this is a sanitation issue, but I wouldn't want weird oily crap dripping in my beer either.

Maybe just do what you can to clean/degrease the grate on the hood and then stop worrying about it? Is it a recirculating hood or does it actually vent outside? If it's just a recirculating one you could always cover it up with aluminum foil at the start of your brewday. I just keep enough air going through the kitchen that condensation isn't much of a problem.

 

[DrunkleJon]

A fan to move air around in the kitchen? I had some of that happen when I was first brewing. You should be ok as it is boiling and even if the drips are contaminated they will become sanitized in the boil. I say clean the greasy mess out from under the hood and dont worry about it.

 

[Channel66]

I'll be the weirdo that says to ask your landlord to replace it. If it's gross enough to be dripping into your food etc then it poses a "health" issue and should be replaced. The worst they can do is say no. Those are the types of things landlords overlook when going through the apartment between tenants, he/she likely won't mind replacing it as that type of thing falls under general maintenance and they should have a budget for that.

Just a thought.

For now, don't worry about it, or drape aluminum foil under it to catch the drops.

 

[beersk]

Keep an eye on it and wipe it off, that's what I do. I do 4 gallon all grain batches inside, because that's what I like to do. Also, have the vent fan on while you brew.

 

[Jobe5217]

Thank you all for the good tips! I think I will just wipe away condensation and try and get the hood replaced.

 

[brettwasbtd]

This would happen at my previous rental. The fan had a filter which was gross! I think had I replaced it, it would have aided the fan to actual be able to blow out the air. I also recommend a standalone fan to blow the steam away from the hood a bit until it can be replaced.

 

[jonmohno]

I kinda have that problem,I just wipe it and its also clean or precleaned before my boil. I turn on the fans and windows during the boil,it helps with the condensation so I may only have to wipe it once or twice duing the boil. Just keep it clean and watch it towards the end of boil.