High Pressure vs Low Pressure

[mtnyota]

I'm having issues getting a good rolling boil like I see in some of the posted videos, and I think the issue is my burner setup. I took over my dads brewing setup that he built in our basement. I have no real info on what the burner is, but it is this type:

http://bayouclassicdepot.com/bg10_cast_iron_burner.htm

I am assuming that all burners that style are intended for high pressure propane, and we have it plumbed into the house propane which I now know is ~0.5psi. Is that a fair assumption that all burners of that style are for high pressure?

Will a low pressure burner such as this:
http://www.agrisupply.com/product.asp?pn=40282&cn=5400001&bhcd2=1282672831

Be decent with the low pressure propane? It looks similar to the SQ-14 but says it's low pressure. My current setup takes about an hour to get from 150* to 212*. Or is it worth the hassel to just hook a BBQ tank up to my current burner?

 

[Catt22]

The cup style diffuser burner is designed to be used with high pressure propane. You could probably use it with low pressure propane if you changed out the orifice to a larger one, but I'm not at all sure how well it would perform.

The ring type burner is essentially the same, if not identical, burner used on the SQ-14. This burner can be used with either high or low pressure gas. I have two of them. One high and one low pressure. Again, you must use the corresponding orifice for them to function properly.

The bottom line is that a high pressure burner will put out more heat than a low pressure burner. There may be exceptions to this, but that's generally the case. My low pressure ring type burner will bring a large volume to a boil (10-14 gallons), but it takes awhile to get there. I prefer the high pressure SQ-14 for the boil kettle and I use the low pressure burner on my direct fired mash tun. The beauty of the SQ-14 is that it comes equipped with a 0-10 psi adjustable regulator, so you sort of get the best of both worlds. ie. good flame control at low levels and high output at full throttle. You may be able to plumb higher pressure gas from your bulk propane tank, but I would get some professional advice on how to do it if I were you. You may also be able to refill a 20 lb tank from the bulk tank with a proper tap and use it for your burner. There again, some professional assistance would be prudent. That way you could run off the small tank, but avoid the higher cost of having it filled or exchanged.

 

[mtnyota]

How well will the low pressure burner keep a rolling boil? Would you have an estimate of how long it takes to heat 11gal?

 

[Catt22]

How well will the low pressure burner keep a rolling boil? Would you have an estimate of how long it takes to heat 11gal?

I can only make WAG as it has been a very long time since I used mine for the BK. IIRC, it was close to an hour, but I did not actually time it and the ambient temperature was probably 75 F or so; not very cold. IIRC, the boil rate was adequate, but again, I only have a vague recollection of it.

 

[ImperialLover]

Just another alternative since you have one bg10 burner already...

I started using a bg10 burner that I got with a turkey fryer for 5gal batches. However, I'm in the process of building a four bg10 burner system (single tier rims) for 10gal batches. (one burner for the HLT, one for the MLT, and two for the BK) I know for a fact that one bg10 (with 15psi regulator) will move 5gal from 160-212 in about 10-15min (in summer time) and will theoretically be able to push the same times for 10 gals with double the BTUs from double burners (and potentially faster because of the 30psi regulator's higher output options).

I just went onto amazon.com and purchased three burners at $15/per (free shipping) and a 30psi high pressure regulator for $25 (free shipping).

Having said that, I don't know what type of system/stand you are brewing with but consider this...

If you purchased one burner, a 30psi regulator and did a little propane line/pipe work you'd probably be out of pocket around $50 but you'd have the ability to run a double or single burner bg10 setup. This way like Cat22 said you'd get the best of both worlds.. A 30 psi regulator with an option to run one adjustable burner (mash control) or a double burner (boil kettle) on hell mode.

Plus if you wanted to upgrade in the future to a four burner system like mine, you'd come out of pocket for two more burners and some lines..