Indoor propane

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cjham9985

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Looking to move my brew rig indoors. I thought I recently read somewhere on here that someone said they make propane burners that are rated for indoor use? Does anyone have any knowledge of this or use them yourselves? I'm looking at the alternative of going electric and think that just looks like a whole new bag of worms aka money lol
 
There are indoor gas stovetops that do OK for boiling a few gallons of wort. When I started my apartment had a gas range and it worked.

If you don't want to go with electric elements, you could go with an induction cook top. It's 'electric', but you can't scorch anything. The main limitation there is you need a low-nckel stainless steel kettle, which can be harder to find for cheap
 
Search "Indoor Wok Burner". I don't have one, I went with an electric heat stick to assist my stove. But I was looking at them for a while.
 
How many gallons are you looking to boil? I have a electric glass stove top that can do 3-4 gallons without problems. If you are doing small batches or extracts your stove top should be able to handle it. If you need a bit more power you can get a boil stick to provide a little bit more power to get the boil.

If you really need or want to do the indoor propane you should be able to Google indoor propane burner or like djt17 said "Indoor Wok Burner".
 
check your building codes as well they usually specific BTU limit's ect... plus you need proper ventilation because of carbon monoxide.

i do 1-3 gallon batches on my NG stove top with out a problem... so it depends on your batch size... i'm guessing your doing 5+ if your outside on a propane burner

you could always use water heater elements that will heat up fast and hot but usually need a dedicated breaker and outlet for that plus depending on what type of heater may need to bump up from 120V to 220V
 
plus you need proper ventilation because of carbon monoxide.

+1. The danger of CO is REAL. Just because you can't see it or smell it doesn't mean it's not there and killing you. IMO there is no such thing as totally safe indoor combustion. I strongly recommend a CO monitor in all cases. I've had mine go off several times (even in a garage with the door up) and realized that I was light-headed and disoriented, but not enough to raise any internal alarms which would have caused me to seek fresh air. Even households with natural gas furnaces and/or water heaters should have a monitor.
 
If I were to move back inside my house, I would likely use my stove + the hot rod stick from brew hardware as the assist. 120v, so I won't need additional wiring and it will assist my stove well enough for my needs.
 
I also moved back indoors recently after years of 10 gal driveway brewing. I use my gas stovetop. I bought a wide SS 8 gal pot that straddles 2 burners. this is plenty to start the full all grain boil. once it starts boiling I move to 1.

That being said I'm also interested in an alternative indoor burner so I can brew in a different part of the kitchen. I wouldn't do propane though
 
I use a brew tree with three BG10 burners in my basement. There's a CO alarm about 10ft away from the brew tree, and I open a window and run an exhaust fan any time the burners are on. I've never had the alarm go off while brewing. I feel ok with doing it this way, although many do not.
 
This may be a stupid question but whats the difference between an indoor propane fed stove top and an outside turkey fryer burner as far as Carbon monoxide?
 
I agree with the posts that contain a WARNING. Propane is for outdoor use unless specially ventilated. Bad idea. But it could win you a Darwin award.
 
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This may be a stupid question but whats the difference between an indoor propane fed stove top and an outside turkey fryer burner as far as Carbon monoxide?
BTUs is the primary difference; burners designed for indoor use also burn cleaner.
 
If I were to move back inside my house, I would likely use my stove + the hot rod stick from brew hardware as the assist. 120v, so I won't need additional wiring and it will assist my stove well enough for my needs.

just check the amperage rating on the hot stick.... if it draws 15amps and it's plugged into an outlet that is tied to 15 or even 20amps and something else is on that same breaker your breaker is going to pop and you won't be able to use the hot stick..... you may be ok but just check.... not worried about voltage worried about amperage

oh also be careful how the wire is routed, especially if going on a gas stove top.... don't want the heat to melt the insulation on the wire......
 
If you use a burner that is not rated for indoor use, and have a fire, your insurance may not cover a loss.

Stove, or electric. I am sure you could build a fireproof enclosure with great ventilation, but by the time you did that, you'd own an electric system.
 
just check the amperage rating on the hot stick.... if it draws 15amps and it's plugged into an outlet that is tied to 15 or even 20amps and something else is on that same breaker your breaker is going to pop and you won't be able to use the hot stick..... you may be ok but just check.... not worried about voltage worried about amperage

oh also be careful how the wire is routed, especially if going on a gas stove top.... don't want the heat to melt the insulation on the wire......

1500w elements only draw 12 amps max and usually more like 11. 2000w elements require a 20a outlet since they can draw 16a theoretically. (most draw less than their max rating.)

I second looking at electric... I did it and will never go back to gas if I have the option.
 
1500w elements only draw 12 amps max and usually more like 11. 2000w elements require a 20a outlet since they can draw 16a theoretically. (most draw less than their max rating.)

I second looking at electric... I did it and will never go back to gas if I have the option.

good to know.... like i thought you almost need a dedicated outlet for the element. if your drawing 11-12 amps on a 15 amp breaker that only leaves you 3-4 amps left before breaker trips which means depending on how your house is wired a stove exhaust fan, hairdryer, a couple of lights (depending on wattage), fridge ect... will trip the breaker.....
 
A fairly new house should have GFCI outlets in the kitchen, these should be the only outlets on that circuit. (Per NEC). MY house is 25 yrs old; it has 3 GFCI outlets in the kitchen, nothing else is on this circuit. I can observe what is plugged in & running.
 
This may be a stupid question but whats the difference between an indoor propane fed stove top and an outside turkey fryer burner as far as Carbon monoxide?

nothing.....there is no such thing as an "indoor" gas burner. If anyone states otherwise, its just to try and sell something. They all work the same. Even your gas range in the kitchen. I have been working with gas and propane for 15 years (own a heating company)

Truth is, as long as you have proper exhaust and fresh air intake, there is no problem with brewing gas indoors. I run 2 banjo burners in my brew room at the same time, with no problems. My first brew day, i got a bit light headed, and cut in a new fresh air. Works fine now. A little understanding of how air flows and circulates helps. My hood and my fresh airs are located in specific places to make everything draft right, to grab all the carbon monoxide. After the first day, i brought my smoke tester home and ran a blue smoke test, to make sure it was drafting right. Take a look at my set up. Its linked in my sig. Nothing fancy, but was going cheap. And wanted to make sure it could all come out easily, as we will more than likely sell this home in 5-10 years.

Also, for everyone, in high concentrations, you CAN smell carbon monoxide. After working around it for years, you can pick up the distinct odor of it. I do recommend detectors in your brew area. Also in older homes, you should get a couple. Furnace heat exchangers can crack, and you wont know it until the alarm goes off. Its internal, and not visible without tearing into the furnace.
 
good to know.... like i thought you almost need a dedicated outlet for the element. if your drawing 11-12 amps on a 15 amp breaker that only leaves you 3-4 amps left before breaker trips which means depending on how your house is wired a stove exhaust fan, hairdryer, a couple of lights (depending on wattage), fridge ect... will trip the breaker.....

Yes your right but a 60w lamp for example draws like half an amp... How many things are you really going to have running off the same circuit at the same time? Even a chugger pump draws less that 2 amps... Like you said depending on were you brewing and how your house was wired, If you just avoid running the coffee maker or toaster at the same time on the same circuit you will be fine with things like clocks radios and lights...

Your right about fridges using about 12 amps for a second for startup but then they draw much less when running. still they would not be a good idea on the same circuit. this is why most kitchens have multiple circuits no days since even running the coffee maker and toaster on the same 15 amp circuit can trip the breaker.

You can always run a heavy gauge extension cord from an outlet thats on another circuit with nothing else drawing much off it if your house is ancient like mine.... I decided to bite the bullet and spend the $150 bucks to run a 30A gfci 240v circuit upstairs to my spare bedroom I converted to the "brewery" very glad I did.
 
Your right about fridges using about 12 amps for a second for startup but then they draw much less when running. still they would not be a good idea on the same circuit.

most houses build in the last 10 years have the fridge on there own breaker
 
Furnace heat exchangers can crack, and you wont know it until the alarm goes off. Its internal, and not visible without tearing into the furnace.

Tell me about it. I'm having my furnace replaced today to the tune of $7200.00 after discovering two weeks ago that it was blowing carbon monoxide throughout the house due to the problem you mention. Awoken early in the morning with the detectors going off. I would hate to think what would have happened had we no detectors. I have young children. I just don't trust any indoor combustion anymore. Even with adequate air exchange, the gas you do breathe is still poisonous, binding with your hemoglobin and rendering it incapable of carrying oxygen to your brain. I've been sleeping every night for two weeks with 20ppm in the air, hoping that the detectors were functioning flawlessly. Glad this is finally getting fixed.
 
Tell me about it. I'm having my furnace replaced today to the tune of $7200.00 after discovering two weeks ago that it was blowing carbon monoxide throughout the house due to the problem you mention. Awoken early in the morning with the detectors going off. I would hate to think what would have happened had we no detectors. I have young children. I just don't trust any indoor combustion anymore. Even with adequate air exchange, the gas you do breathe is still poisonous, binding with your hemoglobin and rendering it incapable of carrying oxygen to your brain. I've been sleeping every night for two weeks with 20ppm in the air, hoping that the detectors were functioning flawlessly. Glad this is finally getting fixed.

this is why they are required by code, now. Thats the problem,and why its so dangerous, is it basically makes you go to sleep, and never wake up. If you are already asleep, you dont even realize its happening. You just never wake up.
 
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