Natural Gas Burner Suggestions

[roggae]

i have read through a few threads refrencing various nat gas burners, but i was wondering if anyone had any specific vendors they would recommend? i am looking at building a homebrew stand and plan on brewing in the basement. are there dimensions i need to be aware of? i know some are 9" and have factored plenty of room into my design for that.

thanks

 

[Soulive]

Is your username from the Phish song?

 

[cheezydemon]

mmmmm Phish.......

The best would be if your house has natural gas and a meter. If you could tie into that you would never run out.

 

[roggae]

yes. phish song. the circus is indeed the place for me. i am looking for suggistions for specific burners to look at for purchase.

thanks

free trey

 

[cheezydemon]

You said "a vendor" you didn't specify for the gas or the burner.

My Lowe's turkey fryer special works fine for me. I think you would need to vent it if it were in a basement.

 

[roggae]

so i am looking for suggestions as to where to get my multi jet burner from. i'm using natural gas and have seen a few discussions about the topic, but i am looking for a reputable vendor to get said burners from.


what is a band with saxophones?

 

[Bobby_M]

http://www.cpapc.com/store/CHINESE-WOK-RANGES-C244.aspx

 

[roggae]

along the same lines: how big of an exhaust fan/hood might i need to clear an 11x23 room running two of those burners? is there some kind of formula for moving air that i could use to determine? i really trying to avoid havingto buy a 3K hood for my brew room

 

[roggae]

if i am going to install this burner: http://www.cpapc.com/store/32-Tip-R...UserID=3327846&SessionID=sNJd1iDJz5ZDdF33Uuff

into my brew stand are there any special considerations i should take into account when designing?

thanks much

 

[brewpal]

I have that same burner. A ball valve is fine for flame control with NG.
It is about 10 inches below the 55 gal drum kettle.

Used it again today and I must say never worrying about running out of gas or propane refills is a big bonus.
Plus you can talk in a normal tone of voice with full flame.

 

[Bobby_M]

along the same lines: how big of an exhaust fan/hood might i need to clear an 11x23 room running two of those burners? is there some kind of formula for moving air that i could use to determine? i really trying to avoid havingto buy a 3K hood for my brew room

If you want to go cheap, try to find a blower out of an old forced hot air furnace. I wouldn't use a run of the mill residential hood and fan.

Your looking at a 32 tip burner for what size pot? If it's for 10 gallon batches, you're going too big. I even think the 23 tip is borderline too big.

 

[forceten]

brewpal - where did you purchase your stand? I'm looking at the 160kBTU jet burner.. but I can't find a stand anywhere!

Thanks much..

 

[BlindLemonLars]

I have that same burner. A ball valve is fine for flame control with NG.

I've got the 23 jet version, and I (perhaps incorrectly) came to the conclusion that a ball valve was completely inadequate for controlling it! On fult tilt, it's an impressive thing...like my own jet engine, right in the backyard. Crazy overkill for my 10 gallon pot, but impressive! When I start to close the ball valve, nothing much happens until it's nearly closed entirely. At that point, the flames go yellow, individual jets start self-extinguishing, and unpleasant and dangerous smelling vapors start wafting around.

Then I tried replacing half of the jets with metric bolts & pipe dope. That made the flame size more appropriate, but I still had little to no control with the ball valve, and it was difficult to keep all the burners lit.

I've now got a little cast iron propane burner, and after drilling out the orifice, it runs great on natural gas. Whether it's up to the task of boiling 7 gallons has yet to be determined.

Wow, a 55 gallon drum kettle...looks like you and I are in different leagues!

 

[Bobby_M]

So you had luck converting the smaller ones from like agrisupply.com? I'm anxious to hear how well it performs.

 

[brewpal]

The stand is custom welded to support the weight of the drum and 50 gal of wort during the boil. This pic is from ver 1 of the system with a propane multi-jet burner. Worked well, but drained an entire propane tank for one session hence the conversion to a NG burner. Second drum is for mashing.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

So you had luck converting the smaller ones from like agrisupply.com? I'm anxious to hear how well it performs.

It's this one, complete with a cast iron base. It's REALLY cheaply made, but has a multi-turn valve built into the orifice assembly, with a pretty good range of control. For $12, what the heck. I intended to brew with it today (with the old turkey fryer waiting in the wings if necessary) but it was well over 100°F and somehow I ended up in the swimming pool instead.

Cast Iron Propane Cooker

 

[ajwillys]

Hey Blind,
I just found this thread and am wondering if that cheap burner of yours ended up working for natural gas. If so, would you do it again. I'm seriously thinking about doing this for myself.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Hey Blind,
I just found this thread and am wondering if that cheap burner of yours ended up working for natural gas. If so, would you do it again. I'm seriously thinking about doing this for myself.

No, it's underpowered for full boils. Eventually it'll get 7 gallons boiling, but it's more of an anemic simmer.

I also gave up on my 23 jet burners, the ones Bobby provided a link to. I tried a lot of things, including plugging half the jets with bolts and even installing a regulator inline. While it may be a limitation of my supply line (1/2" stub on my patio) I could never get them to run clean, and after each batch my kettle would be covered with a thick layer of soot.

I've finally found a nat-gas solution I'm entirely satisfied with. You know those big honkin' Hurricane burners in the homebrew catalogs? The ones that say "Propane only, cannot be converted to natural gas!" Well, they run great on natural gas, with the simple addition of a "Conversion Valve" from Williams Brewing. There is a reasonably wide range of flame control, and it's easy to dial in a clean burn by turning the restrictor plate. I believe the "conversion valve" is just like the stock one, but with a larger orifice.

Yesterday I took the angle grinder to my Bayou Classic stand, and modified it to hold the hurricane. Brewed a batch of ESB today...came to a rockin' boil in record time, and the bottom of my kettle is clean enough to eat off of. We happy.

 

[DiveBrew]

If your multi-jet didn't work for you, and the banjo did, you are propagating an issue specific to yourself because the multi-jet heats as well or better than a banjo.

Either:

A) You have improper orifice sizing.

B) You have not installed a trap to capture inline flakes from galvanic action etc. and have clogged your reg.

Try wrapping on your reg with a piece of wood for a minute and see if your flow increases. It is very common when using dislike pipe.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

If your multi-jet didn't work for you, and the banjo did, you are propagating an issue specific to yourself because the multi-jet heats as well or better than a banjo.

Either:

A) You have improper orifice sizing.

B) You have not installed a trap to capture inline flakes from galvanic action etc. and have clogged your reg.

Try wrapping on your reg with a piece of wood for a minute and see if your flow increases. It is very common when using dislike pipe.

You'll note I suggested the multi-jet problems were perhaps unique to my setup. I'm merely indicating what unequivocally does and doesn't work with said setup.

My multi-jet burners are natural gas models, with appropriate sized orifices. The only way I could get them to burn even remotely cleanly was with the ball valve nearly wide open...at that setting, the generated heat was extreme overkill, and entirely unsafe and unmanageable. Turn down the gas and there was insufficient oxygen intake, resulting in smokey yellow flames and nasty fumes. This is without a regulator inline.

So whatever the technical reasons, the multi-jets were completely unsuitable for me. I'm just happy to have found something that works flawlessly.

 

[ajwillys]

Awesome, that burner looks perfect. Will definitely be going on my christmas list.

BTW, about how loud is it? My current burner is so loud, you can barely talk when its running full strength.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Awesome, that burner looks perfect. Will definitely be going on my christmas list.

BTW, about how loud is it? My current burner is so loud, you can barely talk when its running full strength.

It's very quiet, from a few feet away you can barely hear it. In fact, if not for the billowing column of heat, it would be hard to tell the burner is even lit!

Between this and my nat-gas grill, the propane refill place is going to forget what I look like.

 

[bull8042]

Awesome, that burner looks perfect. Will definitely be going on my christmas list.

BTW, about how loud is it? My current burner is so loud, you can barely talk when its running full strength.

I don't want to jack a thread here, but I notice you are from Holly Springs. Are you actually from that wide spot on Hwy 52 or is it a real town now?
I grew up in Mt. Airy.... small world I guess.

 

[ajwillys]

I don't want to jack a thread here, but I notice you are from Holly Springs. Are you actually from that wide spot on Hwy 52 or is it a real town now?
I grew up in Mt. Airy.... small world I guess.

I'm nowhere near Mt. Airy or 52. Perhaps there's another Holly Springs.....?

The Holly Springs I live in is outside of Raleigh. It's a pretty small town but it is a real one

 

[bull8042]

I'm nowhere near Mt. Airy or 52. Perhaps there's another Holly Springs.....?

The Holly Springs I live in is outside of Raleigh. It's a pretty small town but it is a real one

Yup, different one.... Sorry for the confusion. I did get the state right though, so it's not a total loss....

 

[jds]

...
I've finally found a nat-gas solution I'm entirely satisfied with. You know those big honkin' Hurricane burners in the homebrew catalogs? The ones that say "Propane only, cannot be converted to natural gas!" Well, they run great on natural gas, with the simple addition of a "Conversion Valve" from Williams Brewing. There is a reasonably wide range of flame control, and it's easy to dial in a clean burn by turning the restrictor plate. I believe the "conversion valve" is just like the stock one, but with a larger orifice.
...

Seriously? That's good news. I'm thinking long-term about switching to NG and building a rig. If those burners give good results with a proper orifice, that may be exactly what I'm looking for. That, or I'm going to start salvaging NG furnaces and water heaters for the gas controls and flame diffusers.

 

[shoebag22]

No, it's underpowered for full boils. Eventually it'll get 7 gallons boiling, but it's more of an anemic simmer.

I also gave up on my 23 jet burners, the ones Bobby provided a link to. I tried a lot of things, including plugging half the jets with bolts and even installing a regulator inline. While it may be a limitation of my supply line (1/2" stub on my patio) I could never get them to run clean, and after each batch my kettle would be covered with a thick layer of soot.

I've finally found a nat-gas solution I'm entirely satisfied with. You know those big honkin' Hurricane burners in the homebrew catalogs? The ones that say "Propane only, cannot be converted to natural gas!" Well, they run great on natural gas, with the simple addition of a "Conversion Valve" from Williams Brewing. There is a reasonably wide range of flame control, and it's easy to dial in a clean burn by turning the restrictor plate. I believe the "conversion valve" is just like the stock one, but with a larger orifice.

Yesterday I took the angle grinder to my Bayou Classic stand, and modified it to hold the hurricane. Brewed a batch of ESB today...came to a rockin' boil in record time, and the bottom of my kettle is clean enough to eat off of. We happy.

Looking at your pictures I do not see the conversion valve installed... is it installed close to the burner or at the other end of the hose?

 

[ajwillys]

Looking at your pictures I do not see the conversion valve installed... is it installed close to the burner or at the other end of the hose?

It's the brass valve connected to the burner. I have the Propane valve/orifice and the NG valve/orifice. You just switch them out when you want to use a different one. Here's a better pic (and where you can buy it):

http://www.williamsbrewing.com/HURR...serID=2955728&jsessionid=d830d06a5c517e417970

 

[Weizenheimer]

No, it's underpowered for full boils. Eventually it'll get 7 gallons boiling, but it's more of an anemic simmer.

I also gave up on my 23 jet burners, the ones Bobby provided a link to. I tried a lot of things, including plugging half the jets with bolts and even installing a regulator inline. While it may be a limitation of my supply line (1/2" stub on my patio) I could never get them to run clean, and after each batch my kettle would be covered with a thick layer of soot.

I've finally found a nat-gas solution I'm entirely satisfied with. You know those big honkin' Hurricane burners in the homebrew catalogs? The ones that say "Propane only, cannot be converted to natural gas!" Well, they run great on natural gas, with the simple addition of a "Conversion Valve" from Williams Brewing. There is a reasonably wide range of flame control, and it's easy to dial in a clean burn by turning the restrictor plate. I believe the "conversion valve" is just like the stock one, but with a larger orifice.

Yesterday I took the angle grinder to my Bayou Classic stand, and modified it to hold the hurricane. Brewed a batch of ESB today...came to a rockin' boil in record time, and the bottom of my kettle is clean enough to eat off of. We happy.

Will the hurricane conversion valve work on the bayou classic KAB4? The burner looks just like the one you have pictured above. I just need it for 5-6 gallon boils and I'm sick of the constant fight with the propane tanks. I already have a natural gas tap set up for my grill.

 

[bdnoona]

I have a KAB6, and wish like Hell that I had a natural gas line outside. Propane refills suck.

 

[bdnoona]

Actually, I take that back. The KAB series uses the Banjo, which can't use natural gas. It just looks like an identical burner to the Hurricane, according to the guys here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/banjo-vs-hurricane-36636/index3.html

Sorry, my bad.