PollardsVision
Active Member
I'm trying to figure out if this thing will work for brewing/boiling. Does anyone know if these things generally provide enough heat to work for boiling 4-5 gallons of wort?
I got it off craigslist for $25. It's old, but works. The prev. owner didn't know the BTUs and I can't tell. He did say they used it for canning, so it has boiled 2-3 gallons of water before.
It's a Sears Model 119-663.
To get an idea of what I'm talking about, it's pretty much an 80's model of this (with unknown power, but certainly less):
http://ww.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM6074248807P?prdNo=5&blockNo=5&blockType=G5
I tried to oxidize a 6-gallon AL pot with it last night. It didn't go well. It had about 5 gal. of water in it. I was outside. It was 40 degrees and with a little wind. The pot was sitting across 2 burners, both wide open.
After 2.5 hours, it was almost boiling, but still need about another 5 degrees. I gave up for the night as it didn't look like it was going to happen.
So, what I'm basically asking is:
1-Should a reasonably powerful burner be able to bring 5 gal. to a boil in a reasonable amount of time (an hour?), even in 40 degree weather?
2-Based on what I've described about this burner, how much better might I expect this thing to perform if I bring it inside (with doors open, of course)?
I was excited to get this thing for $25 and I'll have many other uses for it, even if boiling 4-5 gallons of wort isn't one of them. I'm just trying to figure out the reasonable expectations of something like this.
Oh, and did you guys know there's an entire online community for old camp stove enthusiasts? http://www.spiritburner.com/fusion/index.php
I got it off craigslist for $25. It's old, but works. The prev. owner didn't know the BTUs and I can't tell. He did say they used it for canning, so it has boiled 2-3 gallons of water before.
It's a Sears Model 119-663.
To get an idea of what I'm talking about, it's pretty much an 80's model of this (with unknown power, but certainly less):
http://ww.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM6074248807P?prdNo=5&blockNo=5&blockType=G5
I tried to oxidize a 6-gallon AL pot with it last night. It didn't go well. It had about 5 gal. of water in it. I was outside. It was 40 degrees and with a little wind. The pot was sitting across 2 burners, both wide open.
After 2.5 hours, it was almost boiling, but still need about another 5 degrees. I gave up for the night as it didn't look like it was going to happen.
So, what I'm basically asking is:
1-Should a reasonably powerful burner be able to bring 5 gal. to a boil in a reasonable amount of time (an hour?), even in 40 degree weather?
2-Based on what I've described about this burner, how much better might I expect this thing to perform if I bring it inside (with doors open, of course)?
I was excited to get this thing for $25 and I'll have many other uses for it, even if boiling 4-5 gallons of wort isn't one of them. I'm just trying to figure out the reasonable expectations of something like this.
Oh, and did you guys know there's an entire online community for old camp stove enthusiasts? http://www.spiritburner.com/fusion/index.php
