Propane Burners Part 2

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

brackbrew

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2005
Messages
361
Reaction score
2
Location
Lancaster, PA
Ok, so I've taken the advice from tnlandsailor and bought a reconditioned sanke keg from sabco to use as a brew kettle (i also bought the s/s ball valve and thermometer to go with it). I expect it to arrive next week, but I still don't have a burner (obviously, I'm not brewing with this baby on the stove). I searched through older posts concerning burners, hoping to find things out about BTU ratings, etc. Between reading older posts and my back issues of BYO, words like ventilation :confused: , illegal :mad: , outdoors :drunk: , etc., began appearing more and more, which leads me to these questions:

What's a good BTU rating to use with these keg kettle (I'm still only doing 5 gallon batches--not enough bottles yet to double up and no keg system yet, either)

What's the story on using something like this inside? I live in an apartment, but there is a HUGE amount of space in my kitchen (with nothing in or around said space) that is next to two huge windows. I have a small patio, but fire marshall laws prevent the use of grills on them, so I'm sure I'd be toast if I tried to brew out there

HELP! I NEED SOME GUIDANCE!!!
 
it sounds like your between a rock and a hard place :( I've done some reseach on what are called hot sticks basically there heating elements for hot water heaters. there are homemade handles out of pipe so you can handle them and you can get them in a 110volt configuration. sounds like in your apartment you will need a 110 setup unless you have a 220volt dryer plug.www.grainger.com is a good site to find those elements. look at some of the links on this site to find the plans to build one. Hope this is of help for you.
 
insco2 said:
it sounds like your between a rock and a hard place :( I've done some reseach on what are called hot sticks basically there heating elements for hot water heaters. there are homemade handles out of pipe so you can handle them and you can get them in a 110volt configuration. sounds like in your apartment you will need a 110 setup unless you have a 220volt dryer plug.www.grainger.com is a good site to find those elements. look at some of the links on this site to find the plans to build one. Hope this is of help for you.


This would scare the pi$$ out of me, but this guy seems to have it down.

Electric Heatstick
 
Anyone want to give me an opinion on whether or not it's possible to do this inside in my dining area where I have two HUGE windows and 45+ sq ft worth of space with nothing in the immediate vicinity? Or I am in danger of winning a Darwin Award?
 
brackbrew said:
Anyone want to give me an opinion on whether or not it's possible to do this inside in my dining area where I have two HUGE windows and 45+ sq ft worth of space with nothing in the immediate vicinity? Or I am in danger of winning a Darwin Award?
Well that definately could make you eligible for the award, but you'll probably have to throw a few wrinkles in to actually win it. Death by CO poisoning is so passe, don't you think?
 
I will give you no such advice since some lawyer would find a way to hold me accountable for your misfortune. However, I will share my techniques. I do use my propane burners in my garage. I crack the door open and also crack open the window. I have a fan going in there too. There is a smell associated with the burning propane which I would not like to have in my house but this odor does not stay around long after the burners are shut off. I give my burners constant attention while they are on. I would more worry about the mess than the dangers given that I am extremely cautious as I brew. With adequate ventilation and recirculating fresh air in, I am not concerned over the fumes overtaking me.
 
If I was going to run a burner inside, I'd buy a stove board to put under the stand, they get hot. ( the pricing on this site is weird: the 3for price is in big numbers, the each price is much smaller) Since I'm lucky enough to have a garage, I just stick a 2x4 under the main door when it's cold outside and open the window slightly. If I had two windows, I'd open both a little and not have to worry about critters coming in. Keeping the flame burning all blue is important to avoid CO.
 
I've known of a couple people using RV water heaters to make brew. These run on propane as well as often 120V. Come in 6.5 and 10 gallon capacities. They rework the thermostat and add a pressure valve for steam to escape. Supposedly, they are pretty efficient in getting a boil.
 
DyerNeedOfBeer said:
I will give you no such advice since some lawyer would find a way to hold me accountable for your misfortune.

Rest assured, I would hold no one accountable for any of my own stupidity, but your advice is much appreciated, as I often feel like a novice when reading many of the posts here. I'm just appreciative those with the skill are willing help advance the state of the craft among us greenhorns.
 
Well, I'm warming up to the idea of trying to do the actual boil outside of the apartment, a few feet off the back patio, but what about sparging, grain steeping, etc in other kettles, and getting that to the main brew pot outside? Also, there's no spigot hook-ups outside for chilling the wort. I understand the whirlpooling concept during wort chilling, but should I actually pick the whole kettle up and bring it inside to chill? Either way, I'm planning on a stove board so I don't melt the linoleum.

My biggest concern with moving the main boil outside is constantly moving back and forth between the kitchen and being able to monitor everything completely. Are there burners out there that can be modified for natural gas do you have links for any?), and how hard it is to have a natural gas line run into the kitchen?
 
brackbrew said:
Anyone want to give me an opinion on whether or not it's possible to do this inside in my dining area where I have two HUGE windows and 45+ sq ft worth of space with nothing in the immediate vicinity? Or I am in danger of winning a Darwin Award?


When I am not brewing I am a Fireman (firefighters have boobs) for the City of Milwaukee . . . . DO NOT USE A PROPANE BURNER INSIDE YOUR HOUSE . . . .even in the garage I would consider questionable, but I would use on in my garage (I never claimed to have the best judgement). CO poisoning aside the fire hazard is way to high, with the heat them things are throwing off I would be a bit more then worried about what it would do to your floor (praying to god it's not linoleum). Not to mention the fact if your landlord found out you would really be looking for a place to brew cuz he would boot ya out so fast I doubt you would have time to gather all your brew stuff.
 
Back
Top