Two burner brew stand

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.

ElDuderino

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2008
Messages
172
Reaction score
2
Location
Portland, Or
I just finished putting together a little two burner brew stand and want to share the details in case anyone else wants to adopt/modify what I've done. I developed my design with help from brew sculpture pics on this site.

I don't plan on doing herms/rims but wanted to be able to do two batches concurrently or just one and be able to heat water for the second sparge while starting to bring the first half of the drainings to a boil. I made it short because I don't have a pump or immediate plans to get one and so I lift twelve to thirteen gallons of water and wort.

Here is a sketch up with measurements:
BrewStandDimensions.png


I use keggles, which are 15 1/2" in diameter. The square section they sit on is 14" square, so there is a little overhang but it is well supported. The whole thing is made out of 1 1/2" .065 steel, except for the cross bars which support the burners and wind screens, which are made up of 1x1/8" bar.

Here is the real thing without plumbing or wind shields:
BrewStandPainted_003.JPG


I used 3/8" bolts and 1 1/2" steel washers to make the adjustable feet. I painted it flat black. After getting some feedback here about paint, I chose to go the cheap route and finish it myself instead of getting it powder coated (a more durable albeit expensive solution). I primed and painted the bottom half using rustoleum primer and flat black paint. The top half I painted with stove paint, which is good up to 1200F. This I sprayed on bare metal. If you spray it on primed areas, it has a tendency to form little wrinkle cracks. I know it's going to get dinged up and scratched, but I'll be able to touch it up when I have to.

Here is the finished stand:
BrewStandFinished_001.JPG


I spent a lot of time trying to think of what I could make wind screens out of. I finally stumbled on a good solution at Goodwill when I found a couple of cake spring forms for about four dollars. They are aluminum and the bottoms are removable (I threw them out). They are the perfect size!

The plumbing took a little time to figure out. It may not be the best choice of components, but it came together this way because of what was available at a local business called Fluid Connector Products Inc. http://www.fcpi.com/

The short story:
I go from 1/4" regulator hose to 1/2" black pipe to the valves and 3/8" tubing.
I chose 1/2" because that's what was most available at Lowe's. I use 3/8" copper tubing because I wanted my burners to be centered and getting hard pipe to make the connections would be a nightmare. For this short length, the copper is very rigid and with all the other connections, it's not going to move.

The long story (from tank to burner):
Stainless steel regulator hose connected to 1/4"barb fitting with 3/8" mpt (the size they had), secured with two oetiker clamps.
3/8" fpt to 1/2" fpt (connects to black pipe)
1/2" x 12" black pipe
1/2" T
1/2" nipple
1/2" 90
1/2" mpt to 1/4" fpt coupling
Needle valve 1/4" mpt to 3/8" fpt, purchased here:http://www.bayouclassicdepot.com/propane_burner_parts.htm (also a good sorce for high pressure burners)
3/8" mpt to 3/8" compression fitting, 90 degree bend.
3/8" od flexible copper tubing (bent with a spring bender).
3/8" flare fitting to 3/8" mpt (flare fitting was all they with a male side)
High pressure burner
 
It looks like a quality build, I think the windscreens look great for $4. Are the burners a little deep though? Seems they are further down than usual, and if you're using keggles, you lose a few more inches yet.

You must be younger & have a stronger back than me. I'd be looking for a way to do a gravity drain & avoid picking up 100+ lbs if I could.

The adjustable feet are a nice touch. Again, I guess you're just gonna pick it up & move it when you want?

What team did you used to play linebacker for ?
 
I copied the burner depth dimension (five inches from top of burner to top of stand plus 1/2 inch for keggle) from the commercial burner I've been using.

I'm no linebacker; I just lift with my legs ;-)
 
Now that's one study looking Brew Stand! I love the height! I built my stand around a Sabco Brew Magic Stand and the stand is too high. I wish I had something about the height you built yours at. The wind screen is an ingenious idea also.
 
Nice build... wish I could have had such a clean look.

Fluid Connections is a candy store for brewers, I spent more $$$$ in that place then I want to remember!
 
Sam,
Where is Fluid Connections located and do they have a web site?

I remembered the name wrong, it's actually Fluid Connector Products Inc. I'll try to change it in my original post to avoid any more confusion...

It looks like they have a few locations in the NW, here's their website:
http://www.fcpi.com/

Here's the address and contact information of the branch I went to:
Portland Branch
2929 NW 31st Ave
Portland, OR 97210

Toll Free: 800-479-0191
Phone: 503-228-0190

The guy who helped me was very friendly and willing to help me find fittings for what I wanted to do. I brought in the parts I was connecting to help avoid confusion.
 
So I'm going back and looking at stand builds that I liked and thought I would see what the builders think of their work.

So now that you've had a chance to work with your stand, what are your thoughts? Two burners enough? Are you pleased with the height? Any action pics you want to share?
 
So I'm going back and looking at stand builds that I liked and thought I would see what the builders think of their work.

So now that you've had a chance to work with your stand, what are your thoughts? Two burners enough? Are you pleased with the height? Any action pics you want to share?

Two burners are all that is needed if you are doing a RIMS or HERMS brewery. The Mash Tun temperature is kept constant by the RIMS or HERMS Hex and the burners are used on the HLT and BK.
 
So I'm going back and looking at stand builds that I liked and thought I would see what the builders think of their work.

So now that you've had a chance to work with your stand, what are your thoughts? Two burners enough? Are you pleased with the height? Any action pics you want to share?

I've brewed a couple times with the new stand and it works great for me! I had both burners going at the same time and they put out plenty of heat. It's a good size for my set up.
 
Back
Top