Warped Brew Kettle Question

[lcs]

Hello, after brewing this weekend I found the bottom of my SS brew kettle is slightly warped. It sorta bubbles up in the middle, this prevents solid contact with the stove top. I had trouble keeping a boil going this brew session and I am convinced this is why. I normally have no issues with keeping a steady hard boil.

I just purchased this kettle a few months ago, and hate the idea of having to buy another one so soon. I tried to 'flatten' the bottom, but didn't have much luck. The one other option i thought of... fill in the bottom of the brew kettle with JB Weld and use a drywall trowel to make the bottom flat. I understand JB Weld is good up to 500 degrees. I'm not sure how well it would stick, if it would put off some funky fumes, or if it might pop off if the metal expands further...

Any insight/advice/help would be great

Thanks

Luke

 

[EdWort]

Switch to gas or propane for the heat and your problem is solved. It might mean brewing outside though.

 

[Ppeg34]

The one other option i thought of... fill in the bottom of the brew kettle with JB Weld and use a drywall trowel to make the bottom flat. I understand JB Weld is good up to 500 degrees. I'm not sure how well it would stick, if it would put off some funky fumes, or if it might pop off if the metal expands further...

People use JB Weld in heatsticks which are in direct contact with boiling wort so that probably wouldn't be a problem. The problem is that JB Weld is non conductive so it would probably worsen your problem of not being able to maintain a rolling boil. I can't really think of any other options other than what Edwort said about going propane. That would probably cost the same as buying another stainless steel kettle. Alternatively you could mount a hot water heater element in your kettle and go electric.

 

[wilserbrewer]

Please NO! You cannot use JB weld on the bottom of your kettle as described. It will burn, stink, and smell! JB Weld is like an epoxy adhesive, it is not metal, and it's resistance to heat is nowhere near what you would need on the bottom of an externally heated kettle.

 

[outside92129]

I checked out some kitchen-cooking sites/forums and this is common with electric stovetops. With your environment it can't be avoided as there are dramatic temperature changes and gradients, it's going to happen. Beating the kettle will just hurt you, and the the bubble up can be forced downward but that doesn't solve your problem either.

Ppeg34 is right about the non-conductivity of jbweld, it doesn't transmit heat for diddly (per the computer CPU overclocking forums). It's several hundred times less thermally conductive than copper.

Buying a new kettle is going to push the problem out further and you're going to have to deal with the eventually (assuming you don't want to buy a new kettle every couple of batches).

 

[bluemoose]

Here is a temporary solution, so you can brew while you figure out what to do. I assume that your kettle is shaking all over the place and making crazy noises.
Take a 1/2 gal growler, and fill it 3/4 with water. Use a bungee cord to attach it to one of the handles and let it hang off the side of the stove. It will look ghetto, your freinds will laugh, your dog will bow his head in shame, but you will get better contact with the stove, and be able to complete your boils. I had the same problem on a glass top electric stove.

 

[lcs]

Thanks for all of the replies, all have been very hellpful. I didn't take into account the JB Weld not being conductive.. it may fill in the gap, but sounds like it it wont do any other good. I was also concerned on burning/sticking/smelling that may occur with direct contact to the stove. The wife would kill me if I got JB Weld all over the new stove.

I dont have the option for a propane burner unfortunately, I wish I did. I have also been reading up on heat sticks. They sound like a good option, I just have to gain a bit more confidence before building one.

I was also worried about buying a new kettle, and having it warp after a few uses. I was wondering how much the 'clad' bottom kettles helped prevent this? My kettle has a normal 'thin' bottom, I can only assume thicker would be harder to warp.

Thanks again for all the help

Luke

 

[beaksnbeer]

Drill hole in side, install 110 volt water heater element connect a cut off extension cord to element. This will work til you decide which way to go.......Plug into GFI outlet it's old school but better then ruining wifey's stove and less dangerous then a half gallon glass bomb over your feet.............my.02

 

[mattd2]

Here is a temporary solution, so you can brew while you figure out what to do. I assume that your kettle is shaking all over the place and making crazy noises.
Take a 1/2 gal growler, and fill it 3/4 with water. Use a bungee cord to attach it to one of the handles and let it hang off the side of the stove. It will look ghetto, your freinds will laugh, your dog will bow his head in shame, but you will get better contact with the stove, and be able to complete your boils. I had the same problem on a glass top electric stove.

Sorry but I don't understand how this is going to help faltten out the bottom of his pot, can you explain further?

 

[bluemoose]

The reason the pot doesn't sit flat is because the metal on the bottom is too thin. When heat is applied, the bottom begins to flex and can bounce up and down. Typically the bottom is going to bow out, meaning the center is lower than the sides. By applying weight on the handles you essentially flatten out the bottom and get more surface area on the glass top stove. You could stand there and put weight on it, but it gets a bit hot for my liking. You don't need to use a growler, using something not so glass would probably be wiser, but I've never been accused of being wise, and I had one on hand when this happened. Any weight would do.

 

[mattd2]

The reason the pot doesn't sit flat is because the metal on the bottom is too thin. When heat is applied, the bottom begins to flex and can bounce up and down. Typically the bottom is going to bow out, meaning the center is lower than the sides. By applying weight on the handles you essentially flatten out the bottom and get more surface area on the glass top stove. You could stand there and put weight on it, but it gets a bit hot for my liking. You don't need to use a growler, using something not so glass would probably be wiser, but I've never been accused of being wise, and I had one on hand when this happened. Any weight would do.

That makes sense, my issue (and I think OP's aswell) was the bottom curved up so only the outer edge of the pot sat on the stove
I fixed it by using a electric kettle element mounted through the bottom of the pot, 2.4 kW of power in my 4.5 gallon pot is plenty for small batches now

 

[outside92129]

Thicker bottoms will protect better than clad bottoms, and a lot of cookware will specify not to use above medium heat because of differential expansion in the layered materials. Of course for brewing we need the max output of a stove. So if you're going to buy a new kettle go for a thick one for the strength.