Propane Burner

[Andre]

I'm making the jump from stove top brewing to propane brewing. The plan is doing 10 Gallon all grain brews.

I was given a Turkey Fryer for christmas but got the ok to return it to add some money to get a proper burner and pot.

I have been eying the following since the price is right and seems to be between a Blichmann and the Dark Star as far as BTU's go.
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/maste ... owGMJMrKuU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Do you think I'll wait forever to get 10G-12G of wort to boil? Am I waisting my time trying to get a budget burner?

I'm trying to keep the price down, as I still need to purchase a brew pot and plan to get a tri-clad kettle.

Thanks in advance.

[jacinthebox]

I've used lots of burners over the past years...kijiji finds mostly. That looks fine. Saying that, I replaced both of my burners with Dark Stars from everwood. Mine were just too loud...I can listen to music on the deck now while brewing with the Dark Stars

[amartin]

I can't comment on that burner, but it looks similar to the one I've been using. http://www.kent.ca/kbs/en/product.jsp?p ... alogId=534" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I've been having no issues with this. It's a bit loud, but that doesn't bother me.

[Bluefin 774]

I'm making the jump from stove top brewing to propane brewing. The plan is doing 10 Gallon all grain brews.

I was given a Turkey Fryer for christmas but got the ok to return it to add some money to get a proper burner and pot.

I have been eying the following since the price is right and seems to be between a Blichmann and the Dark Star as far as BTU's go.
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/maste ... owGMJMrKuU" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Do you think I'll wait forever to get 10G-12G of wort to boil? Am I waisting my time trying to get a budget burner?

I'm trying to keep the price down, as I still need to purchase a brew pot and plan to get a tri-clad kettle.

Thanks in advance.

That is the one I'm using, I find it works great. I think at that price it is well worth it.

[jeffsmith]

My vote is for the KAB4 or KAB6. I still have one of the Kent burners but it takes significantly longer to heat than the Banjo burners, especially for 10+ gallon batches. Just watch the rate you're burning propane with the Banjo burner or you'll freeze your tank and regulator up.

[Woody]

My vote is for the KAB4 or KAB6. I still have one of the Kent burners but it takes significantly longer to heat than the Banjo burners, especially for 10+ gallon batches. Just watch the rate you're burning propane with the Banjo burner or you'll freeze your tank and regulator up.

I have the KAB6 and it eats through propane but it's a beast. I have it dialed in and can get two 10 gallon batches per tank. If saving time is worth the money i'd consider it.

[saosborne]

I've been using that cnd tire burner for about 2 years now. works well enough for $50 haven't really measured the propane consumption on it but I'm pretty sure its over 2 batches. Its quiet, simple and easily adjusted, Its not a banjo style but is a multi port burner so the heat is more evenly distributed yet not using as much fuel as the banjo,and not creating a hot spot that's susceptible like the jet burner. after 2 years (and many boilovers) its still working great. the only problem i see with it is the support arms look to be sagging slightly. I think the pot supports are designed poorly but i havent had any problems with stability doing 10 gallon batches. If you want quality construction spend the money on a blichman, if you want something that does the job, is not too hard on propane, and boils in a reasonable amount of time for cheap you cant go wrong with this one

[donking]

My vote is for the KAB4 or KAB6. I still have one of the Kent burners but it takes significantly longer to heat than the Banjo burners, especially for 10+ gallon batches. Just watch the rate you're burning propane with the Banjo burner or you'll freeze your tank and regulator up.

I have the KAB6 and it eats through propane but it's a beast. I have it dialed in and can get two 10 gallon batches per tank. If saving time is worth the money i'd consider it.

Yep I have the KAB6 and burn about the same amount of propane. The stand is large and very heavy duty, I would not be scared to put a 40 Gallon Kettle on top of it. I'm glad I bought the KAB6 instead of cheaping out.

I recommend that you have 2 propane tanks in case you run out of propane on one tank.

[Keith]

My vote is for the KAB4 or KAB6. I still have one of the Kent burners but it takes significantly longer to heat than the Banjo burners, especially for 10+ gallon batches. Just watch the rate you're burning propane with the Banjo burner or you'll freeze your tank and regulator up.

I have the KAB6 and it eats through propane but it's a beast. I have it dialed in and can get two 10 gallon batches per tank. If saving time is worth the money i'd consider it.

Yep I have the KAB6 and burn about the same amount of propane. The stand is large and very heavy duty, I would not be scared to put a 40 Gallon Kettle on top of it. I'm glad I bought the KAB6 instead of cheaping out.

I recommend that you have 2 propane tanks in case you run out of propane on one tank.

KAB6 is the way to go. Spend the extra, definitely worth it.

[GAM]

I recommend that you have 2 propane tanks in case you run out of propane on one tank.

Do this no matter what burner you use.

S

[Andre]

I already have 2 tanks for my BBQ and will likely pick up a third when I get my burner.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Honestly cost at this point is a concern as I'm already over my initial budget for new equipment.

So for those who have used that Canadian Tire one, in average how long would you estimate does it take to boil for a 10G batch? Same question to those with a KAB4/KAB6?

I'm just tying to get a idea of what kind of difference I would see between the 2 options. I can live waiting a bit longer for a boil to start, as long it's reasonable.

[Juniper Hill]

I recommend that you have 2 propane tanks in case you run out of propane on one tank.

Do this no matter what burner you use.

S

Absolutely!

[Juniper Hill]

I used to have the Canadian Tire burner, but really didn't like it. It's worth a few extra dollars to get something better IMO. That KAB6 looks pretty sweet, and a lot cheaper than the Blichman model I ended up going with.

[mikeorr]

Yeah, I still only have 1 tank for my Blichmann burner and I get nervous every brew once I think it's at least half empty. I bought one of those propane tank gauges, but it's not all that useful (or accurate).

[saosborne]

I already have 2 tanks for my BBQ and will likely pick up a third when I get my burner.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Honestly cost at this point is a concern as I'm already over my initial budget for new equipment.

So for those who have used that Canadian Tire one, in average how long would you estimate does it take to boil for a 10G batch? Same question to those with a KAB4/KAB6?

I'm just tying to get a idea of what kind of difference I would see between the 2 options. I can live waiting a bit longer for a boil to start, as long it's reasonable.

time wise for a boil,
I couldnt really tell you never actually measured it it also depends on wind outside temp etc. another note is that there really isnt a wind guard on this model its never been an issue for me due to the fact i brew just inside the garage. If id have to guess probably about 20-30 mins. You can decrease this time by starting to heat prior to completing the run off. another thing to note is I don't run the regulator wide open unless its windy or really cold the burner puts out enough btu's that once it reaches the boil point its fast to boil over. In the time it takes to boil I'm doing cleanup and not watching as closely as I could be for boilovers

[Woody]

I already have 2 tanks for my BBQ and will likely pick up a third when I get my burner.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Honestly cost at this point is a concern as I'm already over my initial budget for new equipment.

So for those who have used that Canadian Tire one, in average how long would you estimate does it take to boil for a 10G batch? Same question to those with a KAB4/KAB6?

I'm just tying to get a idea of what kind of difference I would see between the 2 options. I can live waiting a bit longer for a boil to start, as long it's reasonable.

For a 10 gallon batch without turning the burner up crazy you are looking at 15-20 minutes for a nice hard boil. I could do it faster but it's not worth the propane. The KAB6 has a cast iron burner and frame which is very sturdy. The KAB6 also has the BG14 burner so even heat distribution is not an issue for this jet burner. It's similar to the Blichmann. The difference between the two is the stainless frame and the regulator. The KAB6 has a 30 psi which may be over kill unless you run NASA. If funds are an issue with the budget grab the Crappy Tire one and go from there. I did a side by side batch with a friend who used this burner and it was only 5 minutes behind the KAB6. Thy gravity was 2 points lower which could be many factors but my guess was boil off. Food for thought.

[gm-]

I used a very similar burner for 10 gallon batches and it worked fine. My brew days were around 5 hours. Decent burner if money is an issue

[donking]

I already have 2 tanks for my BBQ and will likely pick up a third when I get my burner.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Honestly cost at this point is a concern as I'm already over my initial budget for new equipment.

So for those who have used that Canadian Tire one, in average how long would you estimate does it take to boil for a 10G batch? Same question to those with a KAB4/KAB6?

I'm just tying to get a idea of what kind of difference I would see between the 2 options. I can live waiting a bit longer for a boil to start, as long it's reasonable.

You can always fill your kettle with water in advance and wait till the water is at room temp to save a little bit on boiling time/propane. I do that once in awhile when I plan my brews ahead of time.

[Andre]

Thanks everyone for the feedback, I still haven't decided what I'm going to do. I have a bit of time to think and save some money.

When the time comes I'll re check my finances and if I can swing the extra money I'll get the KAB4 or KAB6. If not I'll stick with that CT one.