Potential Gas setup

Not confirmed I am going this route but investigating the possibilities and gas does appeal.

So I am guessing
50liter pot (this one has ball tap and hop filter)







and of course a hose and gas


I like the idea as gas will give me greater control and consistency

my worries are

1) will a pot like that be okay to mash in as I would probably look to do a full BIAB given its 50l
2) Brewing outside is okay but If its raining I might not have an ideal solution , I could brew it in conservatory by both back doors wide open.
3) already having 3 5 gallon paint strainers do you really need to get a huge bag for that?
4) Is a sight glass worth it? I assume it just tells you how much liquid is still in there.
5) have I missed anything out?

Thanks in advacned

Sorry I don't biab so can't help with your questions, but be aware that propane burns 'dirty' and can coat things in black deposits. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a very real danger as you know - if you are going to do it in your conservatory, even with the doors open, I would get a co detector, just to be on the safe side.

You can definately mash in your pot as I do.

Wot MM said about carbonmonoxide poisoning plus get a big standing fan to push the large amount of steam that will be created out your conservatory doors else everything will be dripping with condensation and I doubt Mrs C will be too pleased.

Well I mash in a pot now on the stove but outside I was more concered it would lose heat considerably quicker..

I like teh gas idea but.. my worry is what happens in the winter or when it rains?

COme to think of it bungle brews inside by his back doors.. I wonder what he does.

Might just end up going the peco route :rofl:

Covrich said:

Well I mash in a pot now on the stove but outside I was more concered it would lose heat considerably quicker..

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If you insulate your pot well you should be ok. I only lost 8C in 11 1/2hrs doing my first overnight mash last week

Just wondering why CO is a greater danger with the proposed setup than having a gas oven and hob in the kitchen with four burners working away at Christmas dinner?

Surely a blue flame can not be producing dangerous levels of CO? I always thought you got that from incomplete combustion with yellow tinged or yellow flames. Granted - running a big burner in a closed space would use up the oxygen and lead to incomplete combustion, but nobody would be doing that while boiling because they would end up in a Turkish bath situation.

Clearly common sense needs to be used in this and the whole boiling process. My greatest worry is upsetting the boiler on myself to be honest.

It probably isn't, as long as (as you say) combustion is complete. I was however pointing out that to use a burner in an enclosed space for an hour or more without adequate ventilation is not recommended. How long do you boil your veg for? Do you have an extractor fan? Lots of variables, but burners inside increase the risk, and that's well documented.

perhaps the conservatory idea isn't the best but it would have been literally right by double doors both wide open. pratcically outside but just under the roof . I just worry about it raining, my other option is to do it in the garage which will probably mean day time brewing as there is no power out there..

Shame that Ace boiler really did have everything.. the peco.. not so sure..it has a pointless tap on it and I think it would be hard to insulate.

With a 50l pot I could mash, mashout and then boil no sparge.

Asda are selling Gazebo's for £30. Does anyone ever brew underneath one? No idea how good they are in heavy rain or wind though but i would like one.

Covrich said:

perhaps the conservatory idea isn't the best but it would have been literally right by double doors both wide open. pratcically outside but just under the roof . I just worry about it raining, my other option is to do it in the garage which will probably mean day time brewing as there is no power out there..
.

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Bungle does something similar and he seems to do ok. As does Austin the site owner

Cov, if thats from the malt miller I've got their 30L pot and that gas burner. Don't brew outdoors, the slightest breeze slows down the process enormously, I couldn't get 20L to boil, so I moved it into the shed and it was awawy in no time. Had shed doors open, no condensation issues on windows, but conservatory might be different as its cool glass.

The gas canisters are pricey to start with but you get a deposit back. Get two canisters as it's not a an issue then if one runs out halfway through a boil.

The other thing to note is that the pot gets well sooty. I wouldn't want it in the house as inevitably the soot rubs off on everything. That's worth bearing in mind if your mashing in the pot and want to wrap it in something. The something will get filthy.

Final point, I haven't tried a 10L biab in the 30 L pot, but i suspect temp control will be tricky. I think the remaining headspace will cool the mash quite a bit.

I've got a lot of experimenting to do!

Hmmto be honest I haven't decided fully yet what to do..

I am also looking at a burco boiler and just swapping out the tap. It is a dilemma I am going to have to work out

77 quid for a 30l burco

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004EAERSS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

seems good

Covrich said:

Shame that Ace boiler really did have everything.. the peco.. not so sure..it has a pointless tap on it and I think it would be hard to insulate.

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It is a real bummer that Covrich. I do think it could happen to any supplier that a duff product escapes the net. Mine is boiling away right now at 35 minutes into the boil (in my shed).

Covrich said:

Not confirmed I am going this route but investigating the possibilities and gas does appeal.

my worries are

1) will a pot like that be okay to mash in as I would probably look to do a full BIAB given its 50l
2) Brewing outside is okay but If its raining I might not have an ideal solution , I could brew it in conservatory by both back doors wide open.
3) already having 3 5 gallon paint strainers do you really need to get a huge bag for that?
4) Is a sight glass worth it? I assume it just tells you how much liquid is still in there.
5) have I missed anything out?

Thanks in advacned

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Having the same dilemma myself.

Recent problems with electric boilers on the forum are swaying me towards gas... plus I already picked up two butane bottles with regulator off Gumtree for £20 (about 6 or 7 Kilos of gas left too).

Tbh, I was already favouring gas due to a few things:

1/ Bigger pots - @Niman recently purchased a 70L pot, ideal for double brews which I think I may eventually do (have the Cornies). I think the 30L pots are too tight for my needs, leading on to......

2/ I'm a fan of bigger, stronger brews - RIS etc. which have a helluva grain bill. Bigger pot would make it easier for me.

3/ There's not been a refurbished 40L Buffalo on Nisbets eBay clearance for months now - I check constantly

4/ I don't want hit with any unexpected large electricity bills. My gas bottles are paid up front - no hidden costs.

I'll be purchasing this month for sure, can't hold off any longer (have all the grain/hops/gas I need) and atm, it's looking like a 70L pot with ball valve and filter for me.

Don't really fancy a sight glass, there's an article on etching your own pot somewhere, I probably go down this route one Saturday morning.

For when it's raining or in winter? Well, I still have my 16L stock pot for indoors and am looking at a cheap (£6 eBay) mango tub and a couple of kettle elements for an experiment.

I caved and bought the Burco above. Seems a great boiler for the money (reviews), replacement elements about £17, some good advice on modding etc.

Guess I'll just do smaller brews more often and maybe progress to a monster pot next year :-D

baggybill said:

I caved and bought the Burco above. Seems a great boiler for the money (reviews), replacement elements about £17, some good advice on modding etc.

Guess I'll just do smaller brews more often and maybe progress to a monster pot next year :-D

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More potential for experimentation :thumb: I'm moving towards smaller brews/more often for this reason.

You could always maxi-biab if you wanted to do a full length brew. It wouldn't even need to be that concentrated. Or may be mash in a seperate cool box. You've still got options. A 30L boiler needn't limit you

I've already got a 24L cool box and my existing 16L stock pot, which I could maybe use for sparge water. It'll do me fine for just now... Still got a lot of learning to do :

baggybill said:

I've already got a 24L cool box and my existing 16L stock pot, which I could maybe use for sparge water. It'll do me fine for just now... Still got a lot of learning to do :

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Every day's a school day mate!

WHilst I never got to use my ace for the boil.. I think the others who have them say they can do a 23l brew you just have to top up the boil a bit with teh sparge water when it gets to a safer boil height