Prompted by discussion on another thread and the mod team, I'm going to outline some thoughts on using a propane or butane burner.
I got mine from Malt Miller (link and their photo below) so the review is specific to that bit of kit, though of course other homebrewing and gas product vendors are available, and the comments will almost certainly apply to those too (though don't hold me responsible for that).
Also worth clarifying that I'm a total idiot when it comes to using this sort of thing, and the mistakes I made using it are one of the reasons for the review, and not a reflection on the kit itself, which is great. So see this post more as my attempt at helping other users or people considering buying, than a typical review.
Anyway, here are the thoughts.
1) don't use it outdoors. Though you will need ventilation (more on that below), using a burner like this in any sort of breeze will dramatically reduce its power. I burned 45 mins worth of propane before realising this. Didn't get 20L of wort any where near a boil. Go for the shed, or garage, but keep the doors open.
2) This one is important. Make sure you get the air/gas mix right. You should have blue flames with orange tips (I've just learned this myself, thankfully not the hard way). If you've got big billowy orange flames like I had, you need to increase the amount of air getting into the mix.
That's achieved by moving the silver sleeve you can see at the point where the hose joins the burner. I had to move it so the air vent was open about 1cm to get blue flames.
It's important as firstly, not enough air makes the propane/butane produce copious amounts of soot. Like loads of it. A pig to clean up.
But even more importantly, burning propane/butane like this apparently kicks out alot of carbon monoxide. Which is highly toxic and can kill. Hence the need for good ventilation.
3) use it where you have plenty of ventilation.
4) have two gas tanks available. In case one runs out mid boil, obviously.
5) if unsure about what gas tank to get, take the hose and regulator with you when you pick them up. I was glad I did as I could easily have bought the wrong sort if i hadn't.
That's it. Hopefully someone like me will find this helpful!
Link:
http://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=422
I got mine from Malt Miller (link and their photo below) so the review is specific to that bit of kit, though of course other homebrewing and gas product vendors are available, and the comments will almost certainly apply to those too (though don't hold me responsible for that).
Also worth clarifying that I'm a total idiot when it comes to using this sort of thing, and the mistakes I made using it are one of the reasons for the review, and not a reflection on the kit itself, which is great. So see this post more as my attempt at helping other users or people considering buying, than a typical review.
Anyway, here are the thoughts.
1) don't use it outdoors. Though you will need ventilation (more on that below), using a burner like this in any sort of breeze will dramatically reduce its power. I burned 45 mins worth of propane before realising this. Didn't get 20L of wort any where near a boil. Go for the shed, or garage, but keep the doors open.
2) This one is important. Make sure you get the air/gas mix right. You should have blue flames with orange tips (I've just learned this myself, thankfully not the hard way). If you've got big billowy orange flames like I had, you need to increase the amount of air getting into the mix.
That's achieved by moving the silver sleeve you can see at the point where the hose joins the burner. I had to move it so the air vent was open about 1cm to get blue flames.
It's important as firstly, not enough air makes the propane/butane produce copious amounts of soot. Like loads of it. A pig to clean up.
But even more importantly, burning propane/butane like this apparently kicks out alot of carbon monoxide. Which is highly toxic and can kill. Hence the need for good ventilation.
3) use it where you have plenty of ventilation.
4) have two gas tanks available. In case one runs out mid boil, obviously.
5) if unsure about what gas tank to get, take the hose and regulator with you when you pick them up. I was glad I did as I could easily have bought the wrong sort if i hadn't.
That's it. Hopefully someone like me will find this helpful!
Link:
http://www.themaltmiller.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=422
