Beer Forum

I picked up a cheepo burner and aluminum pot to use on my 3rd tier. My guess is that it is a $80 setup from Walmart (ish), bought off craigslist for $40.

But...the gas hose was about 3 feet long and it had a timer on it to cut the gas every 15 minutes.

So I headed to the local propane supply place to get a longer hose and the ability to bypass the timer.

He had to get creative to allow me to use the regulator that came with the kit (5 psi, vlave on the regulatore), a few fittings at the regulator an adapter and orifice to go into the burner.

I head home and brew my first 3 tier batch, but I can never get the burner flame tight and blue, it was kind of wispy and yellow. I have the air vent wide open and it is worst when I reduce the O2. Black pot and slow heat.

A few weeks later I go back and get a higher psi regulator (up to 15). I think it got a bit better, but still it seemed like I needed more air because if I throttled the air it got worse.

So, to the question... What should be my next steps to try? The air valve is wide open how do I get it more air?

Is that new orifice the problem?

Do you think I can ask more questions in one post?

Can you win DOTW on Wednesdays?

My bet is spider web in the burner. Take it apart all the way and clean it out.

I wish. but it was a brand new burner out of the box. Has not even been spilled on yet.

Sounds like casting slag in there. This is a manufacturing defect. Take it back.

If you take it apart and inspect it carefully you may be able to see where the obstruction is. You may be able to knock it free with something.

Wayne

Bugeater wrote:Sounds like casting slag in there. This is a manufacturing defect. Take it back.

If you take it apart and inspect it carefully you may be able to see where the obstruction is. You may be able to knock it free with something.

Wayne

When my burner starts operating like that i simply take it apart and give it a good cleaning with a wire brush. This helps to remove any rust or debris buildup that obstructs the gas flow and makes the flame not burn as efficiently. I feel like I have to do this about once a year to keep things running smoothly.









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I have an older banjo style burner that started to burn sooty. Rust was closing the burner holes. Cleaned the holes out and blew it out with compressed air. Works great now.

if you have extra time and money you could just burn a tank or two of propane continusly as hot as possible. if it is rust or some other small obstruction a long hot burn could help. when i started brewing my jet burner hadnt been used in 2-3 years and gave me problems with flame color, but though continous adjustement by the time i was on my 4th batch of beer the burner was back to almost normal, now an adittional 10 baches later with about 5 ag batches in there the burner is as good as it was the day it came out of the box.

Most likely, the problem is your orifice. Once you've eliminated the possibility that it's something blocking gas flow. Two options.
A: Start with a #51 wire-gauge drill bit and drill out your orifice skipping two sizes every time. (#49, #47, etc.) until it burns cleanly.
B: Buy a new burner. They're dirt cheap, but you will need at least a 30 PSI regulator.
http://www.agrisupply.com/cast-iron-hig ... n/5400000/
http://www.agrisupply.com/bg-high-press ... n/5400000/
Be aware that the second burner I linked to is a big beast. It can handle a 2bbl boil.