What burner should I use with my new brew stand? What burner works with low pressure propane? What is the difference between low pressure and high pressure propane? These are all questions faced when building a brew stand or sculpture. They can also be difficult questions to answer if you have not experienced the different burners. Let’s face it, we want to make the right choice up front because brewing equipment can become expensive. This article discusses low pressure propane regulators and low pressure regulators.
Over the last month I have had the chance to fine tune my current brewing sculpture and consider the options that I want on my new sculputure which is in the planning stage. I have come to the conclusion that low pressure propane is the right option for me. During my research, I read several people discussing what regulator to use with certain types of jet burners. I found numerous opinions on what works best. I read anything from a 0-30 psi adjustable high pressure regulator to a standard .5 psi regulator.
The most important information you can learn in this article is to know what type of burner you really have. If you followed the Brutus Ten design, you will notice that most people have installed a jet burner. They can be cheaper in price and work great for automation. Most of these jet burners are, indeed, low pressure propane.
So. Let’s think about pressure for a moment. I had the general thought that I want this thing to burn like a jet engine. The more propane pressure, the quicker it will heat! After all, if I turn my garden hose on to wash down the house or driveway, I want it to have as much pressure as possible so the stream is nice and steady. This seems reasonable to apply this to a propane burner, however it really is not correct. This goes back to knowing what kind of burner you have. High or low pressure?
I initially constructed my system taking the advice from several threads from some of the more popular internet brewing forums. Over and over again I read that a 0-30 psi regulator would work great! Guess what? It did work, but not as well as it should have. You see, I installed a Honeywell gas valve to assist in automating my mash tun through temperature control. If I had the 0-30 psi regulator throttled down, it would work (with fine tuning by way of the ball valve).
If I just would have taken the original advice from Lonnie Mac over at alenuts.com, I would have figured this out long ago. He has said several times that he runs his jet burners on a low pressure regulator(s) and has not had any issues. I installed a low pressure regulator in place of my adjustable 0-30 psi regulator. I purchased a Mr. Heater brand .5 psi 200,00 BTU low pressure regulator . I fired up my jet burners and noticed that I did not need to throttle back anything with the ball valve. The burner provided a perfect flame! In fact, I am able to run two burners at the same time off this regulator. There are other low pressure regulator options available such as the two stage regulator, however that is not covered in the scope of this article. (The two-stage low pressure is a great option as well)
Below are a few different videos which showing the jet burner being used with a low pressure regulator. The propane valve and ball valve are completely open. This is a 23 tip jet burner rated at 175000 BTU. (.5psi Low Pressure Propane)
I enjoy the gadgets of brewing as much as the brewing itself. In fact, I often find myself making changes to a brewing sculpture for my own entertainment. Does it make the beer taste any better? Most likely not. But… It sure is fun.
This Brewtus Ten was built completely from 2″x2″ steel square tubing based on Lonie’s original plans. Let’s face it, if we didn’t need it for brewing, we could always use it as a car stand. This brew stand was built to last.
There has been lots of discussion as to the proper placement of the temperature probe in the mash tun. In fact, it took me three different placements to find one that works well. I, like you, want my mash temperature to be as stable as possible.
This article was written as follow-up to the previous article titled “Fermentation Temperature Control”. If you have any intent on duplicating a tasty beer, you need to have some process controls in place. Simple things can change your beer such as fermentation or mash temperatures. Let’s face it…. Most of us can crush the same amount of grains for the mash and add the same amount of hops to the boil.
If you are familiar with the love temperature control, you know they come with a temperature probe. The temperature probe has a black rubber-likea coating on it. Depending on what thermowell you decide to purchase, the coating causes the temperature probe to be too thick to fit. To remedy this, I removed the coating from the temperature probe using a razor knife. I have not had any issues with the probe by removing the coating.
After completing numerous home batches of beer and realizing that I did not have any control over my fermentation temperature, I decided to build a simple little device which I labeled the “Fermentation Temperature Control” (or FTC for short).
This Temperature Control has to be one of the coolest beer brewing gadgets I have had the chance to utilize. It truly takes temperature sensing and control to the next level. Their control systems are true network appliances. Each system employs a custom embedded web server, which allows all process monitoring and control to be done via web browser. Plug a BCS-460 into your network and control your process from any computer with internet access. 