Do Heating Element Burn Bags?

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elduderino

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I sew up bags for people here in North America. I had a question given to me regarding biab and using heating elements. I use gas, so I don't have direct experience with it, so I am hoping for some help.

I'm planning on using a 5500w ultra low density element to recirc/heat the mash..I've read that these bags can lay on the element without harm. I just wanted to run that by you for sure.

I raise the bag off the bottom of my pot when I apply heat with my propane burner. I assume you would have to do the same with a heating element, but then I've boiled eggs in paper cups on campfires -- the intense heat of the embers is dissipated by the water and the paper in contact with water does not burn. I wonder if the same principal applies here.

If you want to apply heat while the bag is in the urn, do you lift the bag? Cover the element so they don't come in contact?

Thanks for any info you can share.

-Jeff
 
I know alot of the guys here who use a urn cut a cake rack to fit over the element/bottom. That way you won't have to lift it every time, although simply lifting it would work the same way.
 
I sew up bags for people here in North America. I had a question given to me regarding biab and using heating elements. I use gas, so I don't have direct experience with it, so I am hoping for some help.

I'm planning on using a 5500w ultra low density element to recirc/heat the mash..I've read that these bags can lay on the element without harm. I just wanted to run that by you for sure.

I raise the bag off the bottom of my pot when I apply heat with my propane burner. I assume you would have to do the same with a heating element, but then I've boiled eggs in paper cups on campfires -- the intense heat of the embers is dissipated by the water and the paper in contact with water does not burn. I wonder if the same principal applies here.

If you want to apply heat while the bag is in the urn, do you lift the bag? Cover the element so they don't come in contact?

Thanks for any info you can share.

-Jeff

What do you make the bags out of?
If it is not a heat resistant material then I would say yes, the bag will burn.

If I am raising the heat in my urn I lift it off the bottom, even though I have a concealed element. There are others here that cover their element with a SS strainer of sorts then fish it out before the hop boil.
 
I use a collender to prevent my bag from buring.


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Bags wont burn on the the flat bottom of a pot using gas, and they probably wouldn't burn on an element either - BUT...

That is working on the premise that you are stirring thoroughly whenever you have the heat on - and of course you should absolutely, no question about it, definitely be stirring any time you have the heat on.

Trouble with that is unlike a nice smooth pot bottom, elements tend to stick up/out and you can see them at the bottom of your mash - so the bag might be wrapped around them, caught up in them or something similar and you wont know. And if it is, it'll burn.

In the case of the person who wants to re-circ their mash - then they pretty obviously wont want to be standing there with a mash paddle stirring the whole time - so they would need to have their bag sheilded from the element. In fact the bag is entirely irrelevant to the argument. They would need something to keep the grain off the element anyway even if they weren't using a bag, the grain will burn/scorch just as much as the bag would melt. So bag or no bag makes little difference; if that sort of system is going to work at all, then the bag will already be sheilded from the element and will be fine.
 
You can burn the wort underneath the bag - had that happen. You then have to do this to your recipe Citra APA Citra Rauchbeer. :kooi:
 
Trouble with that is unlike a nice smooth pot bottom, elements tend to stick up/out and you can see them at the bottom of your mash

Just noticed my typo - to late to edit.

That should of course be "can't" see rather than can see. If you could actually see it wouldn't be a problem. You cant & it might be.
 
I learned the hard way.
Turned the urn back on after the mash to raise the temp to mash-out without having a colander over the element.
Pulled the bag out with a big hole in it. Grain EVERYWHERE.
Sat for 10 min with a sieve with a way to short handle on it sieving the grains out, burning my fingers as the wort approached mash-out temps..

So I now use a colander over the element if doing mash-out or raising temp during the mash.


Bjorn
 
Thanks guys for all the great responses! I've had family staying in the computer room for Christmas, so it's been hard to get to the computer.

In response to the person who asked what I make my bags out of, I make them with 100% polyester. Here's a link, if you are interested:Brew Bags - North America

I figured contact with an element would be dangerous. It seems like the best thing to do would be to shield it from the element, as you have all pointed out. When I brew with propane, I am very careful to lift the bag off the bottom when I apply heat.

I will share this thread with the person who asked me initially...

Thanks again!

-Jeff
 
remember - in a plain pot, with propane - you dont have to lift the bag at all, you just have to stir thoroughly, and you need to be stirring anyway if you are adding heat - so lifting the bag is really just making things harder for yourself when its not really needed.

If it makes you feel better though, fair enough I guess.
 
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