Kettle Stability - Bricks Or No Bricks?

[WarmBeer]

I currently balance my kettle on my 3 ring burner (no stand, see below), but get a little worried that 20+ kilos of boiling liquid aint exactly stable.

Am I better to use a couple of half bricks to take the weight of the kettle?

I don't know a whole lot about house bricks, but I assume they're not going to be affected by an hour+ of heat in close proximity. Are they likely to crumble?

At least this way I get 4 distributed points of contact at all times:

Anybody got any thoughts or opinions?

 

[manticle]

Bricks are originally kilned at much higher temps than a mongolian burner provides. My Keggle won't sit safely on my burner due to the shape so i use house bricks to stabilise and to avoid any possible concrete explosions.

The only issue worth considering is that you shouldn't pick a brick up straight after the boil without oven mitts.

 

[schooey]

I used to do something similar... But it always bothered me that I have two young kids who always like to be involved with what Dad is doing at the moment. I figured I would never be able to live with myself if one of them bumped it somehow and ended up scalded like a pig. A couple of hundred dollars for a brew stand was pretty cheap peace of mind for me.

I dunno, seems the older I get, the less bulletproof I think I am and the more safety seems to come to the forefront

 

[WarmBeer]

I used to do something similar... But it always bothered me that I have two young kids who always like to be involved with what Dad is doing at the moment. I figured I would never be able to live with myself if one of them bumped it somehow and ended up scalded like a pig. A couple of hundred dollars for a brew stand was pretty cheap peace of mind for me.

I dunno, seems the older I get, the less bulletproof I think I am and the more safety seems to come to the forefront

Agree with your thinking there, Schooey, although I always brew once the kids are in bed.

Will probably splurge on a new burner and stand soon, as the one I've currently got sometimes struggles a bit if the wind is blowing the wrong way.

 

[joebejeckel]

spot on, just what i do,

 

[Siborg]

Not a bad idea. I borrowed a burner and home made stand to do a brew tomorrow. The problem is that the stand was made for a different sized kettle. I had a couple of off cuts to try and balance it on the stand, but I don't trust it.

I've got a stack of blue-ish gray pavers, would they be alright instead of bricks? I suppose I could go "scrounging" for some bricks, but these pavers are easier.

 

[praxis178]

Not a bad idea. I borrowed a burner and home made stand to do a brew tomorrow. The problem is that the stand was made for a different sized kettle. I had a couple of off cuts to try and balance it on the stand, but I don't trust it.

I've got a stack of blue-ish gray pavers, would they be alright instead of bricks? I suppose I could go "scrounging" for some bricks, but these pavers are easier.

If the pavers are the concrete type then you might get some popping happening, but they should hold up ok for a single use application. Best bet really would be to scrounge up a couple or four clay bricks though.

 

[Siborg]

If the pavers are the concrete type then you might get some popping happening, but they should hold up ok for a single use application. Best bet really would be to scrounge up a couple or four clay bricks though.

They're more of a stoney, rough texture.