Newbie Question

[Spiderpig]

Hey guys,

Only really new to the AG process, now 6 brews down and loving it. My question is around the set up of my gas burner for my 50ltr Kettle and trying to get a better flame. I am using a 2 ring burner, so not the most optimal, but with my bottle and standard gas regulator, I am only getting a very yellow flame that is far to slow for heating my wort and produces a tonne of black carbon sh#t all over the outside of my kettle. Dumb questions about to start - Do I actually need a regulator if I want to increase my flame velocity considering I have taps on the burner for each of the rings? Or, do I need to stop being a tight arse and purchase some other type of regulator that will give me a hotter flame for a quicker boil? Not too keen to blow myself up just yet, so trying to avoid this at all costs.

I'd really appreciate your feedback on this one from you more experienced brewers out there.

Cheers,
Spiderpig

 

[Frag_Dog]

What does the burner sit on? If it is sitting on something solid, lack of airflow from underneath might be an issue. If possible, try raising it up 5cm, but keep a decent distance from the pot as well.

 

[Spiderpig]

Thanks for your reply, I have always had the burner directly on the floor in the shed with the kettle sitting straight on top - I'll definitely give this a go. What you're saying makes sense - I'll give anything a go here.

 

[Fents]

get one of these - medium pressure adjustable reg

from here - http://www.beerbelly.com.au/.php or here http://www.auscrown.com/regulatorhoses.php

also check what frag dog said.

 

[petesbrew]

get one of these - medium pressure adjustable reg

from here - http://www.beerbelly.com.au/.php or here http://www.auscrown.com/regulatorhoses.php

also check what frag dog said.

+1, they're awesome.

 

[the_yobbo]

I have to admit I'm far from knowledgible regarding what would happen if you removed the regulator... but as a gut instinct I reckon it's a bad idea.
The bottle that gas is held in is made of metal and required to be tested every x years for a reason. Exposing the pressure within that tank to the flexible hose with it's clamped on fittings is asking for a blow out. Flameable gas expelled rapidly in the vicinity of the naked flame has potential to be a good size explosion I reckon.

 

[bjay]

Yellow flame needs more air normaly
Can you open up the air flow somehow,,
Think frag dog mentioned it also

bjay

 

[stew.w]

dont take the regulator out, the gas will go through the burner at an enourmous pressure and theres a good chace you'll blow yourself up.
also be careful in your garage if the burner if giving a yellow flame and soot as this means you're creating carbon monoxide which displaces air and is pretty dangerous.
yellow flame means the buner is not fully burning the lpg, you might have issues with air supply to the burner depending how you've got it set up.
might be an idea to get a med pressure reg if you're going to do 50L boils with a 2 ring burner as suggested above.

cheers,

stewart

 

[OzBeer_MD]

At what point in this thread was there a suggestion of changing the set-up to have NO Regulator?

:huh:

I have to admit I'm far from knowledgible regarding what would happen if you removed the regulator... but as a gut instinct I reckon it's a bad idea.
The bottle that gas is held in is made of metal and required to be tested every x years for a reason. Exposing the pressure within that tank to the flexible hose with it's clamped on fittings is asking for a blow out. Flameable gas expelled rapidly in the vicinity of the naked flame has potential to be a good size explosion I reckon.

 

[the_yobbo]

At what point in this thread was there a suggestion of changing the set-up to have NO Regulator?

:huh:

...Do I actually need a regulator if I want to increase my flame velocity considering I have taps on the burner for each of the rings? ...

Original Post. Well, thats how I interpreted it.

 

[Ian Gommers]

Lots of camping equipment doesn't require a regulator, gas lights, stoves, etc.In all the years I've used my camp stove with flexilbe hose straight from bottle to stove it has never exploded.

 

[OzBeer_MD]

Oh I see, I thought the conversation was past that, with fents post, sorry.

MD

Original Post. Well, thats how I interpreted it.

 

[Fourstar]

Lots of camping equipment doesn't require a regulator, gas lights, stoves, etc.In all the years I've used my camp stove with flexilbe hose straight from bottle to stove it has never exploded.

:huh: You sure about that. I'd like to see a gaslight without a regulator.. probably be a 20 ft flamethrower!

 

[bjay]

Lots of camping equipment doesn't require a regulator, gas lights, stoves, etc.In all the years I've used my camp stove with flexilbe hose straight from bottle to stove it has never exploded.

Campin stuff has very small jets thats how the pressure is reduced and regulated

bjay

 

[Ian Gommers]

Yes I am, gas flow is regulated by the appliance, not an external regulator. Most camping gear (that I have) requires full pressure.

:huh: You sure about that. I'd like to see a gaslight without a regulator.. probably be a 20 ft flamethrower!

 

[bjay]

Yes I am, gas flow is regulated by the appliance, not an external regulator. Most camping gear (that I have) requires full pressure.

Most of my campin gear doesnt require regulators,,Thats how i know about the tiny tiny sized jets in the lights stoves ect


bjay

 

[Ian Gommers]

OMG! Hope none of your hoses have exploded from having full bottle pressure in them.

Most of my campin gear doesnt require regulators,,Thats how i know about the tiny tiny sized jets in the lights stoves ect


bjay

 

[bjay]

All my stuff actually sits on the bottle so no hose,, I have used the one with a hose but the small jet is at the bottle end so
reduces the pressure before the hose,,

Note ;;; But you wouldnt run the burner the op is talking about without regulator fitted otherwise it would go kaboom

bjay

 

[Ian Gommers]

My point is people like to make blanket statements. My camp stove has a flexible hose, no reg, control is on the burner on the stove, hose has full pressure as long as the bottle is opened. Not everyones situation is the same and people making blanket statements without all required info really gets up my nose.

 

[the_yobbo]

Good points, I had forgotten camping gear runs on non-regulated gas supply. Therefore, the associate hoses and fittings etc should/would be designed for the associated pressures.
The risk of blowing yourself up from removing the regulator is significantly less than I initially feared, however stick by my gut feeling of it being a bad idea.

And getting back on thread...
Is your ring burner the sort that allows oxygen to mix with the gas just after the taps like this one. (http://www.bigbradspartyhire.com.au/images...ng/gas_ring.jpg) Perhaps they need to be unscrewed further to allow more air in. Well, I think thats how they work, it's been a while since my scouting days when playing with gas burners.