Natural Gas Burner

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer, Mar 31, 2015.

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  1. beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer

    beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer Initiate (0) Mar 31, 2015

    Hi, sorry if I am posting in the wrong section (let me know I'll try to correct it).

    I am looking to start burning outdoors. My kitchen uses natural gas and since it's relatively cheap here compared to propane, I'd like to use it outside. Going to use my 5 gallon wort pot.

    I'm posting here because I was researching the types of burners and I think everyone is recommending going with a 'turkey fryer'. The problem is all of the ones I'm seeing are all propane. Are my only options is to go with a conversion kit? Any recommendations if I wanted to go natural gas?

    How many BTUs should I look for in a burner?
     
  2. MCDForm

    MCDForm Initiate (0) Oct 13, 2010 California

    Brewed on my natural gas rig today using a hurricane burner with a natural gas adapter. The two in the link are exactly what I have. I brought 10 gallons of 65F water up to 156 in less than 20 minutes. After the mash (I no sparge brew) I brought the kettle to a boil with about 8.5 gallons of water in about 20 minutes. Once I left it on full blast during a 90 minute boil and boiled off 3 gallons!

    http://www.williamsbrewing.com/HURRICANE-LOW-PRESSURE-BURNER-NO-STAND-P2677.aspx

    http://www.williamsbrewing.com/HURRICANE-NATURAL-GAS-CONVERSION-VALVE-P2214.aspx
     
  3. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah

    Most of us use propane because it's very easily accessible and you don't need a dedicated outside line for it. Natural gas would be a great way to save some money in the long run if you're sure that's what you want to do. If you see a clear way to brew with a dedicated natural gas line, pull the trigger.
     
  4. wspscott

    wspscott Pooh-Bah (1,958) May 25, 2006 Kentucky
    Pooh-Bah

    I have a hurricane burner as well, built an ugly looking stand using strut from homedepot
     
  5. ventura78

    ventura78 Pundit (972) Nov 22, 2003 Massachusetts

  6. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    I've had my turkey fryer for years, so it's hard to remember for sure, but it seems that mine came with an extra little valve part that could be changed out with the one that was already in the burner. I believe it was as simple as the size of the orifice is the difference in the burner's capability of burning natural vs. LP. Take a look at whichever burner you are considering and see if it comes with the extra little orifice part. (Maybe this is the 'conversion kit' that you mentioned above?)
     
  7. beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer

    beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer Initiate (0) Mar 31, 2015

    Thanks for the response everyone! I'll look into the hurricane burner and the 32 tip one. I know conversion kits have to deal with the burner's openings due to the pressure differences, but I didn't realize how straight forward the conversion would be. ++ great forum.
     
  8. carteravebrew

    carteravebrew Initiate (0) Jan 21, 2010 Colorado

    I bought my natural gas burner from Tejas Smokers. I highly recommend them based on their excellent service. They are very responsive and helpful; had a lot of e-mails back and forth with them before deciding on what to purchase, and while their products are marketed for BBQ, you can tell they know their stuff when it comes to what is needed for home brewing.
     
  9. beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer

    beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer Initiate (0) Mar 31, 2015

    Do you mine posting the specs of your burner carteravebrew? Looking at Tejas's site it looks like you have the option to pretty much customize to the burner you want. How many gallons are you burning?
     
  10. carteravebrew

    carteravebrew Initiate (0) Jan 21, 2010 Colorado

    http://www.tejassmokers.com/newproducts_page2.htm
    Single Burner Magnum Cooker Stand, kind of towards the bottom of the page, just make sure you specify Natural Gas (looks like it's defaulted on Low Pressure Propane)

    Also bought the natural gas hose from them, but you can probably get that from Lowe's.

    I brew 11 gallon batches (13 gallons of pre-boil wort) with converted kegs for mash tun and kettle. It takes about 15 min to heat strike water. For the boil, we turn the burner on shortly after starting the (fly) sparge, so by the time the kettle is full, it takes about an additional 10-15 minutes to get to a boil.

    It's low pressure, so the flame is not very intense, just a heads up. It's not really any faster than using my old turkey fryer, but I like the stand because it's so stout. No matter how I would rig the turkey fryer, I would never trust a 30 lb keggle filled with 13 gallons of wort. Also, no propane! The NG burner paid for itself in about 2 years, brewing 2-3 times per month, just from the cost savings of not having to buy propane (not to mention the hassle of exchanging/filling tanks or worrying about having a backup tank just in case).
     
    inchrisin likes this.
  11. inchrisin

    inchrisin Pooh-Bah (2,013) Sep 25, 2008 Indiana
    Pooh-Bah

    I'd like to see a picture of that.
    *Earplugs not included :slight_smile:
     
  12. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    Something to keep in mind is that a conversion and a dedicated NG hookup are 2 different things. If you are converting a propane burner to NG you will need a different orfice, but if you have no intention of using propane again for portability, etc. then an actual NG burner
    from a restaurant supply (or amazon/ebay) makes more sense. I bought mine (NG burner and hookups) from 2 different suppliers:

    http://caloreequipment.com/products...ck-disconnect-natural-gas-hose-connector.html

    http://www.amazon.com/Tip-Round-Nozzle-Burner-natural/dp/B00ADPD86A
     
    carteravebrew likes this.
  13. carteravebrew

    carteravebrew Initiate (0) Jan 21, 2010 Colorado

    Oooo, another benefit of natural gas vs. propane...it's so QUIET.
    :slight_smile:
     
  14. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    But I hope ground anchors are. :grinning:
     
  15. mikehartigan

    mikehartigan Maven (1,421) Apr 9, 2007 Illinois

    Some things never get old! This is the same natural gas burner I use. Note that it's not particularly quiet. Since each of the 23 jets is a burner, each has its own orifice. If you want a natural gas, you can't modify it. You need to specify ng when you buy it.
     
    billandsuz likes this.
  16. PapaGoose03

    PapaGoose03 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,057) May 30, 2005 Michigan
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah

    Cool video. How far was the gas valve open when the flames reached their max in the video? :slight_smile:
     
  17. beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer

    beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer Initiate (0) Mar 31, 2015

    thanks for sharing carteravebrew!
    great points GreenKrusty101 and thanks for sharing. I think I'm going to order off your amazon link, thanks man.
     
  18. bevoduz

    bevoduz Initiate (0) Oct 29, 2007 Illinois

    I use 2 of these on my rig in my garage. Sooo much better than the tip style burners I had before.
     
  19. bevoduz

    bevoduz Initiate (0) Oct 29, 2007 Illinois

    Link might help ehh?

    http://www.brewershardware.com/10-Low-Pressure-Burner.html
     
  20. mikehartigan

    mikehartigan Maven (1,421) Apr 9, 2007 Illinois

    No idea (that's not my video). If I open my valve wide open, I can't stand within two feet of it. Even open halfway, it burns the hair off my forearms when I reach over the kettle to stir (I use a ball valve, so it's hard to say exactly what 'halfway' means). This burner is a monster!:grinning: I'm considering removing a few of the jets to tone it down a bit. I can't imagine the 32-jet model being practical for home brewing with a keggle but, to each his own.
    It's damn cheap pretty much everywhere compared to propane. Prices vary, but in my neck of the woods (suburban Chicago), natural gas is generally 85-90% cheaper than propane. The BTU equivalent of a 20 lb tank of propane costs about $2. But, even if it was the same price, I'd choose it only for the convenience.
     
    PapaGoose03 likes this.
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