custom burner

[pfshine]

So I plan on making a new stand and burner for my keg, the turkey fryer is to weak and wobbly. I plan on using 1 1/2" angle iron in a 1'-4 3/4" square and 1'-2" uprights with flat stock down and over for the burner to sit on. I like the portability of propane but I would like to go to natural gas as it is cheaper same thing with electric. So if anybody has experience with building there own burner and has any pros/cons with designs or gas to offer it would be much appreciated. By the way the burner stand will be welded with 6010 (5p) and 7018 (low hy) rod.

[Bushman]

Not sure on what site or where to find the link, but I have seen some legs directly welded to the keg as a stand. This also allows for the drain in the bottom of the keg for cleaning if you so wish!

[Dnderhead]

dont weld carbon steel to stainless,it can be done but it will/can rust.as you weld the base metal is melted
the two is mixed .mixing stainless and carbon steels will down grade the stainless.

[pfshine]

Thanks for the advise I am a fitter welder by trade so the welding is easy. I am gonna weld the stand up saturday then decide if its worth moving over to nat gas or stay propane.

[Prairiepiss]

I cooked a wash in my keggle on propane the other day. I still don't see why others like propane? I will stick with my electric elements.

[pfshine]

About how much does it cost to go electric? and how much juice does it use? Like I said I thought about goin elec but Im worried about the amount of power draw.

[Prairiepiss]

Not as much as most think. I think I figured it out to cost me around 3 or 4 bucks a run? That was a while ago. Someone posted their bill went up $40 a month the other day. That's unlikely. Unless your running a whole bunch of hooch off in a month. A whole lot.

There's calculators that you can use to figure up how much it would cost per month. Use a 5500w water heater element for an example.

[pfshine]

Thats less than propane thanks PP I might just postpone the stand build and look for the parts and peices to go elec. hell at that price it would be stupid not to

[Expat]

For a ballpark, tossing out some hypothetical numbers you should be able to estimate relatively closely.

5500 watt (5.5kw) electric element
Heat up for 1.5 hours at 100% (1 * 5.5 * 1.5 = 8.25 kWh)
Run for 3 hours at 25% (.25 * 5.5 * 3 = 4.125 kWh)
For a total of 12.375 kWH per run

If your All-In electricity rate was say $0.10 per kWh, the run would have cost you about.... $1.24 not a whole lot really.
Obviously this depends on how hard you run and what duration.

Someone correct me if I've screwed something up.

Anyone have numbers on gas consumption/costs for comparison?

I'd love to go big electric, its just the upfront costs (and by extension Mrs. Expat... lol ) won't allow it.

[pfshine]

So I upped the kwh to 15 to be on the safe side and my elec costs .11850 per kwh so it should cost somewhere around $1.7775 per run. as for the gas its about half a tank of propane at $21 bucks $10.50 each run.

[Prairiepiss]

See that's pretty damn cheap. Not to mention a lot more efficient. That was a big thing I noticed using LP. How much heat was lost coming up from around the sides of the keg. And electric element is right in the liquid giving it everything it has to give. Yes you can loose some from the keg radiating the heat. But some insulation can help that out. A bunch.

And no open flame or poisonous gases. Electric can be safely ran inside.

Yes the initial outlay can be a little more. If you buy premade. But I have less then $100 in mine as it sits. And with upgrades to 220v it mite be another $100. But your saving what $8 a run. And you don't have to worry about running the LP bottle out.

Now electric in some areas is quite steep. But for most places in the us. It's pretty cheap. I didn't say all.

If you can tell I am an electric pusher.

[pfshine]

I have to run mine in my garage because all my neighbors can see in my backyard (cant wait to get out of the city I hate it so much). So the garage door halfway up with the burner on still fills the place up with fumes and heat not to mention the noise. Electric it is. Now I need to make a list, a couple ss half couplings, a couple elements, breakers, wire, outlets, controller, insulation. anything I miss?

[Tater]

There is some posts on building burners try a search. And as far as running propane inside its been done long before there was electricity.Like anything else it must only be done safely. http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... ne+burners