For some reason, I am having trouble bringing my wort to a boil outdoors on my Blichmann top tier. I’ve tried adjusting all the settings every which way I can think and I can’t get over 200F.
Finally brought by boil kettle indoors on my glass top stove to get it to a boil )I’ve actually done many AG batches on the glass top with no problem). In the meantime, I’ve lost about .75G of wort to the atmosphere without ever getting a boil going. Frustrating. I’m at a loss.
I am using the Blichmann burner with a Keggle on natural gas. I have a hell of a time getting my keggle to boil too - not sure if it’s the conical bottom or what. Even playing with the air intake, it only lightly boils.
Can either of you utilize a lid placed over part of the kettle to help your boil vigor?
Keep us all posted if you find resolution(s). Lots of us are in the market for burners and being able (or not able) to bring wort to a boil is kinda important.
That is certainly puzzling. I use the Blichmann Top Tier burner with the 10 gallon G2 and even a 5 gallon economy kettle. Can’t say for sure why you cannot get above 200f. This link tells you how to get the best results with the flame… https://youtu.be/80DXdiSVxQI
You say you checked all settings, does that include the propane regulator? I can make the wort almost jump out of the kettle on my TopTier burner if I turn the regulator up.
I had problems about a year ago with my flame. Folks here suggested shutting everything down, disconnecting the regulator, and starting from scratch. I had been happy with my flame and output, so I had stopped turning down my regulator. Apparently there is a default with regulators that they need to be shut off as well, or they go into a sort of safe mode, where the output is drastically reduced. Once I shut everything off, and started over, no more problems. Might help, might not be your problem, but give it a try
[quote=“MagicRat, post:1, topic:25448, username:Ron_Gale”]
For some reason, I am having trouble bringing my wort to a boil outdoors on my Blichmann top tier. I’ve tried adjusting all the settings every which way I can think and I can’t get over 200F.
Finally brought by boil kettle indoors on my glass top stove to get it to a boil )I’ve actually done many AG batches on the glass top with no problem). In the meantime, I’ve lost about .75G of wort to the atmosphere without ever getting a boil going. Frustrating. I’m at a loss.
Not related to your particular burner, but I had the same problem after buying a new burner a couple of years ago. My BK was wider than the rim at the top of the burner frame. All of the flame was blowing under the rim and not enough heat concentrating on the bottom of the BK. I cut and slotted 3 pieces of 1/2" rebar and fitted them to the top of the frame allowing enough space for the flame to exit between the rim and the BK. Problem solved.
Has anyone contacted Blickmann about the problem?
If you open the valve on the tank too fast it will indeed put the regulator in a safe mode. Open the tank valve completely open, but don’t crank it open really fast. Then you can control the flame easily with the hose regulator. The burner gets a 20 gal kettle boiling like nobodies business. I had the same issue until I read the instructions.
I have control of the flame with the hose regulator. I have had nice, rolling boils in the past. Last batch was more of a vigorous simmer, I would say. Yesterday, just couldn’t get up to a boil. Took about 10 minutes after I moved it to the stove. I wonder if it has anything to do with the wind which has been the common denominator these last two batches. I will try putting the lid at least part on next time.
The wind could affect it. Also, a spider may have spun a web in the plenum. Disconnect the hose and look down there. Maybe take a wooden skewer and root around. It could be scale and rust. Or a regulator.
“…rust ,spider webs,hornet nests in the burner,bad diaphragm in the regulator and not enough “volume” in the propane tank, etc.:”
https://trapperman.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/5851984/weak_flame_on_a_turkey_fryer
Close your tank completely. Then, make sure the regulator is closed all thge way and unscrew it from the tank. Let it sit for about five minutes. Connect it back to the tank, open the tank all the way and SLOWLY open the regulator.
There is in internal safety in the regulator that trips if it’s opened to fast. The above process is how it’s reset. Do that and you should be good to go.
I had a problem with my propane burner of trying to turn it down to a slower boil after I had evaporated some of the wort through boiling. I would be turning the regulator valve incrementally toward the close position and eventually a gust of wind would blow out the flame and I’d have to re-light it and try again.
After reading some of the above posts, I’m thinking that I probably had the tank valve open too far.
Do what Weazletoe said to do in post #13. Make sure there is no pressure in the regulator. Maybe even give it a shake. ReInstall the regulator in the correct orientation. I have 2 top tier burners I’ve used with both propane and gas. Bot can rip a 30gallon kettle to boil without problem. It’s the regulator not the burner.