Soot problem

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zeno
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Soot problem

Post by zeno »

My propane burner has begun to produce large amounts of soot.. The first few brews had almost no soot, but not the soot line is getting dangerously close to the top of my 7.5 gallon kettle.. Any suggestions on how tocure the soot problem?
fitz
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Clean Orfice?

Post by fitz »

Have you had any boilovers, or how clean is the propane you are using?
I am assuming that the "soot" you are refering to is discoloration and black buildup on the outside of the kettle. If so, the answer may be the orfice on your propane burner is semi-clogged or dirty. Try to clean it, and see if that helps. Is the flame a different color than it was originally, this may also be a hint to an orfice problem.
jayhawk
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Blue flame

Post by jayhawk »

Are you burning the flame at its hottest? If the flame is not blue, you are not burning at max effeciency, and therefore you may not be burning as "clean", which could result in soot.
zeno
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possibly

Post by zeno »

Though I don't recal ever having a boilover, I did have to use a piece of cardboard to start it a few times (ie light a small peice, drop it on the berner, then add gas)..

I really don't recal the color of the flame.. What should I look for?

And yes, it's that thin, messy, almost impossible to clean up black buildup of which I speak.. very bad stuff..
zeno
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Hottest is best?

Post by zeno »

That is another issue I have wondered about.. Should I open the flame all the way up from the get-go? I actually steep my grains in the kettle while on the burner, so I try to avoid bringing it to a boil before the grains have sat for an hour..
fitz
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Blue flame

Post by fitz »

Like Chris said the flame should be blue. You don't have to have it at its highest setting, but it needs to be more than smoldering too. Make suer the burner is clean and be sure to turn it up to get a good gas flame from it. If the flame is too hot to steep, remove it from the fire, then place it back on after you are finished if your pot wants to cool down too soon, insulate it once it is away from the flame. Burning your gas low, will increase the soot buildup on your kettle, and on the burner orfices.
Azorean Brewer
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Does your burner have air adjustment?

Post by Azorean Brewer »

My burner has an air adjustment so that I can increase or decrease the amount of air "being mixed" with the propane. I find that if I introduce enough air to make the flame just jump off the burner and back off just a hair I get pure blue flames and no soot. Look at your burner or better yet read the instructions that came with it if you still have them.

Good luck,
Paul.
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