getting ready to place order.cant decide between 8and 15 gal kettle.if i buy an 8 is it some thing that i would wish i had bought 15 when i get more exp.

bigwheel thanks for reply.im about ready to pull the trigger on this thing.last thing to do is find out shipping cost and hope its not a deal killer

bigwheel i thought i would start out with a good quality propane burner.is there any pros or cons to propane.i live out in country with no neighbors.thought i could brew in barn.plenty of ventilation.

"Hi Bee, I use propane along with quite a few of the others on this site. I find it to be cheaper than electricity and a heck of a lot more portable. I can get 6 to 8 runs off of a 20Lb tank. It heats the boiler up a lot faster than the electrics do and is easier to control. The burner I use is a ""Blichmann"" burner. It's more expensive,($130.00), than a turkey frier but a heck of a lot more controlable. Just bring your wash up to a boil then turn the burner way down. I turn mine down to where it's almost going out. Just make sure you have no leaks and good ventalation without wind being on the still or burner. I use a fan put off to the side to draw air through the window and out the door of the shed when the air is still. As with any set up keep a fire extinguisher hand, just in case. Never had any problems with this set up and very happy with the results. I did however extend the condencer drop tube by three feet with a 1/2"" to 3/8"" compression reducer and a piece of 3/8"" copper tubing. You need to pickle the brass compression reducer by boiling it in a solution of 50-50 viniger and water for a few minutes untill it turns a brighter yellow. this keeps any lead from leaching out of the brass into your product.
Have fun"

Hey Maudib, your right about Bayou's viniger/hydrogen peroxide solution being 2/1. I stand corrected.Thanks.

"Old Swamp, I went with the 15 gallon kettle and it seems to work fine. I started makin 5 gallon runs then moved up to 10 gallons. Now if i have lots of time (about 3 1/2 hours) I run 10 gallons, but mostly run 5 gallons and it takes under 2 hours. I have been using Bayou-Rulers birdwatchers recipe, everyone loves it!

As for heat, I dont plan on using my unit in my den so I went with propane. It brings my pot with 5 gallons of wash to temp in 30 minutes on the nose. Then as stated by others I turn the heat way down and run a pint of high shots every 15 minutes, which I cut to almost a quart. I marked the dial where to set it after it reaches temp so its repeatable everytime. I can get 5to 6 runs on a 18 dollar bottle of propane, about 3 bucks a run.

As for refilling it, almost every grocery store and even wallyworld has the neat propane bottle exchange goin on. You drop off your empty bottle, go in and pay for a full one, and some teenager will gladly come get you a full tank and carry it to the truck if you wish. How can you beat a deal like that ??? Also, if you know much about cooking anything you'll know propane is MUCH easier to regulate, increase, decrease and adjust than electric. I had an unused turkey fryer handy and i've been using it for almost 3 months without incident.

I DO keep a charged water hose with nozzle handy just in case Murphy decides to stop by.

Hope that helps.
Farmin"