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Soot on bottom of kettle

I use a outdoor propane turkey fryer for my kettle. For a long time now I've been getting a bit of soot on the bottom of my pot -- not the entire bottom, but a few spots that create a lot of extra work for me. I've already tried a couple of times to play with the adjustment that draws air into the line, and pretty much have a blue flame when it's in use except that I'll see a bit of yellow here and there that I just can't get rid of. I usually light it by dropping a match into the burner, and the match then burns up and maybe that's contributing to the problem. I've also had a couple of boil overs through the years, so maybe the burners just need a real good cleaning. In any event, the soot on the bottom of the pot creates a mess on anything that I set it on. I have a square piece of wood (12" x 12") that I set on the counter while I use my immersion chiller, and I usually remember to set the pot on it's side in the bathtub until I can clean the bottom, but sometimes I'll get distracted and just set it down -- and it will leave a soot mark that is always a bitch to clean up.

Has anyone else had this problem? Is it common? Any suggestions on how to fix it? ... best way to clean the soot from a linoleum floor or bottom of the bathtub? I've tried several different cleaners and degreasers, and they work okay but always take quite a bit of elbow grease, so I'm looking for something that is quick and easy. I haven't tried that orange stuff yet, and have been meaning to buy some. If that doesn't work, I was wondering about 'Goop' (used by mechanics to wash their hands). I'm also looking for something to easily clean the bottom of the pot as well as the floor/tub, but I would imagine that very short contact time probably won't hurt the aluminum or stainless steel (I have both). Thanks for any advice anyone can provide.

Cheers.

Bill Velek - PERSONAL sites =

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Reply to
Bill Velek
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Bill, I don't have a solution, but... What does your burner look like? It seems in the inexpensive burner realm, there are 2 basic shapes, the 4" round and 6" round.

Look on this page:

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I have had the same problem with the 4" burner type. I think having it sit out in the rain has made it worse. I finally took it apart and knocked off the surface rust with a wire wheel and it is burning much better. I hit both parts, the inner part that distributes the gas in the full circle and the outer bowl part. I got a whole new unit also with one of the 6" burners. The 4" works better with the narrow tall 30 qt. pot I have. The

8" seems it would work better with a wider and shorter pot. But it works pretty good with the existing pot. For $15, I'm thinking about getting a new 4" and treating it better.

One other thing is to inspect the tube part (between where the hose connects to the burner and where the burner makes the 90 degree turn to face upwards. Somes times during periods of non-use, spiders and the like can take up residence. This partially blocks the manifold? (is that the right term?) This mean that even with the little shutter open allthe way, the burner end is still not getting full oxygen. Hopefully that makes a little sense.

Ed

Reply to
Ed Edelenbos

Bill--

You might want to check inside the body of the burner, a dirt dobber might have attempted a nest there. Good Arkansas critters.

On another note, go to

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and check out "Brew Day."

Larry Pappa's Beer Church LA (Lower Arkansas)

Reply to
Larry

Mine's different; it looks like the one in the top right-hand picture on this page:

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I have never cleaned the thing very well -- just squirted it off one or twice with the hose after boil-overs since it stays outside. You might not be able to make it out in the photo, but the cast iron portion is actually two pieces held together with a bolt, so I'll take it apart and check inside for bugs and then give it a good cleaning as well. I;m planning to brew this Saturday, so I'll clean it up first and see how it does and then report the results.

Thanks for the advice.

Cheers.

Bill Velek

Reply to
Bill Velek

That's a good idea. I'll work on it before brew day on Saturday.

Very cool. Unfortunately I have several firm appointments with clients on Wednesday and Wednesday night that are going to keep me late, so I won't be able to attend. I see that you are one of the movie stars. ;-)

How could a person get a chance to see that documentary other than at the festival?

Bill Velek - PERSONAL sites =

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&
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740+ homebrewer group just for Equipment:
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370+ just for Growing Hops/Herbs/Grains:
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NEW group just for Homebrewing Supplies:
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Join 'Homebrewers' to Help Cure Disease:
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Reply to
Bill Velek

Yeah, that's the same as the 4" in the lower left of the link I posted, and the same as my orig. The only difference I see is the orifice elbow... mine is straight.

FWIW, after I cleaned mine (the wire wheel and generous application of WD40) it took some time (5-10 min of burning) before it started burning right. It immediately sounded better but the flame was still yellowish for a while. Eventually it just got "right". As with everything "brew", be patient. I used mine today and it worked great. A simple American wheat in the fermenter.

Ed

Reply to
Ed Edelenbos

....

IIRC, a suggested way to make soot easily removable on pots on camping trips was to rub dishsoap(liquid - full stringth) on the bottom before using them - FWIW.

Bob

Reply to
Bob F

I was wondering if anyone would mention that trick - works great, saves a lot of cleanup time.

AL

Reply to
AL

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