Best gas burner to buy?

[Ralph]

Looking at getting myself set up with a gas burner for brewing. I will need to grab a 50L pot at some stage too, but figured the burner came first.

 

Having a look around it seems that the best choice for buying here in NZ is either the 3 or 4 ring burner that works with a standard regulator on a BBQ gas bottle.

 

I can find the 3 ring burners for about $70

 

I can find the 4 ring burners for about $130.

 

What I would like to know is if it is worth paying almost double for a 4 ring, or whether the 3 ring does the job just fine??

 

Are there any other options I could consider? I am quite happy to buy stuff in from overseas if it is cheaper and works better. Also not adverse to having to do some assembly or source some parts to make stuff work.

[Brett Mason]

The local RockGas had some burners for a better price than that last time I checked. $50 for a 3 ring, $105 for a 4 ring. Both were the black burners which are better made than the green ones. They also had a selection of wok burners for $150+.

 

The four ring burners are nice because they have almost twice the output of the 3 ring burners. The problem with them is the size. The biggest ring is right on the outside of a keggle so I'm sure a fair chunk of the heat must be going straight up the side.

 

Is it worth the extra $$$? Not really if you do < 30 litre batches. I only do 20-30 litre batches and chose the four ring because I figured it would save me time on brew day. In practice I've become more organised with getting the burner on early it doesn't really save much time.

[Dan Filihiahekava]

Myself and the kids love the burner , great for HB , cooking the Crays and for the kids melting the marshmellows

[JoKing]

I could have sworn that was my video!

[Dan Filihiahekava]

hahaha , bro you should see the vid i sent to get a replacement when my burner had a leak

 

[bart]

Hi guys, just a quick question about rust on the 3 ring burners. I know that it is normal for them to get surface rust pretty quickly after you start using them. But is there anything I should be doing to extend the life of the burner? Like painting it with some kind of special paint / oil etc? Or do ya just not worry about the rust?

[Reviled]

Bart, im still persisting with an old 2 ring which when I got it was completely covered in surface rust, havent really bothered to do anything about it and after 3 years its still going strong!! So I personally wouldn't worry about it.

[Tilt]

I'm with you there Rev - although I do blow mine out every now and then with compressed air to keep everything clear (having removed the jets/tap end to prevent blowing crud into them) .  Mostly the rust is just cosmetic.

[Chris]

Do you know if the 3-rings work OK on a standard low-pressure (BBQ) reg? Cheers

[Ralph]

The 2 I have seen going have both been on standard low pressure regulators.

[Chris]

That's good to know, thanks :)

[Tim Stewart]

So how far are the rambo burners away Joe ,Im keen for a couple

[JoKing]

The suppliers (as usual) don;t have any of the 10 tips in stock at the moment... so it'd have to be when they get more. Last time I checked, they were 1bout 10 weeks off getting theirs, then it's be about an extra week or so for it to get to me.

 

Probably 8 weeks I should have some?

 

The 23's are just too big for the size pots we are using...