How do you deal with steam?

[Black_Sheep]

My newly modified Burco and the current cold snap is producing a lot more steam that than my kitchen can take. The Missus is complaining about bubbling paint and swelling cracks in the laminate cupboards. Whilst I'am unable to understand these "decorative" problems I have to address them or face a ban of some sort. How do you deal with excess steam? Apart from going outside, I don't have garage either.

Could I use the lid of one of those galvanised garden incinerators and a length of tumble drier exhaust out the window? I guess that fashioning a dome of something able to stand heat, not rust and have a pipe I can run a flexible exhaust is what's needed. Your help required?

[Horatio]

This is exactly the same porblem I am trying to resolve. You can get fleixible metal ducting from B&Q for about £6 for a couple of metres; it's pretty much the same as the plastic but I thought it might withstand the heat better? I hadn't thought about the top of an incinerator though! You can buy an adapter plate that the ducting fits over (it's like a metal top hat but open at both ends). I was going to cut a hole in the plastic lid of my boiling bucket (I have a H&G plastic boiler) and fix the adaptor plate to it, then the ducting to that. Hoping to do it next weekend as away with work this week.

[harry_mac]

I always let the wort come to the boil inside the kitchen, then take it outside into the open where the steam isn't a problem.

If you used ducting of some sort, how would you deal with steam condensing and falling back into the boiler (and maybe becoming contaminated as a result)?

[softlad]

I boil next to a window and place a fan between the boiler and the window to draw off the majority of the steam through the window

[OldSpeckledBadger]

I just open the kitchen door and windows and let the steam escape.

[trucker5774]

I boil on a worktop next to the open back door and an open kitchen window and also use a fan during cold weather when condensation is an issue

[Horatio]

If you used ducting of some sort, how would you deal with steam condensing and falling back into the boiler (and maybe becoming contaminated as a result)?

That's a good question! I was going for the metal ducting so it could be thouroughly cleaned and then the steam should sterilise it (I think ) so any liquid that runs back should be just water. I could also be talking out of my ar*e! I'm going to experiment next weekend with just a water boil and see what happens.

[Jim]

I boil on the hob with the extractor fan full on and the window open.

[Trunky]

[jaycee]

Lag your boiler and boil outside.

[Black_Sheep]

Dear All,

What a great response! Thanks one and all. Jaycee I will consider lagging the boiler but what do you use? I had all three windows open and an extraction fan going, I only have a pretend extraction hood (recirculates air through a carbon filter rather than discharging outside), my kitchen doesn't have a door to the outside I can get the boiler right by the window and I like the fan idea. I'm not worried about condensate causing infections during the boil and I'd remove the garden incinerator lid before starting cooling. www.bins-n-benches.co.uk do a lid for £14.99, 18" diameter and a length of plastic ducting is only about £5, that's still viable.

I think I'm going to use a mix of solutions, while it's cold I'll try and fashion a incinerator lid-ducting device, I suppose you could even make that active extraction with the use of an extraction fan on the end....hmmm. And I'll switch to al fresco when the wind is no longer blowing down the Urals.

[Blackaddler]

Dear All,

What a great response! Thanks one and all. Jaycee I will consider lagging the boiler but what do you use?

A couple of old towels and bungees will do. Here's my 100L stockpot.....



I've since bought some thermal insulation in the B&Q sale, but not yet started work on the conversion.

[adodman]

I boil outside and to lag my boiler I used 'Tank Lagging', the type you use to cover an immersion heater. I cost me about £6 from Wickes and I had enough to lag my HLT, Coolbox mashtun and boiler with a piece to spare.

[trucker5774]

Remember to add in the dilution factor when boiling outside in the rain

[boingy]

And if you boil with gas, be careful how you insulate....

There are some pics of the steam outlet on my boil pan here:

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=19868&p=228005#p227947

Works for me!