Curtain around brew stand

[kramerog]

I understand the need now. I think you can do better than a curtain though. All those combustion gasses, steam, aromas, etc go up because they are hot. Go the commercial kitchen route and build a box over the system to trap gasses until they are sucked out. It will be better if it is firmly attached to the ceiling. With a curtain plenty of gasses will escape over the top anyway.

There is not enough space for a box or hood, which would be my first choice.  I've seen curtains used industrially, but they are probably nomex.

[kramerog]

My daughter and I are somewhat sensitive to breathing in the soot from the burners.  Using a curtain would allow the exhaust fan to better capture all that stuff I don't want to breathe.  I'm trying to create a homemade fume hood of sorts. 

My burners are natural gas.

Soot? What color is your flame? You shouldn't be getting any soot from NG unless the flame is fuel-rich.

The flames start off blue then get yellow and red tinges, which I attribute to poor ventilation.  The curtains would help direct fresh air to the burners rather than the mix of combustion air and fresh air they see now.

[mmitchem]

BE SAFE buddy! Dangerous stuff, this beer brewing

[Jimmy K]

Soot? What color is your flame? You shouldn't be getting any soot from NG unless the flame is fuel-rich.

The flames start off blue then get yellow and red tinges, which I attribute to poor ventilation.  The curtains would help direct fresh air to the burners rather than the mix of combustion air and fresh air they see now.

This really sounds like you're not getting enough fresh air input and it is depleating the oxygen in the room. What you might need is another blower blowing air INTO the room near the burners.  If the oxygen levels in the room are low curtains won't help, but they might make it worse.  It is dangerous too - carbon monoxide an all...

[kramerog]

Soot? What color is your flame? You shouldn't be getting any soot from NG unless the flame is fuel-rich.

The flames start off blue then get yellow and red tinges, which I attribute to poor ventilation.  The curtains would help direct fresh air to the burners rather than the mix of combustion air and fresh air they see now.

This really sounds like you're not getting enough fresh air input and it is depleating the oxygen in the room. What you might need is another blower blowing air INTO the room near the burners.  If the oxygen levels in the room are low curtains won't help, but they might make it worse.  It is dangerous too - carbon monoxide an all...

The exhaust fan next to the brew stand theoretically sucks nearly 2 orders of magnitude more air than necessary to capture the exhaust and to supply the fresh air.  Why doesn't it?  Lack of a ventilation enclosure that prevents the combustion gases from circulating throughout the basement (my breathing air) and back to the burners.  The exhaust fan will be in the curtained off area.

I do have another fan that I use for ventilation which makes the burners burn bluer , but after a dozen batches, I think the curtain will be a lot more effective.

[morticaixavier]

Soot? What color is your flame? You shouldn't be getting any soot from NG unless the flame is fuel-rich.

The flames start off blue then get yellow and red tinges, which I attribute to poor ventilation.  The curtains would help direct fresh air to the burners rather than the mix of combustion air and fresh air they see now.

This really sounds like you're not getting enough fresh air input and it is depleating the oxygen in the room. What you might need is another blower blowing air INTO the room near the burners.  If the oxygen levels in the room are low curtains won't help, but they might make it worse.  It is dangerous too - carbon monoxide an all...

The exhaust fan next to the brew stand theoretically sucks nearly 2 orders of magnitude more air than necessary to capture the exhaust and to supply the fresh air.  Why doesn't it?  Lack of a ventilation enclosure that prevents the combustion gases from circulating throughout the basement (my breathing air) and back to the burners.  The exhaust fan will be in the curtained off area.

I do have another fan that I use for ventilation which makes the burners burn bluer , but after a dozen batches, I think the curtain will be a lot more effective.

If there is not suffiecient intake air the exhaust fan will not be able to evacuate as it should. at least that is my understanding of venilation.

[euge]

It's obvious to me now that it isn't an issue with "capture" but that of airflow, it's availability and pressure differentials.

I think cracking a window in the room would go a long way to solving your problem.

[Joe Sr.]

It's obvious to me now that it isn't an issue with "capture" but that of airflow, it's availability and pressure differentials.

I think cracking a window in the room would go a long way to solving your problem.

This.  Your system is not balanced.

You need a fresh air intake somewhere.

[kramerog]

It's obvious to me now that it isn't an issue with "capture" but that of airflow, it's availability and pressure differentials.

I think cracking a window in the room would go a long way to solving your problem.

This.  Your system is not balanced.

You need a fresh air intake somewhere.

The basement door is wide open.  I'm freezing in the Chicago winter while brewing unless I'm close to the brewstand.

[tom]

I would consider a hood.

[euge]

I would consider a hood.

I thought he had a hood but no- right? And maybe that will help direct the hot air, steam and fumes towards the vent.

There definitely is an issue if you are not getting 100% blue flames. Might be a problem of too much gas. What size are the lines? This may be one of those multiple issues type of a problem with no single solution.

My hood only covers about 1/3 of the kettle at most but there's only about 3" above the the top. It pulls very well- especially if I crack the lid in that direction. An I like to crack the window opposite about an inch. That helps a great deal.

[kramerog]

No hood because not enough overhead clearance.  However, my exhaust fan has 2-3 times more flow (470 CFM) than the typical hoods (100-200 CFM) you find at the home improvement stores.  The curtain enclosure would not impede access because I can move it out of the way and provide a better enclosure than a hood.

[kramerog]

I'm pretty satisfied with how the nylon shower curtain worked. The curtain has a small gap with the ceiling, a large gap with the floor, but otherwises closes off two sides of my brewstand leaving just the side nearest the door open.  I brewed on Black Friday (better than shopping) while my wife went to work.  When she came back she did not realize that I had been brewing.

[Pinski]

Mission accomplished!

[euge]

Very good.