Just curious what you all think about the safety of brewing in the garage. Just got my Blichman burner in the mail today and plan to brew my first AG beer next weekend. The literature states to NEVER brew inside or in a garage. I fully plan to brew in the garage…it’s Wisconsin weather I’m dealing with. Anyone ever had any issues?
Open the garage door all the way or halfway. I don’t have a garage unfortunately, but many of my fellow club members brew right at the end of the garage/driveway with the door open. That will keep it plenty ventilated I would imagine.
As long as you have some ventilation it should be OK. I’d keep a CO detector out there while you’re brewing just in case - especially with this being the first time you’ve used the burner.
GT,
I brew in the garage in WI weather year round. As others have said, I keep the garage door up and have not had any problems. Sometimes, if it’s super windy, I will have to put up some sort of barrier in front of the burner to keep the wind away.
I keep the normal door to the garage open all the way, with the burner nearby. I also keep the garage door propped open a couple feet, just to make double sure that I don’t poison myself. If it is convenient or you are paranoid, a CO monitor might be useful.
We have a 3 bay garage so 1 of those bays is dedicated to my brewery. I have a friend who does AC units and demolition so he found me an exhaust fan from a Chinese place that went out of business. I have that in there now to exhaust and just keep the garage doors cracked about foot and the back door open when the flame is on.
As others have said a Carbon monoxide detector is a must. I also have 2 fire extinguishers ready, one on each side I can grab quickly if needed
I mostly brew on the back porch, but have used the garage the last couple times.
+1 on cracking the bay door.
I also have one of those round things on the roof that is supposed to suck hot air out. I installed a fan to exhaust out the hole from the inside.
Also make sure you are familiar with CO poisoning.
What are the symptoms of CO poisoning?
Because CO is odorless, colorless, and otherwise undetectable to the human senses, people may not know that they are being exposed. The initial symptoms of low to moderate CO poisoning are similar to the flu (but without the fever). They include:
Headache
Fatigue
Shortness of breath
Nausea
Dizziness
High level CO poisoning results in progressively more severe symptoms, including:
Mental confusion
Vomiting
Loss of muscular coordination
Loss of consciousness
Ultimately death
Symptom severity is related to both the CO level and the duration of exposure. For slowly developing residential CO problems, occupants and/or physicians can mistake mild to moderate CO poisoning symptoms for the flu, which sometimes results in tragic deaths. For rapidly developing, high level CO exposures (e.g., associated with use of generators in residential spaces), victims can rapidly become mentally confused, and can lose muscle control without having first experienced milder symptoms; they will likely die if not rescued. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/466.html">http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/466.html</a><!-- m -->
I use the garage with a single burner (two might be pushing it to the extreme) cracked about 6 inches, we usually have a strong breeze. It is technically unsafe though. Only you know if you are safe enough.
[quote=“sam_malty”]Also make sure you are familiar with CO poisoning.
What are the symptoms of CO poisoning?
Because CO is odorless, colorless, and otherwise undetectable to the human senses, people may not know that they are being exposed. The initial symptoms of low to moderate CO poisoning are similar to the flu (but without the fever). They include:
Headache
Fatigue
Shortness of breath
Nausea
Dizziness
High level CO poisoning results in progressively more severe symptoms, including:
Mental confusion
Vomiting
Loss of muscular coordination
Loss of consciousness
Ultimately death
Symptom severity is related to both the CO level and the duration of exposure. For slowly developing residential CO problems, occupants and/or physicians can mistake mild to moderate CO poisoning symptoms for the flu, which sometimes results in tragic deaths. For rapidly developing, high level CO exposures (e.g., associated with use of generators in residential spaces), victims can rapidly become mentally confused, and can lose muscle control without having first experienced milder symptoms; they will likely die if not rescued. <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/466.html">http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/466.html</a><!-- m -->
I use the garage with a single burner (two might be pushing it to the extreme) cracked about 6 inches, we usually have a strong breeze. It is technically unsafe though. Only you know if you are safe enough.[/quote]Shoot, I have almost all of those symptoms and I thought it was just old age setting in. I always brew in the garage but I use natural gas and usually keep the back service door open as well as the big garage door open a few inches.
@MullerBrau
LOL
+1
Can’t beat cross ventilation. I plan on putting in a blower to suck are out on my back foundation window. So I can run a rig like that 
I brew in a two-car garage. I leave the garage door all the way up.
This is my first year brewing with propane thans to a stove change. I will only crack my large door about a foot and put a fan right by the opening, then position the burner just behind that. This will pull any fumes straight out without having to have the door wide open. Probably still get pretty cold. Fire extinguisher is a good idea.
Me too. I usually have two burners going at a time. Windshields and a CO detector are a good idea. Our winters are fairly mild, so the cold isn’t a big deal.
Whatever you choose, think about your safety first.
+1000000000000000000000
cross ventilation is great. also, fire extinguisher just might save your life/house/@ss.
I just got one installed, and the guy said that they take an average over 6 hours, so they won’t work for sudden CO sources, only for slow buildup from furnaces/ovens. If there are some that do readings averaged over a shorter period of time, you should probably look for one of those for brewing.
I brew in my shop with no doors open except in the spring or fall when it’s nice out. It’s nice to brew in a heated or cooled place. I have a CO detector, it’s never gone off. Last January we brewed 65 gallons one day, had 4 burners going at various times, I was curious and got out my single gas analyzer about 5 hours into the day and it only read 4 ppm. I’m not trying to down play the risk but if your burner is properly adjusted you will have very little to no CO. A detector is a must have though.
A blue flame is good. If you see lots of yellow, that should send a red flag.
I have a side door and opposite window. I open both when the flame is on, but the main door is shut (usually too windy). Everything is closed during the mash and then open it all up when the boil is done and start chilling express this time of year…Coming from a family full of firefighters, the extinguisher is mounted at the ready and I pull the hose out and have it at the ready, as well. Lastly, I keep the area near the burners clear of any flammables (this isn’t like cooking a turkey in oil, afterall…)
:cheers:
Am I the only one who does it on a stove top?
[quote=“dustinwwww”]Am I the only one who does it on a stove top?[/quote]Nope, in the winter thats what I do. I have a 1500W heatstick to assist my stove. Works great; no frozen hoses or fingers!
