Problems with City Inspections Dept in relation to Gas Fired Brewpub

[brewergreg]

Hi Everyone, I am looking for any ideas out there as to what we can do. We are very close to having our brewpub built out and have run into a problem with the city inspections department not approving our anticipated LG gas burner for our 3.5 bbl gas fired kettle from Stout Tanks and Kettles.
They are telling us that we cannot use 2 - 100,000 btu "wok" burners under our kettle because they are not UL listed or are not installed in UL listed equipment.
They are telling us that then only type of burner that they will approve is UL listed equipment that is made for a commercial kitchen.
As far as I can tell I cannot find any equipment that will fit under our kettle at about 12 in off the ground that will put off enough heat to bring the wort to a boil.

The kettle is 31 in diameter and has a heat shield that extends to just above the floor.
We are in North Carolina, so any other brewpubs in NC with information on what the state wants is appreciated.
Thank you in advance for any help.

[TiminOz]

kettle design

I would say he problem lies in the kettle design. With that many btu's you would want a heat chamber for the direct fire burner with a flue for the heat from the burner. There would also be a lot of lost energy with an external burner of that size.

[jmiller1371]

You might need to use a forced air burner. I believe those are UL rated. Has Stout given you any input?

[mashpaddled]

I am not an expert in UL requirements for commercial kitchen equipment but I have a hard time imagining UL approving a product with a 100,000 BTU burner less than 12" off the ground. You may have to fit the kettle on top or over a taller commercial burner set up. Not sure if the equipment exists to fit your needs or whether the kettle will function in that kind of design. I would first suggest going back to the inspector and try to get more specific details on what they will approve. The last thing you want to do is spend several thousand dollars on a heating element to have the inspector come back and tell you he or she will not approve the combination.

I'd also suggest going back to stout tanks and asking for some guidance on their end.