Ice Fishing, home brewing & propane QUESTION…

To all you ice guys out there…
is anyone ever nervous about burning propane in such close quarters when you’re out in Otters or fish houses? Is there any risk of carbon monoxide?
I brew beer at home and use propane for my burners. Since it’s so cold outside and brewing is pretty water intensive…I moved all my stuff in my basement.
I have two block windows that I can pop open and suck fresh air in, and I have a vent blowing the smell from hops and other stuff out the side of the house.
It seems the beer brewing community all say “DON’T BREW INSIDE!”
but nobody in the ice fishing community ever says beware of propane and Otters/shacks.
Any thoughts from anyone?
Thx

Brew it out on the ice !! I will find you Seriously though, when you brew beer, how long does it take to cook/brew ? Are you there tending it, while the propane is being used ? I would not sleep in my house, if I was using propane in anything other than a properly working furnace.

I think the ‘don’t brew inside’ thing is all about steam. You generate a lot of steam, especially if you can do full volume boils like I do (converted 16 gallon keg). In the winter time, your house will be full of condensation and just plain gross. You are usually boiling for 45-60 minutes, so that’s a lot of steam.

My brother in law and I do two batches at once, the last session being in October and we just keep the hood fan on over the stove to vent steam out and have had no problems with excess moisture in the house – and then the plus side is the house smells like the brewery for a day or two. My sister in law doesn’t like the smell but then she doesn’t live here (TG) and my wife doesn’t complain being the good wife that she is. With the setup you explained I don’t think you’d have any problems but to be safe get a CO2 detector in your basement and that will let you know if levels are bad. Good luck and let us know when it is ready to sample.

Don’t most portables have a small vent on the top?

No vents in most shanties that are warm. I brewed all winter on a propane stove with vent running and lived. Not sure what happens in apartment or condos if you try that. It seems humidity would be issue if you let it. Excessive hopping might get to you too. Miss homebrewing but don’t drink any more.

I use the Buddy heaters and they have an O2 sensor that will turn the burner off if too low. It is a safety feature, but I don’t rely on it and always have a vent open.

Barring the heating appliance is working like it should, one of your main worries is the re burning of the air that’s in a enclosed area, that’s when you’ll start making CO, and that is far more dangerous than a lack of oxygen or to much moisture. imho

Al

If you are running a heater you should always have your house vented. Be it a portable or perm, vent it.

When I was out with my bro, he has a flip over two man and there was a vent. I know I am not imagining it, because I used it from the outside to warm my hands. I wish he would let me inside sometimes…

nothing worse than a propane headache, vent your portable makes the beer taste better when you get home.

I think the real moral of the story here is proper ventilation if I’m hearing people correctly. I’m looking to put a hood in over the spot where I brew with a 400+ CFM fan vented to the outside of the house and then I’m planning to build a box fan to fill the block window when I brew to suck in fresh air.
I do have two CO2 detectors in the basement as well. One right by the brew station and one in the finished part.
Thx for the input!

Love the process and I’d be glad to share some of the bounty if it works out.

You know they sell beer in liquor stores now.

400CFm exhaust fan should eliminate any issues you would have