6B burner Archives - outdoorstirfry.com

Posted on August 14, 2024August 14, 2024 by admin

Question on 6B IEI stove.

Inquiry:

Hello, I have a number of questions about your 160k BTU Power Flamers. I’ve read through your FAQ and viewed your videos and appreciate the information sharing. I didn’t see answers to the below, so wanted to check with you:

I’d prefer a manual version of the 6B, but it sounds like the burner is not compatible.

Regarding parts for failed electronic ignition… I saw that you require the full assembly to be replaced on the IEI version. What are the current parts costs to replace a malfunctioning EI vs IEI version of the ignition, and how long do you plan to have parts available?

Is it fair to assume that you consider the 6B burner better performing for woking, over the 5B?

How do these wok burners hold up to year-round outdoor storage in a harsh climate like Denver, where we have vary variable conditions (large temperature swings, variable precipitation, wind/dust, etc) and high UV?

We have a lot of spiders where I live. How effective are the spider guards?

If I was to mount one of these into a 3rd party cart, how much clearance below the burner is needed (to a shelf, propane tank, or other materials) for safety and combustion air (assuming it has access to air from the sides?

Is the unit with short legs sufficiently stable sitting on a metal table when tossing (perhaps that would be too hot for a table), or does it need to be firmly attached to a base? Many thanks.

Outdoorstirfry:

IEI can default into a manual stove if its electronic ignition fails. Turning the main burner flame to its lowest serves as a pilot.

6B has wider burner area, we agree with the analysis from the customer who posted on reddit. Our website has a copy of his analysis.

The stove main issue with weather is rust (moisture and direct rain/snow), not temperature, wind, dust or UV. The stove needs to be covered after use.

Spider is good to control inset populations. We encourage spider populations. We have lot of spiders in our place as well. Spider guard, if placed correctly, is effective.

We want minimum 1 foot clearance to any combustible material. 2 feet is preferable.

Short leg version is designed to sit on a table. It does not need to be mounted to the table.

Inquiry:

Ok, thanks. Sometimes it’s nice to get confirmation beyond a single Reddit post, as different people have different experience. Glad to hear you think the new one provides a better woking experience.

As to the rust… is the concern more of an aesthetic concern or a functional/longevity concern for the unit? Some materials that rust are purely an aesthetic issue. I would definitely cover it, but given our drastic temperature swings (we can easily see freezing over night and 60 degreesF the next day), it can be expected there will still be condensation. I’d prefer to not be hauling it inside, as I don’t have space to store it.

Thanks for the information and for providing such good support of your product.

Outdoorstirfry:

Rust for most of the stove area is only cosmetic. Rust in the burner holes affects the flame. Flame becomes yellow and create soot. We are in California. We had to clean the holes on the burner twice last rainy season. We have the stove for last 25 years and use it daily.

Inquiry:

Great – thank you! It’s good to understand the rust is maintainable where it can be problematic and there aren’t longevity issues.

I am going to order a PowerFlamer today… just need to choose IEI or manual. A few more questions, and I won’t pester you any more, as I am sure you are very busy! Sometimes it is hard buying things on the internet, because in-person things are more obvious.

– On the manual control… the knobs are brass. Do you know if they are lead-free brass?

– On the IEI control, you mentioned it can be turned low as a pilot light… Is there a detent/stop position before it turns off, or does it take some practice to get the flame at the lowest setting without it going out?

– I’m going to start looking for a larger cart today, that may have a shelf or cabinet below, like the one linked below. What is the dimension from the underside of the lip (i.e. where it would rest on the table) to the bottom of the unit, and how many inches of clearance below the bottom of the unit should be maintained for sufficient airflow?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0D2Q8JFM7

Outdoorstirfry:

We don’t get material content on the brass fitting. We need to assume that it has lead content that is not suitable for drinkable water usage. The knob is not processing drinkable water from the stove application point of view. The cook needs to wash hand before eating.

The travel of the front knob on IEI is 90 degrees. There is no stop to indicate it reaches its minimal level. Adjustment of the flame is continuous.

On the table, you can let the stove sit on the table. The short legs on the stove should provide enough air intake for the stove. Are you going to cut a hole on the cart top surface to sink down the stove?

Inquiry:

Thank you. I’m not always so good about not tasting food as I go, so I might be better off with the IEI, despite loving a more traditional control.

Yes, cutting a hole in the top would be the intent. Based on your comment, it sounds like as long as the legs are not touching down, I should be good for airflow. I think I’ve heard 10.75″ or 11″ diameter is the proper hole size? My wife is 5′-9″. Based on what I’ve read, it seems you prefer a 30″ height for the top of the unit. That seemed low to me, but after watching some videos, I can see where lower is better than higher for wok hei / tossing to not cause shoulder issues.

Outdoorstirfry:

Stir frying food is hot; you can’t use finger to grab them. Please use utensil.

With tossing, a good consideration is that your wok handle height is about the same height as your elbow or up to 6” lower.

Posted on June 27, 2024 by admin

Any plan to add manual ignition option with 6B burner?

Inquiry:

I’d honestly prefer a manual ignition over anything electronic that may fail over time but the redditor’s review on the improvements with the 6B burner vs the 5B has me contemplating on the IEI version. Are there any plans on 6B with manual ignition?

Outdoorstirfry:

There are a few reasons why we don’t offer manual option on the 6B burner.

6B burner is not designed to mount a manual valve.
When the electronic ignition fails, the main burner can still be lit by a long nose BBQ igniter.
Without pilot, the main burner can be turned down to minimum flame, thanks to the feature of continuous flame adjustment of our stoves. This minimum flame, although higher than a pilot flame, should not consume much fuel either.
Main burner is optimal for blue flame combustion. This leaves out possible yellow flame issue from any pilot flame.

In a nutshell, 6B burner can be treated as a manual one after the electronic ignition fails.

Posted on January 19, 2024January 20, 2024 by admin

Burner Comparison among PowerFlamer Propane 160 Stoves

Below is a review article from Blake McNeil (a customer) who posts on reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/wok/comments/19aptbd/outdoorstirfry_buner_6b_comparison/. As of January 2024, PowerFlamer propane 160 stoves utilize two burners: one 5 inches (5B) in PowerFlamer propane 160 manual PF13x160, electronic ignition PF13x160EI and one 6 inches (6B) in PowerFlamer propane 160 integrated ignition PF13x160IEI. We ask the customer to do the comparison. Below is his review.

I use my PowerFlamer Propane 160 wok burner from OutdoorStirfry a LOT, it is my principal cooking
device in my home. Stir fry, steamer or even just boiling up water for spaghetti (why use a piddly little
stove burner when you have Godzilla sitting outside?) my wok burner is usually what I cook on. Even in
the depths of a Canadian winter, you can find me cooking outside on my wok burner. -30C, no problem
the PowerFlamer has the jam to do it right no matter how cold it might be.

When I saw that there was a new burner coming out for the PowerFlamer I asked if I could get one and
compare it to the existing burner, these are my findings, but first some background. My ascent into
Asian cooking came about as I wanted to increase my veggies and reduce my meat intake. Being retired I
need to pay more attention to my diet after years of abuse running various startup companies which left
little time for a healthy diet. I suffered from veggie boredom eating the traditional North American fair
and switch to an Asian diet where the endless combinations of veggies and sauces put an end to veggie
boredom. I started cheap and got an Eastman Kahuna Burner and while it was a big step up from wimpy
stove cooked stir fry, it is not a real wok burner. It focuses all its heat on a very small area and isn’t
designed for a wok. Heat management is problematic if you are cooking for more than one person as it
creates a small intense hot spot that easily burns food while the rest of the wok isn’t very hot. Trying to
mitigate this small hot spot I use a 14” carbon steel Yosukata round bottom Wok which dissipated the
heat a bit but it is a heavier wok so I tend to use a Chao technique (more stirring than tossing of a Bao
technique). Use of a Chao technique was also because the Kahuna Burner doesn’t lend itself to moving
the wok as it isn’t very stable and doesn’t have a wok ring.

Once the welds on the Kahuna Burner started to fail, it was time to step up and the search was on for a
‘real’ wok burner for a home user. Enter OutdoorStirfry, a real wok burner, complete with a wok ring
and when I saw the available stand, it was take my money time. The upgrade to the PowerFlamer from
the Kahuna Burner was a bigger upgrade than from the stove top to the Kahuna Burner. The
PowerFlamer allowed me to up my game and flavor big time. Far better control and a far bigger sweet
spot than the Kahuna Burner. When the new burner came out, I was very interested as to what a new
burner could improve upon.

I bought my PowerFlamer with a manual pilot light ignition system as I thought that would work better
for me than an electronic ignition, so to swap in the new burner I got just the 6B burner with no ignition
system and would swap it with my existing burner.

There are some physical differences between the burners. The 6B is bigger and has more flame jets than
the old burner and more significantly over a larger area.

Disassembling my old burner.

Then reassembled it using the new 6B burner. The 6B burner fits all the mounting holes etc, but a couple
of things you will notice. First the 6B is longer which means my pilot flame tube comes up a little short,
not a real problem but something to note.

The other thing you will notice is the new burner has a slightly narrower throat so you will need to neck
down the screen to fit.

These were the only things I found, otherwise the upgrade was pretty much trivial. NOTE I can’t speak
for the electronic ignition systems, but I suspect they can also be converted but not the length change as
that might be a concern.

5B burner in a stand. Before with the old burner.

6B burner in a stand. With the new 6B burner.

Performance changes. I did a bunch of tests boiling water and such but really those show that both
burners boil water just fine, but with the old burner you can see there are two heat zones. First at the
bottom of the wok and then part way up the side of the wok, where the boiling begins indicating a
higher heat in these regions.

With the new burner the entire wok starts to boil at the same time. This indicates a far more consistent
heat distribution with the new 6B burner. This is very significant as stir fry is the movement of food in
and out of heat zones and the smaller the hot zone the harder it is not to burn food or get a consistent
cooking of food. This larger more consistent heating will also allow me to be even more aggressive with
heat as I’ll have a higher percentage of food in the hot zone and will be able to cook even faster and
capture more wok hei than before. I should mention that I’m cooking for a family so my portion sizes
border on overloading the wok, so the more consistent heating is huge for me in getting a consistent
cooking of my dishes. One other problem with small but intense hot spots is an increase in what is call
‘wok poo’, burnt carbonized food (sugars, starches etc) on the hot spot. When you wipe your wok when
your done and it comes up black then you might have wok poo problem. Having a larger sweet spot and
a more consistent heating of the wok will reduce burning and hence wok poo, your wok will be easier to
clean.

At the end of my testing, which burner am I going with, definitely the new 6B burner.

After some uses including woking a cabbage, carrot, lotus root and beef stir fry at –33C with a –44C wind
chill during a polar vortex (I use my burner all year long here in Calgary), this burner is deceptively
powerful. You don’t need a flame licking your eyebrows to cook on, since there are more gas jets, I’d
recommend starting a bit lower flame than your old setting to cook on and working up from there.

Blake has another post “Got a wok burner, get a steamer” at https://www.reddit.com/r/wok/comments/19bnw74/got_a_wok_burner_get_a_steamer/. White steams come up surrounded by white snow, quite a scene.