Bergland pot (stock and thermo) owners

[TempTest]

Good morning!

Can any of you kind gentlemen that own a Bergland stock pot or thermo pot please do me a favour - Can tell you please tell me what capacity you purchased (in Ltrs) and then measure the internal and external dimensions (height and diameter)? For the external dimensions please include any handles/clasps/etc. I am trying to identify the footprint of these pots and work out the best storage solution prior to purchase! Bergland have proven to be slow to give me this information and I don't want to push them too far given the excellent price they sell at directly compared to buying locally.

Thanks!

[barneey]

An old post for you, its about time someone made a database of these.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=48786&hilit=thermo+internal

[sbond10]

Temple test can I ask are you cut a hole in it ypur self and what size are you looking for ?

[Wonkydonkey]

I was going to say barneey had a post somewhere..

[TempTest]

Thanks for the replies!

I'm looking at the smaller size pots, as they need to fit in the kitchen sink for cooling and cleaning... I'm limited to the 30x30cm pots! So the 21 Ltr stock pot and the 12 Ltr thermo pot. I guess these are far less popular among home brewers (really only suitable for very small batch). One thing I noticed from barneey's thread is that many of the pots have a useful volume far less than the stated one, which could be especially significant at these small sizes.

sbond10, I'm not planning on cutting a hole - With my level of DIY I'd end up trashing the pot and given the small sizes of the pots I'm looking at I can easily manipulate it by hand so I think that'd be a good solution that saves having to fit a tap (and add it to the cleaning/maintenance schedule!).

[Wonkydonkey]

Thanks for the replies!

I'm looking at the smaller size pots, as they need to fit in the kitchen sink for cooling and cleaning... I'm limited to the 30x30cm pots! So the 21 Ltr stock pot and the 12 Ltr thermo pot. I guess these are far less popular among home brewers (really only suitable for very small batch). One thing I noticed from barneey's thread is that many of the pots have a useful volume far less than the stated one, which could be especially significant at these small sizes.

sbond10, I'm not planning on cutting a hole - With my level of DIY I'd end up trashing the pot and given the small sizes of the pots I'm looking at I can easily manipulate it by hand so I think that'd be a good solution that saves having to fit a tap (and add it to the cleaning/maintenance schedule!).

Many yrs ago I filled and used the bath to cool my 33lt pot with about 26lt in, it was a bit heavy. It's still where I clean my other stuff that still fits in the bath. But my boiler don't fit now
But some peeps only have showers now. Guess I'm lucky.

[TempTest]

Hmm. Another question for those Bergland pot owners... Do the pots work on inductive hobs? Google seems to suggest not officially but I know there are numerous pots out there that do work on inductive hobs despite not being advertised as such.

Thanks!

[Fastline]

Not tried it but I would say probably not, or if they do probably not very effectively, The stainless steel needs to be of a magnetic grade to work well on induction hobs, these are not very magnetic at all, I believe they are 304 Grade which is a very good grade of stainless steel but not very magnetic, when i say not very i mean that only a really strong rare earth magnet will show any signs of sticking to them.

I liked the idea of the induction hobs but was put off for one reason my pots probably wouldn't work with em, the other reason was there seamed to be lots of talk of people having problems with the buffalo units not working and you can see there lots of repaired ones on ebay, which sort of put doubt in my mind on how long they will last

I also understand that they would not work well with a PID control

If you want to use Induction heating there are plates available that sit under your pots, i was considering welding a Mild steel disc to mine but changed my mind and gone with 3Kw Elements

[TempTest]

Thank you for the detailed response, Fastline. Could I also ask you another favour, as you own a pot?

Can you tell me which size your pot is (in litres) and then measure the base of the pot that actually sits on the gas ring? I assumed I could not fit the 21 Ltr (30x30cm) pot on my gas hob but while shopping in IKEA last night it dawned on me that the Bergland pots might - like many I'd seen in IKEA - have either a taper the height of the pot or just a small taper right at the base... Either way, it might reduce the contact area sufficiently that it will not be too much trouble... (I'll have to make the assumption that they all taper in the same way but that'll do for now).

I think I'm about 90% sure I'll go for the 12 Ltr (25x25cm) pot as that should allow me to do brew lengths of ~6-8 litres, possibly a bit higher if I'm willing to accept some dilution into the fermenter... All of this while allowing me comfortably fit it on the hob. None the less, all of the calls for 'Get the largest you can afford!' and 'A 20Ltr pot should work on any stovetop' make me think I'm ignoring better knowledge than I have, though I suppose we all have our own different setups and it's possible that the 12 Ltr is just a better fit for me, who knows...

Thanks!

[alexlark]

I'd recommend a cheap 19l pot off ebay if you want to do small batches. I've been using one fine on the hob and have just upgraded to a 33l bergland just so that I got some head space when boiling. I've done 19l brews with both pots. Maxi BIAB with the 19l pot. Incidentally I just used the retired 19l pot for a massive spagbol

[TempTest]

That is the feedback I'm getting from everybody but judging by the dimensions it simply will not fit on the hob... I hate to ignore valuable opinion and experience but I'm just not sure the hob is up to (in size or power...). None the less, knowing the dimensions of the base of a given Bergland pot would be useful.

The other advantage with 12 Ltr is that's the largest thermo pot that I can fit into the kitchen sink for quick and easy cleaning (30x30cm). I want to mash in this (a slight deviation from BIAB). If I go with a bigger kettle I'm still limited to a 12 Ltr mash due to the thermo pot (although I can do additional sparge).

I think it'd be fine with 12 Ltr given my desired brew length but I want to double check I cannot accommodate the larger pot first before I ignore the generous advice given by others.

[TempTest]

My order of 1x 12 litre stock pot and 1x 12 litre thermo pot arrived today. I must admit, I'm not over-the-moon about the condition. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate that these are designed to be functional items and not display pieces but the quality of workmanship leaves a lot to be desired - A few knocks and bangs, scuffs, black and red marks, etc.

(The forum sometimes seems to cut off half the picture, click for full image).







Is this normal? I've dropped a few images below - There are many more examples of marks and general poor workmanship but this is a representative sample. Sure, I did not expect the best quality for the budget but (perhaps unreasonably) expected a little better for ~£55 delivered... I could have got some good quality pans from IKEA (or even eBay) for less...

What do you think? Maybe my expectations were too high given the 'shiny'... But if this is what the stainless steel 'shiny' bug gives you then give me my plastic gear any day!

[barneey]

That IMO is one of the worst looking thermo pots yet, send them an email with the photo's & ask for an exchange. You will need to send the old pot back - for them to receive the thing before they will send a new one.

[TempTest]

I sent an email at the same time I posted the images here, albeit rather more a case of 'this is what's arrived, is this normal?' than 'please arrange an exchange' - I was concerned I was being too precious and expecting too much (and hence why I posted here asking for advice).

I must say the idea of deal with a return does not thrill me... It's taken long enough for the item to arrive here, the thought of having to box it back up, wait around for a courier plus time for it to return to them and the replacement to make it here... Grr! I buy a lot of stuff online but I must admit this sort of thing does make me question why something like a pot, of all things, I did not just buy in a shop (if only I knew somewhere it were stocked!).

Thanks, Barney, for taking the time to reply. It's good to get another opinion!

[Andy]

What Barneey said, that's very poor quality and I'd be wanting a replacement (and ask for it to be checked prior to dispatch).