Beh-no-mor II

Discussions about roaster hardware and the finer points of their use
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chas
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Beh-no-mor II

Post by chas »

I posted my original saga in another thread and was just going to update it, but I can't locate it. So I'll restart the tale....

About a year ago I left my Behmor for just a couple of minutes to go do something and returned to see smoke pouring out. I had a few frantic minutes trying to move the roaster outside, get the windows open, shut off the smoke detectors, and call the security company to wave off the fire department. I had assumed that once it cooled down and stopped smoldering, I could either put it back into service or get it repaired. However, not long after, it started to pour and rained non-stop for 3-4 days. At that point I just chucked it in the trash, went back to my Hottop, and roasted happily ever after.

My little brother got a Behmor for Christmas last year. It was with some amusement on my part, that I read an e-mail from him last week. A similar fate hit him except instead of smoldering his actually burst into flames. At least he didn't burn his house down. I haven't heard yet whether he's trying to get it replaced under warranty or whether he's ready for a Gene or an HT!
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
Mazzer Kony E, Customized Rocky
Hottop P/B
JohnB

Re: Beh-no-mor II

Post by JohnB »

I have to wonder how the Behmor guy can even buy product liability coverage with all the fire stories I've read. Make sure you keep the motor/control board area of the HT vacuumed out or you could have another fire on your hands. I pull the fan off the back (4 screws) at least once a month & suck the chaff out with my shop vac.
Niko

Re: Beh-no-mor II

Post by Niko »

I remember Chas' fire story "Be-No-Mor".
Funny thing is that my Behmor has had about 8 chaff fires already :lol:
These days (yes, it's still in operation) I do the craziest thing - while it's roasting I grab the chaff tray 3/4's of the way through the total roast time and I dump the chaff and reinstall quickly. I got tired of the flaming chaff so I have a pair of heat gloves just for this :lol:
Two years later it still runs and no more fires, for now....
Endo

Re: Beh-no-mor II

Post by Endo »

Lots of Behmor bashing here. I'll just say I love mine.

I usually roast about 14 oz for a little over 16 min on the simple P1 profile and stop just as second crack gets going.

I've made some very good, but simple Brazil based blends. Not as good as the top gourmet roasters obviously , but better than some of the local roasters and WAY better than anything stale.

No fires at all. Obviously you should never leave the machine when roasting. That's about as silly as driving with your eyes closed. :roll: Leave the room and you must accept the consequences.

My machine was under roasting for a while but Joe Behmor wrote me back personally with some small mods and it now works great. Fantastic customer service.

I'm not interested in the Hottop. Too much space, too much smoke, 3 times the price and only 9oz batch size.
Last edited by Endo on Thu Jan 14, 2010 7:41 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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chas
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Posts: 3044
Joined: Wed Jun 02, 2004 11:52 pm
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Re: Beh-no-mor II

Post by chas »

I probably could have salvaged mine after the fire except for the fact that I quickly put it outside until the fire went out. Almost immediately thereafter it started to rain and it poured non-stop for 3 days. It was getting completely saturated more than the fire that made me decide to toss it. My brother had his first Behmor fire recently and his is still working okay.

However, before the fire I had gone through two afterburners and a motor so I was pretty down on it already. True the warranty support was great, but I'd had enough of needing it that often.
Chas
LM GS/3 & LaSpaziale Dream v 1.25 (US 120V)
Mazzer Kony E, Customized Rocky
Hottop P/B
Niko

Re: Beh-no-mor II

Post by Niko »

Endo wrote:Lots of Behmor bashing here. I'll just say I love mine.
No bashing at all, it's still a perfectly good working roaster for me. The fires keep me on my toes and I haven't had one since my little chaff removing technique.

What mods are you talking about besides changing the standard drum to a smaller meshed one and the new chaff collector? I hear more chaff is caught in the smaller mesh drum and the new chaff collector is a PITA to deal with. Not that I'm against mods on the Behmor but please do tell so I might consider doing some of them.

I still prefer the Hottop and in my opinion the Behmor isn't truly a 1lb roaster (for me) but rather a 385g roaster to get the roast levels I want and that's with a VARIAC pumping the voltage up to 120V with the elements burning @ full throttle. It does have a larger capacity than the HT but the controls are just not there, but hey it's still a kick-ass roaster that I won't give up anytime soon.
BTW, I think it's time I start doing some serious maintenance on mine to increase its life and shorten its roast times.
Endo

Re: Beh-no-mor II

Post by Endo »

Joe gave me a tip to speed up roast time. You can contact him for details if your machine is not cycling right, but I don't think it would be prudent for me not to make it public (seeing the possible fire concerns).

One thing that's really important is to remove the oils from the inside of the machine using Simple Green after each roast. This makes the roast much more accurate and helps reduce fires. If you can't see though the window, then it won't roast well either.

As you say, it also helps to have good voltage (I have a consistant 123V available).

My machine came standard with the small drum, and at $299 CAN (at the time....now $399)...it was a steal.

I find I can roast to full city + up to 15 oz. But obviously if you like a dark oily french roast, the Behmor is not the right machine.

The Behmor is super popular on the other coffee sites. Can't be all that bad with so many satisfied owners.
JohnB

Re: Beh-no-mor II

Post by JohnB »

The more I read about the Burn-mor the happier I am with my Hottop. Now you have to wash it out with Simple Green after every roast!! Must add a nice scent to the next roast! I have to wonder where the whole "Hottop produces too much smoke" thing started. Maybe from the guys who think Vienna is a med roast? I roast in my house by a window & a box fan draws the light stream of smoke out the window running on low to medium. After reading about the Burn-mor fire issues I think I'd roast INSIDE my woodstove if I owned one.
Niko

Re: Beh-no-mor II

Post by Niko »

The HT smoke never bothers me. The only reason I don't roast in the house anymore is because the wife revoked my kitchen privileges - she even tried getting rid of the Vivaldi so I told if the machine goes - I go!
Took her about 2.73 seconds to answer that one :evil:
Well at least we both get to stay...for now.
JohnB

Re: Beh-no-mor II

Post by JohnB »

Some of you guys have it tough! When I asked my wife if I should put in a bid on the Speedster she said "I just want you to be happy, if thats what you really want go for it". Thats her typical answer but I get the feeling that not all husbands have it that good??? :lol:
Niko

Re: Beh-no-mor II

Post by Niko »

....ah, NO :roll:
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