the75

Recipes 

So maybe that's this guy's issue, but most of his prices for single items are better than morebeer's, so I just don't understand how he can justify doing this build with such a crazy markup on something like tubing...

HeavyKettleBrewing

Recipes 

As far as stands are concerned, I will have to just suck up the cost of the pump and chill plates. I really want to produce a turnkey system that will leave my customers feeling better than the OP does right now. I will probably offer a stand with a parts list for those who like to get into their build. Thanks for the suggestion.

the75, do you belong to a club in SD/NC?

the75

Recipes 

I joined North County Homebrewers, but I work on the weekends, so I haven't even been able to attend one meeting. Dan at MotherEarth told me about Barley Engineers. They meet up at Stone on Wednesdays, so I'm probably going to check them out since I'm off that day.

HeavyKettleBrewing

Recipes 

I joined NCHB as well. I like the idea of meetings at Stone. I did not know if BE was defunct, I'll definitely check it out. I get most my ingredients from Dan. Good people. I only asked as I might very well bump into you at a meeting. Would be cool to trade beers with fellow HBT'ers. Hope your luck turns regarding the build.

the75

Recipes 

Yeah, I hope it works out too. As I stated earlier, it's all boiling down to the hoses. My biggest frustration was when I was standing right in front of him, telling him that the hoses are too short, he wanted to go over the brewing process with imaginary kettles the way he intended it. I've been researching & planning my HERMS brewing process for months, EVERY DAY, so when he insists that the short hoses will work if I reconfigure my kettles, it was very frustrating. I've had a chance to calm down with the help of this community, but every time I walk into the garage to see those 18" hoses, I get pissed again. It's all making sense now though. Everytime I'd text him a specific question about the build, he either wouldn't reply or he'd be incredibly vague. If he answered his phone, it was the same thing. Just a freaking turd! I work at a casino as a manager & it's all about guest service. Make the guest happy, bottom line. It's not just about that specific guest, it's about developing your reputation. If this guy is seriously going to take over $1500 from me, tell me he's not making much money on the sale, then refuse to make me happy by parting with another 8-10 feet of cheap silicone tubing, he must not give a rat's ass about his reputation. I'd put his brand right up there with Snake Oil Peddlers. I should have checked to see if his storefront was on a trailer. Still hasn't responded to my request.

My name's Nick by the way. We'll have to meet up at MotherEarth one of these days for a brew. Thanks for the support everyone!

HeavyKettleBrewing

Recipes 

Hey Nick, my name is James. I'll PM you to setup a ME meetup and possible beer swap if you are interested. Maybe get Dan to try our beer and give some opinions. That's what I really need at this point, real constructive criticism by other brewers.

the75

Recipes 

Sounds like a plan James!
I just sent him a last email as he did not respond to my request for 8-10 feet of tubing. If I had just received 8-10 feet of tubing, I could have taken apart two of the 18" hoses & had a couple 4-5 foot sections that I could actually use to brew with. It looks like I will now be going to my LHBS to spend another $20 on tubing so that I can actually brew. I'm going to put together a full review on this guy & post it. I'd hate for anyone else to deal with what I did. I'm not interested in creating a smear campaign, so I'll do my best to keep it factual & direct, but that will be hard considering that every time I pointed out an issue, this guy wanted to place them blame on me. I'm 37 years old, but still "living & learning" lol!

Doctor_Wily

Recipes 

Sorry to hear things haven't worked out as of yet. Hopefully he responds to your last email and gets you the tubing you need.

Do you have a hardware store you could get the tubing from? I've found that my LHBS charges A LOT more than the hardware store down the road from me for tubing. That may be another option to save you some scratch.

__________________
Primary 1: EMPTY
Primary 2: Custom Cream Ale
Bottled:

• Brewers Best American Cream Ale
• Random Red Irish Red Ale
• Oatmeal Milk Stout

On Deck: Unknown...
~~Updated Dec 10, 2012~~

the75

Recipes 

I'll check around, but the tubing is usually about $2-2.50/ foot through most homebrew shops, so not a major expense compared to what I just invested in the brewstand. $20 more bucks & some quick disassembly of the short hoses will get me there. It's more the principle of having to actually do it when I shouldn't have to.
When I made a trip to go see his work, he showed me a build he had done for someone else who he called "Picky". The hoses he had for it were very short & I told him that I'd need longer hoses. He said, "I'll just give you the hose & the QDs so you can cut them any length you want." I also sent him two texts stating that I needed 20-25 feet of tubing.
I just can't fathom how this guy can take over $1500 from me & draw a line in the sand over $20 in hoses. It's mind-bottling...yes...I said mind-bottling...