jtwangler

Recipes 

I must be over-thinking this... I am using pex to run my filtered water from the filter to the HLT. Once I have boiling water to send to my MT I'm not sure if I should be using pex, copper, some type of heat resistant flexible tubing, or something else? Obviously, I want something food grade and I want it to be readily available. Am I going overboard? There must be some simple solution to this. What do you use?

itsme6582

Recipes 

PEX can't handle boiling temps. It's only rated to 180 for plumbing. It seems like the best option is silicone tubing. It's about $2 a foot for 1/2 inch. Check the links and sponsors. Many of those sites sell it. I don't think Lowes and Home Depot carry silicone tubing.

KingKegII

Recipes 

I use the 1/2 inch thermoplastic tubing which is rated to 275 F in combination with polysulfone quick disconnects, this allows me to touch the tubing and the fittings immediately after hot liquids have passed through them.

matthewkbridges

Recipes 

BrewMasters Warehouse has silicone tubing for 2.10 a foot. It's a great deal, and will handle boiling without a problem.

brewmadness

Recipes 

I am just building an immersion chiller. I've seen them both ways. 1 - with garden hose fittings sweated directly to the copper tubing and 2 - with flexible tubing slid over the copper and attached with hose clamps. Won't the ends of that copper tubing get very hot sitting in the boil for 15 minutes? Wouldn't the rubber gasket in a garden hose melt? Also, if I choose to just attach the flexible plastic tubing with hose clamps, what should I use that won't melt?

KingKegII

Recipes 

For my immersion wort chiller, I didn't use plastic tubing, I used a washing machine supply line cut in half. The supply line was made of heavy black rubber and has female garden hose fittings at each end allowing me to connect a garden hose at each end. The heavy black rubber stands up to the hot temperatures no problem, and I secured them to the copper tubing with a hose clamp. Depending on the size of your copper tubing, it can be a tight fit getting the hose over the copper, you can use a blowdryer or heat gun to heat the supply line, making it easier to stretch over the ends of the copper.

jtwangler

Recipes 

These are all great bits of advice. Do you have any pictures/links of these quick disconnects that you use? I was hoping for a set up like that. Thanks!