SS Quick Disconnects

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Ewalk02

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 12, 2008
Messages
248
Reaction score
4
Location
Kansas City
Does anyone out there know of a good/cheap website to buy stainless steel quick disconnects?
 
I know you want SS, but many people use BRASS at like, oh, $3-$6 per fitting.
 
not exactly cheap but this is where i got mine, its pretty :)

Threaded Stainless Steel Quick Disconnect Set (1 set) MPT | MoreBeer

For stainless QDs, those are by far the cheapest I've found. Sourcing SS QDs from McMaster is a lesson in wallet-pain.

I ordered 4 or 5 sets from B3. I'm happy with them, and they won't damage as easily as the plastic QDs they sell.

Alot of people use the brass QDs with great success, but some have had issues. Plus I like stainless. :)
-keith
 
What issues are people having with brass? I have 16 brass fittings on my HERMS and I love them. They would have cost me hundreds had I bought them in SS... the plastic as well (what is up with that?)

I like stainless, BUT, cannot really justify doubling the cost of my rig to buy them.
 
Thanks Bobby... Hell, I can buy a WHOLE NEW disconnect for like $6!
 
I chose stainless over brass but that is because I just got into a stainless frenzy from the start. I agree with Pol that there is very little justification for SS with an exception of the bling factor.

I would even go as far as to get stainless for the heat exchanger in my HLT if I could find it as a convoluted product. Stupid, I know...
 
Eh. We all have our vices. Sometimes they make plated brass....I know my ball valves look like ss but are really brass. Maybe that's an option?
 
My problem with using brass is this...

I am spending $X to have a stainless kettle, stainless valves, and various other stainless fittings. When I put the first brass piece on that system, to me at least, I feel as though there is no point to any of the stainless. Maybe that is dumb, but I have an all or nothing approach.
 
Well it sounds like since I don't care about the "bling" factor I should go with brass huh, thanks for the debate!
 
"If a things worth doing, it's worth doing right!" -Hunter Thompson

In this case brass will suffice; Unless you are teetering and just going with brass because it's cheaper. It's like many people and perlicks/forward sealing faucets- they go with the standard because they're cheaper, but after a few months, they get tired of the sticky faucets and upgrade :) I trust Pols' recommendation.
 
See, I dont have that silly SS fetish... Anyone can build the most expensive rig, and anyone can build the cheapest. The true key is building an affordable rig with all of the bells and whistles. That is called creativity.

DSCN0916.jpg
 
You can have an all or nothing attitude about stainless, but it's not practical. The big worry about brass is the small lead content. Certainly without pickling the brass, you have a linear risk as you add more and more brass to the system. I've avoided it when possible, sniping deals on stainless fittings on Ebay over the course of a year or two. However, dishing out a few hundred on retail priced SS is just outside of my principals.
 
Yeah, I know it doesn't make sense. But I am happy with my rig now and am slowly building my dream rig as my brewing budget allows. That one will be all stainless. If you have no current rig to brew with, and don't have a bazzillion dollars up front, all-SS is unrealistic.
 
See, I dont have that silly SS fetish... Anyone can build the most expensive rig, and anyone can build the cheapest. The true key is building an affordable rig with all of the bells and whistles. That is called creativity.

DSCN0916.jpg

quite affordable with all that diamond plate on there ;) j/k I know you got that for free, I'm just jealous
 
quite affordable with all that diamond plate on there ;) j/k I know you got that for free, I'm just jealous

I do get some cool shiney stuff for free sometimes... the diamond plate would have been totally impractical for me if I would have had to pay for it!
 
Ha ha... no, it was GONE before I ever brewed, some of it before I could even drink!

I am on the other end of the spectrum. I am 32 and still have to show my I.D. to get my brewing ingredients. From the same person too! :(
 
Just my .02....

I think you guys that are dedicated to all SS are awesome and that's great if you can afford it. I put my money into SS where I thought I'd get the most return for my dollars; my kettles and my stand. My stand lives outside a lot and my last one rusted so I wanted SS on the new stand. Anyway, I have brass QD's and I'm happy with them, They can leak, but o-rings are cheap from McMaster and like was pointed out, I can replace the whole thing for $6.

The one thing I do like about the SS ones from B3 is that no adapters are needed since they come 1/2" NPT and barb fittings standard. Brass disconnects in the $3-6 range are all 3/4 hose thread and require adapters to work. Not a deal breaker by any means, but anticipate paying another $3 per end for the adpater which brings them to $6-9 each in all fairness.

One caveat... The Orbit QD's I had been buying from HD appear to be brass colored aluminum now. They weigh about half what the older ones I purchased do. The design is nearly identical, but they are much lighter.
 
I ordered some Tri-Clovers the other day from Swagman. I played with the MoreBeer ones on Saturday instore and they were nice but the clover's were cheaper for my setup and what I already had on hand. I was also a little worried about how I'd replace the gasket in the MoreBeer ones if they ever did need to be replaced.

Some might argue they're not actually "quick" disconnects though...

Here's a thread someone made on them:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/tri-clover-fittings-59259/
 
The one thing I do like about the SS ones from B3 is that no adapters are needed since they come 1/2" NPT and barb fittings standard. Brass disconnects in the $3-6 range are all 3/4 hose thread and require adapters to work. Not a deal breaker by any means, but anticipate paying another $3 per end for the adpater which brings them to $6-9 each in all fairness.

One caveat... The Orbit QD's I had been buying from HD appear to be brass colored aluminum now. They weigh about half what the older ones I purchased do. The design is nearly identical, but they are much lighter.

Sorry that you're not aware of the typical brass disconnects we're digging on here.

They're labelled as brass coolant disconnects at mcmaster.com and they have 1/2" npt and hose barb varieties. They are literally under $2 for the male end and around $7 for the females.

Skip to 3:00 for a closeup:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7bj0pBhKM8]YouTube - Tres Kegs Single Tier All Grain Brewing System[/ame]
 
Back
Top