Morebeer! Economy Pot

[jasonftw]

I am slowly putting together a single tier 3 vessel herms system and trying to do it on the cheap or as cheap as possible. Therefore I started looking at economy pots, mainly from Morebeer and AIH. I decided to go with MB due to their free shipping and proximity to their east coast warehouse. I've ordered two 14 gal 2 weld pots so far in separate orders. The first one was fairly scratched up but i figured I'd just suck it up and deal with it. The next one came with the same or maybe a few more scratches but also had a 2-3" dent along the bottom. I called up customer service (which was great) and they sent me a replacement and return label. I received the replacement today and of course a fair amount of scratched and slight denting along the bottom but not nearly as bad. At this point I am assuming this is what you get for the price you pay. Am I asking too much or do i just have really bad luck? I know i am going with the economy line, but $140 is still a fair chunk of change. Debating on going with spike kettles or maybe a megapot, although I really want to go welded.

As I was inspecting the inside, I also noticed discoloration (holes?) around the weld on the inside around the bottom coupler. Is this something to be concerned about?

 

[dk21]

I'm not sure about the picture, but I can tell you that it doesn't seem to be possible to buy metal components without scratching these days. I know that metal scratches easy and all, but you'd think new, it would be pretty minimal. Everything is cheaply made. My Boilermaker came with a scratched up lid new out of the box. This was an improvement over the original which had a very long, deep scratch in the pot itself, which I was concerned about for more than cosmetic reasons. Unfortunately, I ended up feeling kind of defeated and accepted that fact that even at $300+ metal is blemished. I suppose I need to start taking the attitude that at least I I find denting, gouges, and deep scratches unacceptable, though.

As for the picture, I can't be considered any kind of an expert, but that doesn't even look like a weld to me. It looks like the metal, well, is breaking away. Are the edges of that raised and sharp? Again, I have no metalworking expertise, but it sure doesn't look right to me. Maybe send the picture to Morebeer? They've always been pretty accommodating when I've had problems with a product (I had a cheap pot from them arrive dented as well).

 

[jasonftw]

Thanks for the input. The edges are indented and not so sharp. You are right, the inside isn't welded, but i assume the holes were from the outside weld coming all the way through the pot? I didn't have a valve or plug at the time to test for leaks at that spot in question.

I will probably inquire with Morebeer with the photo. Thanks for the advice.

 

[SpikeBrewing]

Check out this thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/new-stainless-kettle-showing-signs-rust-help-406025/

Same kettle with the same issues you have/will have. Pretty much the coupler is being welded flush to the inside without being back purged (sanitary welded) and then ground down. That is not the proper way to do it. When the back is not back purged the molten weld puddle gets exposed to Oxygen. This burns off the Chromium and pretty much makes the stainless lose its stainless qualities (read: rust resistance).

If you have any other questions feel free to ask!

 

[jasonftw]

Check out this thread:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/new-stainless-kettle-showing-signs-rust-help-406025/

Same kettle with the same issues you have/will have. Pretty much the coupler is being welded flush to the inside without being back purged (sanitary welded) and then ground down. That is not the proper way to do it. When the back is not back purged the molten weld puddle gets exposed to Oxygen. This burns off the Chromium and pretty much makes the stainless lose its stainless qualities (read: rust resistance).

If you have any other questions feel free to ask!

Thanks for the link and info on the weld. By the way, this morning I sent an email inquiry on your site about some custom welds