Where to buy clear rigid tubing locally?

[slayer021175666]

The sight glass on my hot liquor tank is made out of a piece of 3/8 outside diameter clear rigid tubing. I think I cut a length off of a plastic racking cane to make it. Anyway, it broke on me a couple weeks ago and I just now got around to trying to find replacement tubing but, I don't seem to be able to source it locally. I can't even get it at my local home brew shop unless I buy a whole Auto siphon and I'd rather not. Besides that, they're 25 miles away from me and another town. Does anybody know where to get it locally? Or, do you have any other ideas?

 

[Broken Crow]

Maybe just use a piece of 3/8" silicone hose with something jury-rigged to hold up the top until you can order a proper replacement?

 

[rburrelli]

Try brewhardware.com. I have seen it on their website.

 

[DBhomebrew]

hot liquor tank

plastic racking cane

Be sure anything you use is rated for the temps it will see. I lost a few Auto-Siphons by washing in very hot tap water. They'd develop spiderweb type cracking throughout their length.

 

[slayer021175666]

Be sure anything you use is rated for the temps it will see. I lost a few Auto-Siphons by washing in very hot tap water. They'd develop spiderweb type cracking throughout their length.

I'm quite aware but, thank you anyway. I've been using racking canes and vinyl tubing my whole life and never really had any problems except for the spider cracking after a hell of a lot of use and then I throw it away. I just barely started changing any tubing at all to silicone in the last year or two. It was more than 25 years ago when I started brewing and I never even knew silicone or anything like that was available until a couple of years ago. Used vinyl tubing on hot and cold side all the time before that. Used racking cane material for any clear rigid tubing I needed. Still use it in a lot of things to this day.
Definitely not trying to get smart with you, though. I do thank you for your input.
Prost!

 

[slayer021175666]

Be sure anything you use is rated for the temps it will see. I lost a few Auto-Siphons by washing in very hot tap water. They'd develop spiderweb type cracking throughout their length.

I just now thought of something also, DB.
Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever had a problem with the small diameter stuff because it's thicker walled. I just read your post again and saw that you were talking about auto siphons and yes! I couldn't get more than 5 or 10 uses out of them and they'd start leaking from the cracks because the outer tube is so damn thin. Nowadays, I have taken the bottom part with the valve in it, off of the end of the outer tube of the auto siphon and attached it to a copper tube to use as the outer part of the siphon. Been working like a charm for about 10 years! I can send a pic if you or anyone else wants one. It's pretty cool.

 

[Deadalus]

Amazon carries it, polycarbonate tubing. I ordered the longer one about a couple years ago.

 

[DBhomebrew]

I just now thought of something also, DB.
Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever had a problem with the small diameter stuff because it's thicker walled. I just read your post again and saw that you were talking about auto siphons and yes! I couldn't get more than 5 or 10 uses out of them and they'd start leaking from the cracks because the outer tube is so damn thin. Nowadays, I have taken the bottom part with the valve in it, off of the end of the outer tube of the auto siphon and attached it to a copper tube to use as the outer part of the siphon. Been working like a charm for about 10 years! I can send a pic if you or anyone else wants one. It's pretty cool.

Now that your mention it, I've got a small collection of perfectly good inners!

 

[slayer021175666]

Amazon carries it, polycarbonate tubing. I ordered the longer one about a couple years ago.

There again, though. Did you see the shipping cost? No damn way in hell I'm paying $44 for a 6 ft length. You can buy a whole Auto siphon at the home brew shop for 15 and make three sight glasses from the inner tube.

 

[slayer021175666]

Now that your mention it, I've got a small collection of perfectly good inners!

Exactly! The inner ones are thick enough to handle the heat and everything. They will bend a little bit and contort over time but, it's not enough to worry about. For a sight glass, you want something that is rigid but see through. Using glass is only an option if you're going to incase it with a metal tubing which makes it harder to see and, it can still get broken even with the protective metal tubing around it.
Want to send me one of them? Or even two? I'd appreciate it and, I could even tell you what links you can cut them to to make the package smaller? Try to ship it as cheap as absolutely possible and I would PayPal you the shipping money you had to spend.

 

[Deadalus]

There again, though. Did you see the shipping cost? No damn way in hell I'm paying $44 for a 6 ft length. You can buy a whole Auto siphon at the home brew shop for 15 and make three sight glasses from the inner tube.

Sorry I looked for it and didn't see it but didn't put it in my cart. It was 3 years ago when I bought, I'm not seeing a shipping charge but I think I did pay some shipping. No local store by me. It definitely wasn't $24+ for the shipping though, I wouldn't pay that either!

 

[slayer021175666]

Sorry I looked for it and didn't see it but didn't put it in my cart. It was 3 years ago when I bought, I'm not seeing a shipping charge but I think I did pay some shipping. No local store by me. It definitely wasn't $24+ for the shipping though, I wouldn't pay that either!

Right. Thank you, though. I do appreciate you trying for me.

 

[Deadalus]

What length do you need? A racking cane ought to be long enough or maybe a bottle filler. They are cheaper than an auto-siphon. I looked at a couple and they don't say what they are made of. Since it is for your HLT that would be less bothersome not knowing the material than if it was for your BK.

 

[Deadalus]

Honestly though, do you really need one on your HLT? I have a 3V 2P EHERMS. I had a polycarbonate sight glass on the HLT and switched it to a metal and glass one, single end attached. I had picked up two and had replaced my BK one immediately. But I waited quite a while to replace the one on my HLT. But I still haven't bothered to stick the numbers on it. It could be my specific brewing process but the only time I need to measure water out of there is when adding strike water to the MT. I can do that with a pitcher and it is more precise as it is a nice scientific pitcher which I needed to as accurately measure the water for the sight glass marks. If I was underletting, I'd pump to do that and that would require a sight glass but I don't underlet. And I fly sparge to preboil volume. I wasn't the initial designer on my keggle. I redesigned it for electric but I am stuck with that hole in the keggle but I would probably not bother with one if I were to do it again. They have to sit up higher on a keggle, the bottom is not flat and weldless fittings need room for the nut too. Minimum is like 5 gallons on my BK and MT and for a small batch the MT may not register. Worst of it though is those stupid tubes break pretty easy and getting the tubing shipped costs money for a cheap piece of plastic! I didn't pay shipping on the one I linked you to but I remember now that after replacing several I needed a new length because I couldn't brew without it and I had to pay shipping from another seller. Again it wasn't $24 but it was like $15.

The single point attachment ones are just kind of a pain in the ass when cleaning, even with the eyelet screw which is itself a PITA. The two point attachment ones that sit flush may not be as prone to breaking and sealing on nicer brewpots. I also plan to try to etch my keggles but I don't think my HLT really needs it.

 

[bracconiere]

i got some smaller 'glass straw' at a oranment shop local to me once to make a condenser.... maybe a glass blower around you?

 

[Bobby_M]

There again, though. Did you see the shipping cost? No damn way in hell I'm paying $44 for a 6 ft length. You can buy a whole Auto siphon at the home brew shop for 15 and make three sight glasses from the inner tube.

The inner cane of an autosiphon is Acrylic and has a max temp of about 140F. You want polycarbonate which is good up to 250F.

 

[Deadalus]

The inner cane of an autosiphon is Acrylic and has a max temp of about 140F. You want polycarbonate which is good up to 250F.

Are the clear racking canes and bottle fillers acrylic as well? I searched several of these but materials weren't listed.

 

[Bobby_M]

Are the clear racking canes and bottle fillers acrylic as well? I searched several of these but materials weren't listed.

Yes, I haven't seen any of those come in polycarbonate. I'm not saying they don't exist somewhere, but it's unlikely.