Autoclave questions...

[jasonsargo]

Edit:

I would love some advice or options...thanks in advance!

I did get the autoclave. Yay, dumb medical companies clearing out their storage!

It's a Pelton and Crane Omni-Clave. It has an 18" chamber, so it's good only for fittings and small items. It has three heating elements, and only one seems to work (I can get the dry heat for the chamber to hit 250, but the steam and pressure doesn't seem to work). The elements sell for about $60 each, online. So there is a good chance I could sink $120 into it and have a completely working machine that originally sold for $3000+, and stills sells manufacturer-refurbished for $2500. But I don't see any service centers in my area.

Just GLANCING through some threads, it may be good for fittings, silicone tubing, some plastics, some bottles, and yeast harvesting stuff, right?

Should I keep it? Use it for what? Just for my fittings?

Sell on CL for parts as is?

Sink some bucks into it and chance selling it on CL?

Who besides tattoo places and vets would want one, or trust one from CL?

Any good parts inside for me as a homebrewer, like the working element for a heatstick?

Thanks!

 

[conpewter]

I would probably part it out or sell it on CL as is. I just don't see a need for it in brewing. Most everything just needs to be sanitized. I could see for storing yeast that you might want to sterilize something, but at that point you can just use a pressure cooker, since it doesn't sound like your autoclave is much bigger than that, plus it has other uses

 

[zman]

Edit:

I would love some advice or options...thanks in advance!

I did get the autoclave. Yay, dumb medical companies clearing out their storage!

It's a Pelton and Crane Omni-Clave. It has an 18" chamber, so it's good only for fittings and small items. It has three heating elements, and only one seems to work (I can get the dry heat for the chamber to hit 250, but the steam and pressure doesn't seem to work). The elements sell for about $60 each, online. So there is a good chance I could sink $120 into it and have a completely working machine that originally sold for $3000+, and stills sells manufacturer-refurbished for $2500. But I don't see any service centers in my area.

Just GLANCING through some threads, it may be good for fittings, silicone tubing, some plastics, some bottles, and yeast harvesting stuff, right?

Should I keep it? Use it for what? Just for my fittings?

Sell on CL for parts as is?

Sink some bucks into it and chance selling it on CL?

Who besides tattoo places and vets would want one, or trust one from CL?

Any good parts inside for me as a homebrewer, like the working element for a heatstick?

Thanks!

what about if you start a frozen yeast bank. Got any 500ml pipettes you want to unload?

 

[jasonsargo]

I think I'm to the point of putting it on CL as is, and let someone else put the time into replacing the elements and finding the use for it, since I don't plan on yeast harvesting.

Thanks for the responses, and sorry, zman, no other related supplies. Just the autoclave.