cheaper to buy immersion chiller than to build?

[God Emporer BillyBrew]

I looked at home Depot yesterday and they wanted 58 dollars for 20 feet of 1/4 inch flexible copper pipe. It looks like it's cheaper to buy an immersion chiller than make one from scratch????

 

[the_bird]

Yup.

Unless you can do what I did; HD couldn't tell me how much the 25' lengths of quarter-inch tubing were, so they sold me them at the 10' price ($15). 50' of 1/4 tubing for $30, which I used to make a very effective dual-coil chiller. Otherwise, though, SOOL, copper is MAD expensive.

Someone suggested Ace Hardware as being a possible source; maybe take a look at the small hardware stores, low turnover places that maybe haven't increased prices yet.

 

[david_42]

Right now it could be cheaper to buy, just because some companies (unlike the oil boys) do not jack the prices on everything in stock each time prices change. In accounting we call that FIFO, first in, first out. People use it, because it can be cheaper just to let the prices ride through rather than constantly re-price items. I paid $1.65 a foot for 1/4" three weeks ago.

 

[2nd Street Brewery]

I've lucked out. Found about 30' of 1/2 in copper tubing from back when I did my upstairs bathroom. Just have to clean it up and add the connections. Of course I need a bigger pot to make it worth while

 

[msiler]

Look for stainless steel. I found that 3/8 inch stainless here is half the price of 3/8 copper. works the same or better uses the same compression fittings. But you will have to use a spring type tubing bender. and now i get no corrosion. I use it for a prechiller and a CF chiller.

 

[G. Cretin]

Look for stainless steel. I found that 3/8 inch stainless here is half the price of 3/8 copper. works the same or better uses the same compression fittings. But you will have to use a spring type tubing bender. and now i get no corrosion. I use it for a prechiller and a CF chiller.

Where are you that SS is cheaper than copper? It maybe time for a road trip.

 

[msiler]

Abilene TX

I think it may be just about anywhere. But it is not so easy to find place that stock it. 3/8 coper here for 20 feet you are looking at $60 plus at HD. For stainless I was quoted $1.40 per foot at a local plumbing store. It may have reflected a discount since I was in uniform at the time.

 

[G. Cretin]

I'm in Vatoville (san antonio) and it's not that cheap. I'll be going thru Abilene soon whats the name of the supply store?

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Apparently I need to make a trip to Texas!!! I can't find stainless stock, pipe, tubing, or anything else anywhere in town, and it's ridiculously priced online!

 

[Beer Snob]

Yes you are correct. I lucked out and convinced the SWMBO to let me buy one before the makers caught on to the fact that the price of copper increased. Bought mine from Austins when shipping was free after $60 no less

 

[disaffected]

Look for stainless steel. I found that 3/8 inch stainless here is half the price of 3/8 copper. works the same or better uses the same compression fittings. But you will have to use a spring type tubing bender. and now i get no corrosion. I use it for a prechiller and a CF chiller.

Stainless steel tubing will not conduct heat as efficiently as copper tubing. Copper has roughly 30 times the thermal conductivity of stainless steel. Although all metals are good thermal conductors, SS is the lowest of the common metals. Aluminum is a better thermal conductor than SS. Copper is much better than either of the other two.

Silver tubing would be even better than copper at transferring heat. It is a better thermal conductor than copper. Both stainless steel and copper are corrosion resistant, however, and silver is not. Plus, if you think copper is expensive, imagine what silver tubing would cost!

 

[Ize]

Yeah, I'm ending up doing the buying route as well. NB has theirs for $45 (current price online, the paper catalog still has them at $39 which is a bummer) I'm taking Ed Wort's advice and making my "Get-Toe" chiller a pre-chiller. My next door neighbor has some compression fittings he's selling me which will work perfect on the old one. Of course he is a hydro racer so he has a little bit of everything. Wait til next summer when I ask him to help me build a brewstand.


Ize

 

[Teedocious]

I ended up buying from LHBS b/c it was about $20 cheaper than I could make one. Bummed me out, because I'd always rather have a project - but the completed piece with fittings soldered & everything was cheaper than I could get raw materials.

Good news is that copper can't stay this high forever. And when it comes down, I'm building a CFC.

 

[God Emporer BillyBrew]

Good news is that copper can't stay this high forever. And when it comes down, I'm building a CFC.

I guess the price has come down a little already. Do you think it will drop even more soon?

 

[the_bird]

I haven't really seen it come down too much in the futures market. It's been in a fairly tight range since the beginning of the summer, and has very much been flatlining for a few months, but I haven't seen any indications that prices are starting to move downward. It, along with a lot of the other base metals, have held up a bit better than the commodities that people follow more (crude oil, gold, silver).

 

[trinitone]

So, if I were to find an immersion chiller (25' of 3/8" copper) for less than $30, I should pick it up, right?

 

[the_bird]

For that price, buy two!

 

[God Emporer BillyBrew]

So, if I were to find an immersion chiller (25' of 3/8" copper) for less than $30, I should pick it up, right?

Is this a local deal or can you share?

 

[trinitone]

After I make sure they have one left for me I'll be happy to send a link.

 

[God Emporer BillyBrew]

After I make sure they have one left for me I'll be happy to send a link.

My breath is bated!

 

[trinitone]

Well... sorry to be a tease. I was, of course, looking at old pricing. Price is now 39.95. If you're still interested, they can be had from www.beernut.com.

 

[God Emporer BillyBrew]

Still, not too bad of a deal.

That website is possibly the worst one I've ever seen though. the search didn't work and the catalog layout is awful. Nothing personal!

Did you think so?

 

[the_bird]

This is a quote from that site's forum, in response to someone posting wondering where their order was:

For what it's worth, I was at the storefront about two weeks ago and the guy helping me laughed when I mentioned this website. He said "that thing is so out of date, don't even bother"....I'm not sure how often anyone looks at this, or comes on here expecting to have received an order....
I certainly don't know for sure...just thought I'd add my thought.

 

[feedthebear]

Heh, that’s my LHBS. The only reason I look at the website is to get an idea of what they may have in the store.

 

[trinitone]

As a graphic designer by day (with quite a bit of web development experience) that site is up there with the bad ones. At least the shopping cart system seemed to work... at least somewhat. From what I could tell, it hasn't been updated since at least March. (That's when they were having a drawing from their online surveys for a $50 gift certificate.)

I don't know which is worse sometimes, a less than pretty web presence, or no web presence at all. Outdated is the worst though. Nothing I hate like the tease of finding a good price, or that discontinued item in stock only to find it ain't really true.

 

[feedthebear]

Compared to the other Salt Lake LHBS website, the beer nut’s is fabulous. If you really want your head to explode, try to navigate your way around this webpage:

http://www.users.qwest.net/~artsbrew/index.htm

As far as the actual store goes, I don’t know. I tried to find it once, and lets just say, all the buildings on that street looked like they should be condemned. I didn’t even stop my car to figure out which was the right one.

 

[Beer Snob]

So, if I were to find an immersion chiller (25' of 3/8" copper) for less than $30, I should pick it up, right?

Ahh.... yeah..... but several and sell it to your friends here.

 

[EvilTOJ]

wow, that site is so 1997! actually, both of them are.

 

[God Emporer BillyBrew]

http://www.users.qwest.net/~artsbrew/index.htm

wow, that one actually hurt my eyes.

 

[Beer Snob]

wow, that one actually hurt my eyes.

Not as bad as the Green Board, but dont these folks think pictures would be nice..... aparently not....