Sight Glass Project

Yakima 728
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.
O-rings came in last night and the ones for the seal in the compression fitting fit like a gem. Somehow I screwed up AGAIN on the large o-rings and got ones that are too thin and too large in ID.

I am going to order new ones today and since I am still waiting for the washers... it shouldn't delay anything as far as the final product is concerned. I am also waiting for the step bits to get here so the installed pics are still in the works. Sorry for the long wait everyone... this has been more of a chore to get rolling than I expected... esecially when I keep buying the wrong parts :)
 
I think you want:

Mcmaster:
9396K281

AS568A Dash Number
310

Type
O-Ring

O-Ring Type
Standard

Cross Section Shape
Round

Width
3/16"

Actual Width
.210"

Inside Diameter
1/2"

Actual Inside Diameter
.475"

Outside Diameter
7/8"

Actual Outside Diameter
.895"

Material
Silicone

Silicone Type
Standard

Durometer
Hard

Durometer Shore
Shore A: 70

Temperature Range
-65° to +450°F

Color
Red-Orange

Specifications Met
Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

FDA Specification
FDA Compliant
 
That's exactly the one I just ordered. I thought that was the one (thickness wise) that I had ordered.... but the ID I got a little larger since the 1/4" nipple is .540" but apparently I bought the 1/16" thick ones and the ID turned out to be too much anyways. So even if I HAD ordered the right size thickness, I would have had to send it back anyways.
 
So NOW everything is complete on them other than installing them. The step bit I ordered online is taking a long time to get here....and I'm not even sure its shipped yet. It shouldnt really matter though. I have boiled the plastic and it holds up fine and the O-rings are pretty damn thick.

Anyways, here are the pics of the finished product:

DSC_0816.JPG


DSC_0818.JPG


DSC_0820.JPG


DSC_0822.JPG


Stupid 4 image rule ---> onto next post
 
And just to prove that I have enough quantity on hand to satisfy a few orders immediately: (Sorry about the background :))

DSC_0824.JPG


I'm working on a final price sheet for the sight glasses. I am thinking it might be closer to 17 since some of the materials ended up costing me a bit more than I expected but in about 20 minutes I should have a final price posted.

Thanks
 
I'm pretty happy. My digital thermometers will be here monday and I'm hoping that stupid step bit finds its way to my damn mailbox sometime this week so I can start putting holes in my kegs. I have proven to myself that all the materials work individually... now I just want to install them and start using them!

Also, I am going to put out a list of the people I have who were interested and the quantity I thought they were interested in. Please correct me if any of that information is wrong. Thanks
 
The price is 16 plus shipping. Shipping will be determined by a combination of buyer preference, speed, and price. You can choose. I will give you the price for each and you can decide.

EDIT: I currently have 8 available so its on a first come first serve if you want them this week. If you are less concerned about time, once I confirm the bulk of orders that I have, I will be placing another order either tonight or tomorrow morning for more parts.

Thanks all who have been interested.

Here is a non-official list of the interest I think I have. Some of you who posted 1 or maybe 2 I just put down for 2 so just let me know what you want.

twst1up 1
intoran 2
schneemann 2
CrookedChris 2
brewjunky 2
nathan 2
conpewter 1
RiverSwillBeer 2
Liquidicem ?
Rugger13 2
truckmann 1
paulthenurse 1
Damonic 1
eccsynd 2
lrr81765 2
 
HEY, the shuttle flew to the moon, around the moon, and back on theory. You didn't see NASA ask the russians to try it first!

HAHA, all kidding aside, I have a few orders already so I am going to try to send those out ASAP and hopefully my bit gets here to drill into my kegs. If it doesn't those people can post their experiences.
 
its02003 said:
I'm not too sure how much more you are going to see this progress....
Click to expand...

Aaaaaand this is why one should pay more attention when one has 10+ tabs of HBT up in one's browser. You'll end up posting the right thing in the wrong thread. :D

Trying to decide if I'll need 1 or 2...
 
its02003 said:
HEY, the shuttle flew to the moon, around the moon, and back on theory. You didn't see NASA ask the russians to try it first!

HAHA, all kidding aside, I have a few orders already so I am going to try to send those out ASAP and hopefully my bit gets here to drill into my kegs. If it doesn't those people can post their experiences.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm just playing devil's advocate. I'm 99% sure it will work. It's a direct copy of a proven solution at many online shops. Until it's been tested, you're selling extra prototypes. Once they're proven, you can blow out 100 or two.
 
If I cant get them tested before I get them out, any issues with them will come with full customer service and tech support :).... I really am pretty confident about the functionality, but you point out a good point with the lack of testing.

I drilled a hold in my cooler mash tun today to see if I could get the nipple to stretch the distance of the wall of the cooler and it didn't come close. I am going to grab an extra long nipple from BFO tomorrow morning and see if that will work. If it does, I might have a prototype that works on cooler mash tuns too!
 
As I enter the shipping information from the USPS website, it looks like its flat rate for shipping these things across the country. For the most part, it should be $4.75 for the shipping and $1.70 for the insurance.
 
The initial setup is proving to be a bit challenging since work decided to make me important this week. Figures I take this side responsibility because my job is easy and full of spare time and then my boss decides I need more responsibility. Either way, I am trying QUITE hard to get my inventory straight and the order placed for the "backup" supplies. Luckily they are being sourced by two very prompt shipping companies.

Just a heads up, once I get these rolling out the door, I plan on posting a DIY with all the parts, sizes, numbers and links I can. Just to point out that I am really not in this for profit, I just saw how the one on Williams was built and thought I could (and did) do it cheaper.

Thanks for all the replies I have received and keep em coming, I have 7 right now (I think all of those are spoken for) and 20 more on the way.

I also appreciate the patience everyone has right now with the hectic reality that is pounding my head (Bobby I think its time for an I told you so :))
 
ALSO NOTE: As far as I can tell, the shipping of more than one is no more... so the shipping in this case (unless I run the numbers when you PM me and its more which I doubt) is the same for one as it is for 3.... just food for thought.

As I mentioned, I am ordering a few different length nipples to confirm that I can also make these for cooler MLTs. If you are holding out for that, the info should be available this weekend.

Ian
 
are these ready to go for really real? Can you PM me how I can pay you?
 
The are in fact ready to go "for real" the first couple batches got boxed up last night and will be in the mail system tomorrow.

PM sent with details
 
After this horrible SNAFU with USPS EVERYTHING I have gotten payment for has been shipped. I'm sorry everyone for the delay. I have voiced my displeasure with USPS but am not holding my breath for anything to come from it. I have resolved to not use their online system anymore since all the varibles you have to confirm for shipment aren't even covered in the forms.

Again, sorry for the delays.
 
I got mine yesterday and they look just like the pictures. Hopefully I will get a chance to get one installed on my HLT soon and get it calibrated. Looks like it will work great and will make it much easier than climbing the ladder to see how much water is left.

Thanks to its02003 for making these.
 
Any and all that I have received payment for have been shipped and all queued PMs have been responded to. I have been trying to keep up with everything plus work and apologize for everything that has blown up the past couple weeks. I hope everyone enjoys theirs and I can tell you I have mine installed on my kegs now and it works like a charm.

Hope ya'll like yours.
 
Well, I've used mine on two batches now and I have some thoughts. Halfway thru the first batch I was kicking myself for having installed these. The tube has a very tight ID and so if any gas bubbles get in there, like when your wort is boiling merrily away, you are screwed. The ID is too small for the bubbles to readily pass up to the top of the tube, they just sit there and clog up the works. And you just drilled a 9/16th inch hole in the bottoms of your keggle and mash tun in order to install them. You can't take it out and it doesn't work left in. AAAArrrgh.

But wait, things aren't that bad. I was worried about the potential problem of losing an entire batch by snapping off the tube while either mashing or boiling because there is not a way to stop the flow if that happens. I backed out the compression fitting, added a shut off valve and installed a bigger piece of tubing with a larger ID. And it works well now. I'd say it's a decent design with a flaw that was relatively easy/inexpensive to fix. I'm not trying to hammer you or your design. It was pretty clearly a prototype and prototypes, by definition, aren't perfect. I doubt I would have gotten off my ass and installed one if you hadn't done the legwork, cobbled together a few, and offered them at a very reasonable price. But you would be well advised to increase the size of the tube, and to add a shut off valve above the elbow and below the tube. I also added an eyebolt at the top of the keg to catch and hold the top of the tube. Also, I had to pony up $22 bucks for a 9/19" drill bit to install the thru hulls. And the larger compression fitting and tubing added more $$ to the final bill. Dammmit!

Ya, on second thought, I still wish I hadn't jumped for these

But other than THAT, how did you enjoy the play, Mrs Lincoln?

PTN
 
The odd thing is that I've used that diameter tube a few batches and didn't have the same bubbling problem but I also had a short nipple on the inside of the connection to divert bubbles away from the input. If a large diamter tube is the only way to make it work, I found that Mcmaster has a thinwall but higher temp capable polycarbonate tube available. It's twice as hard to find on their site, but it's

9176T12
(Same as 9176T1)
Durable Clear Polycarbonate Tubing 1/4" ID, 3/8" OD, 1/16" Wall Thickness, 2'L
In stock at $2.16 Each

it's rated up to 250F.
 
I'm sorry to hear about the problems you had. Like I said, I have boiled a few batches of just water and 2 batches of brew and have not seen any problems like the bubbling you mention. I also don't necessarily think that the shutoff valve is all that important. The broken tube is easy enough to plug with something and the ID of the tubing is small enough that at the most you might lose a pint or two. I appreciate the suggestions and I'll take them into consideration. If you aren't happy with them, you can send them back to me and I will refund your money.
 
I'm not complaining. Well, I guess I am, but I don't mean it in a complaining way. It was something I wanted and so I bought it. Once installed, like all new things, there are some unexpected things to consider. I hadn't considered that bubbles in the tube would be a problem, I was basing that on my experience with a similar sight tube on large coffee pots. So I figured out a solution to the bubble problem that worked. I'm happy.

As far as the shut off valve goes, to me it just makes sense. I have a thing about thru hulls. (I was raised around boats and some things were beat into my head. 20 miles out to sea is not the time to start thinking about "What do I do if that thru hull breaks, or the hose bursts?") I need to have a valve on the thru hull or it would just make me crazy. I supose I could have whittled out a bung and tied that to the device so if the tube snapped off I could ram it in and stop the flow. To suggest that if the tube snaps off just above the valve that you would only lose a pint or two isnt realistic. If the tube snaps off you will lose everything above the level of the break unless you can stop the flow. And trying to hammer a bung into a broken tube to stop the flow isn't realistic. A valve is a much simpler, easier and smarter way to go.
Again, I'm not hammering you or your design, just offering suggestions on how to improve it and make it more user friendly. And thanks for the offer to take it back, but I've got it where I want it now, and if I did send it back I'd not only not have a working sight valve but I'd have a 9/16" hole two inches off the bottom of my keggle.

PTN
 

Similar threads

gromitdj
California Pin Lock Disconnects and posts - Free
Replies
2
Views
304
505-Brewer
5
njordan1784
For Sale All-Grain system. Kettles, Burner, Flasks, Carboys, Mill, And More! (St. Louis)
Replies
0
Views
350
njordan1784
njordan1784
luke2080
For Sale Brew Magic + Equipment
Replies
0
Views
235
luke2080
luke2080
U
Sold All-Grain Brewing Equipment (Grainfather Setup)
Replies
0
Views
394
user 343487
U
S
For Sale Equipment spring cleaning sale (Phoenix AZ)
Replies
3
Views
760
schard84
S

Latest posts

Back
Top