joelrapp
Well-Known Member
Anyone know of a place cheaper than Midwest or Austin to get silicone tubing? I got some off Amazon for about 1/2 of what the brewstores charge but now that I need more they're out of stock.
Silicone Tubing
- Thread starter joelrapp
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http://www.bargainfittings.com/index.php?route=product/category&path=52
I got mine at Bargain Fittings.
I got mine at Bargain Fittings.
I guess this is as good a place as any to ask. What do folks think about buying silicone tubing in fixed increments that fit flat rate USPS boxes? Part of the reason I'm so hesitant to offer tubing is that it's a major PIA to jam into the typical boxes I use for sight glasses and it throws off shipping cost calculations. If I were to fill up a medium flat rate box and make the price include the $11 for shipping, it would be a no brainer.
thatjonguy
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Bobby_M said:
I would be down.
ultravista
Well-Known Member
I paid $2.10 per foot from AHS.
Cpt_Kirks
Well-Known Member
That tubing can be crammed into flat rate boxes pretty tight. I just got 5 feet, plus a bunch of fittings in a small flat rate from Bargain Fittings.
It's not like the tubing can be mashed or kinked.
Yeah, it definitely gets into the flat rate boxes pretty well. The challenge is when someone wants a sight glass and 8 feet of tubing. It will all fit into the same box, but it adds 4 pounds. It's a lot more economical (and predictable) to put the tubing in a flat rate and ship the other bulky items separately.
What size increments are you looking at? My initial purchase was 25', i'm a bit short now and i'll need another 10'-ish soon.
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joelrapp
Well-Known Member
I had 30' originally, 10' spare, but last brew session caught one section on fire, and blew another section up trying to blow it out with a compressor....ooops. I'm needing 1/2" ID but don't want to have to spend $60 on some.
Lowes doesn't sell silicone tubing.
I can tell you right now that all the shops selling silicone tubing are not making much money, especially considering the awkward handling that goes into it. Despite the occasional sweetheart surplus pricing you find on Ebay, it's just expensive. Maybe the big boys like AHS are buying 10,000 feet of it but not me ;-)
I'd have to be in the area of 2.29 a foot to make it worth it, plus whatever the flat rate is going to be. I have to see what each of the flat rate boxes can really hold.
I'd have to be in the area of 2.29 a foot to make it worth it, plus whatever the flat rate is going to be. I have to see what each of the flat rate boxes can really hold.
Vinyl (PVC) has a practical upper limit of about 170F and it gets really soft as you approach that temp.
Silicone tops out at about 392F.
Silicone tops out at about 392F.
Yeah I have used Vinyl tube to drain out of my MLT straight into the BK and it is pretty soft. I would not want to be putting it under pressure (or suction) at those temps
Haha Bobby just saw the price on 1/2" stainless on your website and thought damn how is he selling it at $0.75... then I sam "by the inch"
Can you elaborate on the awkward handling? i just got some silicone tubing and dont want to mess it up.
I believe Bobby meant how awkward packaging it up is.
It is bulky, and difficult to package with other items easily.
As long as you don't let it touch open flames or hot metal, silicone tubing is fairly robust.
It does not have very good abrasive properties so keep it off sharp edges.
kal
Well-Known Member
It's not just the temperature extremes (it goes low too without getting hard like vinyl so it's used in dairy for milking - for example) but also the chemical inertness of it. They use silicone in scientific/pharmaceutical labs because of it. Nothing leeches out of it like vinyl. Leave water long enough in a vinyl hose and it, well, starts to taste like vinyl hose. The same isn't true for silicone.
That's the major reason why I wanted to use it myself on my brewing setup. If high temp vinyl was the only option I probably would have gone hard plumbed with stainless.
Kal
Cpt_Kirks
Well-Known Member
Silicone tubing is great!
I've even replaced the cold water feed and drain lines for my plate chiller, with camlocks on one end, and garden hose connections on the other, with silicone.
Vinyl is too stiff.
I've even replaced the cold water feed and drain lines for my plate chiller, with camlocks on one end, and garden hose connections on the other, with silicone.
Vinyl is too stiff.
beertastic
Well-Known Member
Is silicone tubing more flexible and easier to work with than vinyl? All my vinyl tubing is curly.
Cpt_Kirks
Well-Known Member
Oh, yes. Night and day compared to vinyl.
kal
Well-Known Member
Silicone tubing has very little 'memory' as compared to vinyl. In other words after being coiled up for a while it doesn't want to stay coiled as much as vinyl.
Careful using silicone however on anything that is under pressure (like a cold water feed that's connected to your house plumbing). Silicone is soft and will blow up like a ballon under pressure.
Kal
Careful using silicone however on anything that is under pressure (like a cold water feed that's connected to your house plumbing). Silicone is soft and will blow up like a ballon under pressure.
Kal
Cpt_Kirks
Well-Known Member
kal
Well-Known Member
I use a water hose adapter made out of silicone to fill my HLT that connects between my sink and and a regular hose with QD's connected to the HLT input:
There's a ball valve on the HLT so I just need to make sure to open that up before I turn on the water.
March pumps aren't really an issue as they have basically no head pressure.
Tap water in most places ranges from 40-80 PSI.
Kal
There's a ball valve on the HLT so I just need to make sure to open that up before I turn on the water.
March pumps aren't really an issue as they have basically no head pressure.
Tap water in most places ranges from 40-80 PSI.
Kal
For cold water supply lines (city water pressure) I would use reinforced tubing or RV water hoses, not silicone.
You will only forget one time to open that valve on the HLT.
I've been witness to the popping silicone tubing on two separate brew days and it really wakes you up!
You will only forget one time to open that valve on the HLT.
I've been witness to the popping silicone tubing on two separate brew days and it really wakes you up!
Just pick up some reinforced silicone tubing. It's only $7 a foot 
Turns out the LHBS only ordered the 3/8 ID tubing so I went on Bargainfittings.com got about 15 feet. Can't beat 5 bucks flat rate shipping.
Wellllllllllllllllllll, you can IF you do what morebeer.com does for most of their stuff (free shipping over $50.00 on select items). Currently, Morebeer.com is sold out on silicone tubing.
Wellllllllllllllllllll, you can IF you do what morebeer.com does for most of their stuff (free shipping over $50.00 on select items). Currently, Morebeer.com is sold out on silicone tubing.
I like how you guys put the warning on the item before purchasing. I don't see it anywhere else. I wonder how many people have made silicone balloons...
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joelrapp
Well-Known Member
The tubing that I've been using and looking for more of is rated up to 500F. Doesn't get softer as heat rises.
Got it cut and attached to my quick connects right away.
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joelrapp
Well-Known Member
The silicone tubing that I've been waiting for is back in stock. $1.60/ft plus free shipping if you're an Amazon Prime member.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FOV0MS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FOV0MS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
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1/16 inch wall is very thin. It will be very easy to kink.
If you are ok with that then brew on.
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joelrapp
Well-Known Member
if you want to send me a usable sample I'd be glad to endorse it :rockin:, but in all seriousness I am about to place what seems like my 50th order from you guys cause I always forget something when I order.
I would also caution against this.
I recently purchased some 1/16" wall 1/2" ID silicone tubing. I didn't pay attention when I purchased it; I only bought it because I was buying other items from the vendor. The tubing is terrible. It kinks with the slightest bend.
My other silicone tubing is all 1/8" wall. I have had no problems with it at all. Well worth the extra cost in my opinion.
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joelrapp
Well-Known Member
I've used this tubing for about 70 gallons of beer so far, and the only reasons I have needed anymore is I caught some on fire and blew another section up trying to blow it out with a compressor while slightly intoxicated at the end of a brew day.
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joelrapp
Well-Known Member
Fair enough. Perhaps the stuff I got was just really crappy. If it works for you, all the better.
But I'd be more than happy to do a side by side with stuff from Wayne.
Hey Joel, how do you find the 1/16" WT stuff for pump suction hoses?
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