Super Cheap 3/8" copper tubing!!!

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Same here. I'm sure there are a few people who ordered but didn't post to the thread, too, so if they don't deliver in a week or so I'm guessing they'll get more than a few calls ...
 
I checked my order status...apparently they are still waiting for it to come in as it has not shipped to me yet. I hope it gets here next week...I have Spring Break (teacher) starting Friday and have a brew-a-thon planned :rockin:
 
I just got off the phone with Appliance Parts Pros customer service. They were extremely nice and helpful, but it is still gonna be a couple of weeks. Right now they are expecting delivery on March 21st, process through the warehouse and ship by Friday the 25th, 2-5 days to me via FedEx. I ordered on the 28th of Feb, so we are looking at just over a month. AND that is just an anticipated arrival, it could still get extended if there are delays from the manufacturer. Sigh...

Not sure it is worth the savings as I have a three batch Spring Break brew week planned and now I have to cool a keggle in an ice bath :(

BTW, I informed them that the order page just says out of stock and that the item usually ships in 5-6 days. She said she would forward that to the site managers as that is clearly incorrect, this is a special order item that takes 2-4 weeks. I asked if they could upgrade my shipping from ground to air to compensate for the delay and misinformation. They said no, but offered to either cancel the order or give 20% off my next order. Fair enough, just frustrating as SWMBO was ready to go buy me a chiller for my birthday but I told her not to as I found a much cheaper option.

Cest la vie :mug:
 
Cooling a keggle in an ice bath - ouch. Feelin for ya.

Still, thanks for calling - I was going to do the same today. Good to know it'll get here eventually. Still well worth it for the price (assuming, of course, that it ends up being what we think it is).
 
Thanks so much for the update. I probably won't wait on the copper either since I plan to do a batch this weekend.

Maybe I'll go ahead and build one now and if this copper ever makes it I can build two more and sell them to pay for the one I build.

Thanks America, for making me into the capitalist I am.
 
so i had a link to this site about 2 weeks ago for the 1/2x50' tubing...i went to order it yesterday and it wasnt available. i talked to a rep and they said that PMI had Discontinued the part and werent making anymore and they werent sure if all the people who ordered the part would get their stuff yet.


of course, she could be full of crap and the reason its not available is because the demand is crushing supply
 
Dang, I just bought 20 ft at 3/8" for the same price for my wort chiller and now I have to wait until my next trip to America to get more tubing :(

I underestimated the size of tubing I would need :(
 
raptorvan said:
so i had a link to this site about 2 weeks ago for the 1/2x50' tubing...i went to order it yesterday and it wasnt available. i talked to a rep and they said that PMI had Discontinued the part and werent making anymore and they werent sure if all the people who ordered the part would get their stuff yet.


of course, she could be full of crap and the reason its not available is because the demand is crushing supply
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Nope, we are all screwed on this. I just got off the phone with customer service after checking my order status on their site and finding that I had no order. I still had the e-mail confirmation w/ my order number and my PayPal authorization, so I called to see what was up.

I was told that the manufacturer informed them that that part # was discontinued and no longer available. I asked if they were going to sub a comparable part as I ordered this 3 weeks ago for a DIY project over my Spring break (which is now about over :() and had actually spoken with a customer service rep to confirm the item description, price, and anticipated shipping timeframe. No. If the manufacturer had provided an alternative part # then they could sub that part, but another item would be from a different manufacturer and I would be charged their price. Might be able to get a 20% discount.

I told them I did not think that was a great business model or customer service as I could have purchased elsewhere and had it when I needed it, cost was not the only consideration. I was told sorry. I confirmed that my order had been cancelled and that I would not be charged and hung up.

This sucks. If it seems too good to be true....
 
Hmmm... Would I be completely wrong to point out the irony here, with your forum name (I'm assuming that's a riff on TANSTAAFL) and your findings?

Seriously though, sorry it didn't work out for you. I was really hoping you guys would all have a better result, as the procurement of some form of chiller is in my near future. Good luck with whatever other approach you pursue!
 
stratslinger said:
Hmmm... Would I be completely wrong to point out the irony here, with your forum name (I'm assuming that's a riff on TANSTAAFL) and your findings?

Seriously though, sorry it didn't work out for you. I was really hoping you guys would all have a better result, as the procurement of some form of chiller is in my near future. Good luck with whatever other approach you pursue!
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You are correct sir, and irony noted...in my defense however I believe that RAH himself would have agreed that there is a great difference between cheap and free :D

Sorry for the goose chase all who ordered, but we aren't out anything but time...off to find the next cheapest copper I can, I need a damn chiller!!!
 
thats the absolute cheapest ive found other than that site in the O.P...but i guess it still beats the 85.00 my LHBS is charging.

55.00 for the copper + about 2.50 for two ring clamps + about 3.00 for 8ft of that clear tubing to attach to each end and 4.00 for a hose adaptor

hmmm...not too much cheaper i guess...damnit
 
This is probably a long shot to work for anybody, but if there's a construction site near anyone, find a plumber and ask him for a coil. Offer him 20 bucks or something. I got mine from a plumber who worked in the same building as me. It cost me about 3 buds, but I was acquaintances with the guy. I'm an electrician, and I know if someone asked me for some material for cash, I'd hook the guy up. Hopefully someone could benefit from this technique.
 
Spoke with the company last night. It is true-the super cheap copper has been discontinued and no replacement part is available. She informed me that the transaction had been canceled a few days ago, however I did not receive any notification. So anyone else out there that ordered this consider your order canceled.
 
mikeysab said:
This is probably a long shot to work for anybody, but if there's a construction site near anyone, find a plumber and ask him for a coil. Offer him 20 bucks or something. I got mine from a plumber who worked in the same building as me. It cost me about 3 buds, but I was acquaintances with the guy. I'm an electrician, and I know if someone asked me for some material for cash, I'd hook the guy up. Hopefully someone could benefit from this technique.
Click to expand...

You could also find a construction site and simply take the tubing out of the walls when no one is looking, at least that way you aren't trying to get someone else to be involved in your theft. I hear buying a keg of beer and never returning the used keg is also a really good way to save money on a keggle build. That would be sarcasm.
 
raptorvan said:
there has to be a wholesaler somewhere...these sites are more expensive than the overpirced hardware stores.
Click to expand...

Earlier in this thread I calculated out the price of metal alone in the copper coil to around $23. Figure the cost to manufacture, ship, and retailer markup and you get to $50 pretty quick. I'm not too surprised that they renigged on the deal when they realized they would lose money.

I looked, maybe this is something...

http://salestores.com/ge72coretu3c.html
 
Bensiff said:
Earlier in this thread I calculated out the price of metal alone in the copper coil to around $23. Figure the cost to manufacture, ship, and retailer markup and you get to $50 pretty quick. I'm not too surprised that they renigged on the deal when they realized they would lose money.

I looked, maybe this is something...

http://salestores.com/ge72coretu3c.html
Click to expand...

its a hundred dollar minimum to buy from them
 
Just got an e-mail saying that my order had been cancelled. Oh well, it was worth a shot.
 
RiseAgainstMe said:
The 20ft is only $14, so is it fine to just buy two 20's and use a union? That's what I've been debating.
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Solder in boiling temps and a single point of failure is not worth saving $10 if it destroys a batch of beer...It would scare the Beejeezus out of me!
 
Zamial said:
Solder in boiling temps and a single point of failure is not worth saving $10 if it destroys a batch of beer...It would scare the Beejeezus out of me!
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What I would use is a compression union. They can be used even with compressed air or gas lines without leaking, so I think they would be fine for water.
I was very close to doing this until I used my bath tub for a cold water bath and got the temp down in 15 minutes, since my water was coming out at 45 degrees. I'll see how well the tub works when the temps start going up outside and then might be back at the tubing.
And also it would save $20 so that was a little more motivation to use the two 20's.
 
RiseAgainstMe said:
What I would use is a compression union. They can be used even with compressed air or gas lines without leaking, so I think they would be fine for water.
I was very close to doing this until I used my bath tub for a cold water bath and got the temp down in 15 minutes, since my water was coming out at 45 degrees. I'll see how well the tub works when the temps start going up outside and then might be back at the tubing.
And also it would save $20 so that was a little more motivation to use the two 20's.
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if you can join the two together without leeching lead into the wort or snapping the connection go for it. it wont be a 50' coil but you could always point the water coming out (when it colls off the chiller) towards the pot and rinse the pot walls...
 
raptorvan said:
if you can join the two together without leeching lead into the wort or snapping the connection go for it. it wont be a 50' coil but you could always point the water coming out (when it colls off the chiller) towards the pot and rinse the pot walls...
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A compression union is fine as far as strength goes (as you mentioned before they are rated for steam and high pressure applications) and there is no damn lead in water quality brass fittings. The whole lead thing is ridiculous! The only concern I would have is little crevices for bugs to hide in. I would trust a solder joint at 200*F...it takes more than that to melt solder :cross:
 
Got my notification of my order being canceled yesterday. Oh well, it was worth a shot. Still have my basic wort chiller to work with. Cheers!:mug:
 
Bensiff said:
You could also find a construction site and simply take the tubing out of the walls when no one is looking, at least that way you aren't trying to get someone else to be involved in your theft. I hear buying a keg of beer and never returning the used keg is also a really good way to save money on a keggle build. That would be sarcasm.
Click to expand...

I'll give you another good one. I was dead set on building a SOF chiller, so I went out and bought 3 sheets of 2' x 4' x 2" extruded polystyrene. When I got to the register, the girl didn't know what I had, and she didn't have a book to look up the codes, so she asked the girl on another register. The girl told her something like 7 dollars a sheet. I immediately knew I scored. When I saw the receipt, she charged me for 1/2 inch instead of 2 inch. So I paid half price for my fermentation chiller. Couple that with the FREEEEE copper tubing, and I'm saving money all over the place. That would be realism.
 
TANSTAAFB said:
A compression union is fine as far as strength goes (as you mentioned before they are rated for steam and high pressure applications) and there is no damn lead in water quality brass fittings. The whole lead thing is ridiculous! The only concern I would have is little crevices for bugs to hide in. I would trust a solder joint at 200*F...it takes more than that to melt solder :cross:
Click to expand...

i was referring to the solder. brass has lead but the levels wouldnt matter
solder could leech lead into the wort well before the melting point. they so sell lead-free solder though
 
Most solders are now Lead free so the lead factor is out. Also solder melts at 469F so it will not melt even in a good rolling boil. As far as crevices go, that can be handled with good cleaning plenty of flux and practice. I am currently building a HERMS unit and if I didn't have the SS compression fittings available at work would've soldered without another thought.
 
CABeerMaker said:
Most solders are now Lead free so the lead factor is out. Also solder melts at 469F so it will not melt even in a good rolling boil. As far as crevices go, that can be handled with good cleaning plenty of flux and practice. I am currently building a HERMS unit and if I didn't have the SS compression fittings available at work would've soldered without another thought.
Click to expand...

Absolutely!!! Practice your soldering skills and they can be nice clean joints...I realize now I wasn't very clear in my post. I would be concerned about crevices on the outside of a compression union.
 

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