Super Cheap 3/8" copper tubing!!!

[raptorvan]

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

 

[raptorvan]

there has to be a wholesaler somewhere...these sites are more expensive than the overpirced hardware stores.

 

[mikeysab]

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.

 

[cascadia]

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.

 

[Bensiff]

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.

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.

 

[Bensiff]

there has to be a wholesaler somewhere...these sites are more expensive than the overpirced hardware stores.

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

 

[Mysticmead]

once you add the $20 shipping to the price its about the same as buying it at Lowes or Home Depot

 

[raptorvan]

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

its a hundred dollar minimum to buy from them

 

[raptorvan]

Home Depot has it for 43.00 for 50'x3/8...thats where i bought mine at today.

 

[Palefire]

Just got an e-mail saying that my order had been cancelled. Oh well, it was worth a shot.

 

[RiseAgainstMe]

Home Depot has it for 43.00 for 50'x3/8...thats where i bought mine at today.

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.

 

[Zamial]

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.

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!

 

[RiseAgainstMe]

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!

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.

 

[raptorvan]

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.

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...

 

[TANSTAAFB]

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...

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:

 

[350_Malibu]

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!

 

[mikeysab]

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.

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.

 

[raptorvan]

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:

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

 

[CABeerMaker]

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.

 

[TANSTAAFB]

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.

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.

 

[cklages]

I used a compression fitting in my wort chiller when I first built it, and all the heating, cooling and moving around caused it to loosen and seep water into the beer. This wouldn't be so bad on a municipal water supply, but I use raw lake water to cool. I don't think I got an infection but I did drink that batch fairly quick.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/how-mess-up-immersion-chiller-189468/

 

[Bensiff]

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.

I like to keep things simple, if you steal knowingly that is called theft. When a state determines that thieves poses an internal threat to its security and sovereignty and starts cutting their hands off, that is called realism.

 

[mikeysab]

Ah, HD got enough from me. I musta spent 15,000 dollars in that place since i bought my house. Its not my fault the girl doesn't pay better attention. Thats probably why she works in HD. And that copper tubing, it was the end of the job and was gonna get thrown away anyhow. I actually got beat on the deal. If i woulda waited another couple days i coulda got it out of a dumpster and bought MYSELF the beers. I call that life in the big city.

 

[Bensiff]

Ah, HD got enough from me. I musta spent 15,000 dollars in that place since i bought my house. Its not my fault the girl doesn't pay better attention. Thats probably why she works in HD. And that copper tubing, it was the end of the job and was gonna get thrown away anyhow. I actually got beat on the deal. If i woulda waited another couple days i coulda got it out of a dumpster and bought MYSELF the beers. I call that life in the big city.

Hey if its scrap, fair game no big deal. I won't make a special trip back to a store to let them know if they screwed up in how much they charged me; but, if I notice it at the cash register I will correct them...helps me sleep better at night.