8 replies to this topic

[Iceman]

I see More Beer has them, but wow they are pricey! Has anyone found these anywhere else for cheaper? I'm sure I'll just end up using the brass ones like most people, but my whole new system is SS & they'd be sweet. Ice

[chuck_d]

Yeah, they are pricey, I bought them back for the economy decided to disappear. I think mcmaster might now have them (or something equivalent) for cheaper. When I'm less drunk I'll look for them if you haven't found them already. Don't forget to factor in shipping before purchasing. The trick is too spend a month or 4 thinking about your upgrade. You will need more of one connector than the other, and often QDs come in disproportionate pricing. Meaning either the female or male is cheaper when bought standalone rather than in a set. So if you really take the time to think through your entire brewing process, and draw several pictures of how it will work, then you can optimize your purchasing and get the most bang for you buck. I recommend buying 2 more of each type of connector than you think you'll need for 2 reasons. Either you might miscalculate and you'll still have enough on hand to build your system, otherwise you'll you have spares on hand for when you get a leak. This makes repairs much faster in that you can just cut the other QD off and insert the sanitized spare; then later you can take your time to cut the QD out of the tubing and clean it. I've got a slim cardboard box with a bunch of spare connectors of the QDs, barbed with MPT, etc. so I can do quick repairs.As for a review. Is there much to say beyond they are SS and are QDs? Everything you expect you get. They can be treated like every other piece of stainless in your system for cleaning & sanitization. They will heat up as hot liquid is passed through them, but this nothing that a oven mit or small towel can't handle for longterm holding. I like to have only two metals in my homebrewpub, SS & copper. Unfortunately the wing nuts in my kegerator aren't SS, so I plan on upgrading to SS hex nuts. (It's just easier when you can toss everything into the same chemicals, wing nuts and StarSan don't mix.) When designing your system think about extension hoses. There are two approaches to building them. First, if you've standardized your hoses as female, you can build one as all male (all female for a male hose standard). This type of hose will allow you to connect to regular hoses together. The Second approach is to build one with a male & a female attachment. This type of extension will work no matter with way you standardize as long as all equipment connectors gets a male or female attachment and all hoses get the oppostie. It will connect any of your hoses to a piece of equipement. The first you build if you have more hoses than you have equipement connections for your cleaning cycle. The second you build in order to be able to adapt to a brewing situation in whicn you need to make some random hose longer.

Edited by chuck_d, 27 March 2009 - 10:50 PM.

[rockon]

Also, check out Swagman's tri-clover fittings in the Classified section. I know if I ever build my perfect system with QDs and nice hoses, that's what I would want.

[Iceman]

Chuck,If you don't mind, I'd like to see which ones you have. You obviously indorse them. Did you put males on all of the equipment pieces you have and females on the hoses for the most part?Thanks,Ice

[chuck_d]

Chuck,If you don't mind, I'd like to see which ones you have. You obviously indorse them. Did you put males on all of the equipment pieces you have and females on the hoses for the most part?Thanks,Ice

Yup, males on my equipment and female on the hoses and I have one male/male hose so I can connect an extra hose that I use in the brewday so I can pump solutions through them all at once. You can sort of see them in the lower right corner of one of my shots in the rhizome thread of mine, but I'll get around to making real photos of them sometime tomorrow, maybe tuesday for you.Edit: In terms of my endorsement, it is of course there but I left one thing out of my review. These are open QDs, not the kind that will close off flow in the hose when you disconnect. For my purposes that is what I wanted, so I don't list it as a negative or positive, just make sure that's the type of QD you want before spending lots of money committing to a system of QDs.

Edited by chuck_d, 29 March 2009 - 10:02 PM.

[MoreAmmoPlz]

Since we've moved let me say again that Swagman's tri-clover fittings are sch-weet!

[boo boo]

When designing your system think about extension hoses. There are two approaches to building them. First, if you've standardized your hoses as female, you can build one as all male (all female for a male hose standard). This type of hose will allow you to connect to regular hoses together. The Second approach is to build one with a male & a female attachment. This type of extension will work no matter with way you standardize as long as all equipment connectors gets a male or female attachment and all hoses get the oppostie. It will connect any of your hoses to a piece of equipement. The first you build if you have more hoses than you have equipement connections for your cleaning cycle. The second you build in order to be able to adapt to a brewing situation in whicn you need to make some random hose longer.

Sound advise I plan on taking when I build a system using a pump.

[dagomike]

Since we've moved let me say again that Swagman's tri-clover fittings are sch-weet!

Yes they are. https://blog.flamini...clover_fittingsI'd like to get some stainless garden hose QD. Not really critical for brewing, but my brass ones corrode on me and I like shiny things.

Edited by dagomike, 30 March 2009 - 04:41 PM.

[japh]

Yes they are. https://blog.flamini...clover_fittingsI'd like to get some stainless garden hose QD. Not really critical for brewing, but my brass ones corrode on me and I like shiny things.

Ooooo... shiny.