Took the plunge and built a homemade mash tun last month. A little worried at first, I tested it for leaks and it didn't leak at all. Happy with my build, I put it away. A few days later I went back to place a few things in it that I had purchased. Upon opening the lid I noticed that the stainless steel clamps (purchased from lowes) on both ends of my mesh hose filter had completely rusted over. Has anyone else ran into this? I thought they weren't supposed to rust. Any suggestions for some replacement clamps?
Stainless steel clamps
- Thread starter XRAYA
- Start date
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jpalarchio
Well-Known Member
I don't think the screws are always stainless. It seems hit or miss if the clamp is 100% stainless or not. You could use the Oetiker type clamps or try some of the vendors here to see if they know their clamps are 100% stainless.
IvanTheTerribrew
Well-Known Member
Just an idea but zip ties are cheap, replaceable, won't rust or melt in a mash tun, and have less places to clean than those screw clamps.
BradleyBrew
Well-Known Member
I dont think you could get a zip tie secured tight enough. Plus its made of who knows what type of plastic.
Bobby_M at BrewHardware wouldn't steer you wrong. He has a lot of cool brewing gadgets there, and he is an advocate for us brewers that want the best parts we can get.
http://brewhardware.com/accessories-62/145-clamp
http://brewhardware.com/accessories-62/145-clamp
Renoun
Well-Known Member
Lots of "stainless" hose clamps use rather ferrous screws. Just take a magnet with you when you buy hose clamps and check the screw. If you are an area near the coast marine supply stores have clamps that are all stainless.
The clamps I posted above are stainless, including the screw.
Vigo_Carpathian
Well-Known Member
I use zip ties all the time for fermentations at work. They hold up to countless steam sterilization cycles and have no problem with heat. Just don't buy the cheap dollar store ones. I've also seen them hold hoses just fine that have 25 psi in them. They also don't dig into the hosing like most metal clamps do.
