Don't trust eBay sellers.

[ssashton]

I always struggle to wait long enough for my beer to condition out. I just want to drink it right away!

Recently I brewed 3 kegs worth in quick succession hoping by the time I got to the last one, I'd have long enough for the next batch to be nicely conditioned.

I use a 'top draw' floating tube system with my kegs so I pull the beer from the top where it is cleanest most soon. However I have found it floats slightly too high, sometimes pulling in CO2 and giving me loadsa head.

So this time I added a stainless steel nut to each draw tube to lower it's buoyancy slightly in the liquid.

DO NOT TRUST EBAY SELLERS!

Out of 3 nuts I had, all supposed to be stainless steel, only the ones I bought from reputable international seller RS Components were actually stainless!!

After a couple weeks I tasted the beers. My wife said "It tastes like metal" so I cleaned the taps.. nope!

Opened the keg letting out all my precious CO2.

Fu*kin nut had all the plating removed!!

Opened the next one.. Same thing!!

Only one survives!

 

[Banbeer]

Hang on a cotton picking moment there, I sell stuff (occasionally) on eBay and have a very good rep @100% so because you made a mistake and bought from a not so reputable dealer you're tarring us sellers with the same brush. You get what you pay for, cheap isn't always best and quality shines through.

 

[chillipickle]

There are many ebay sellers that are 100% trust worthy.Been selling bits and pieces for years and 100% rep just like banbeer.

Absolutley there are shady sellers (being polite).
Thats really poor selling ss as plated though.......sorry for your beer loss, never nice when that happens.

 

[Brew_DD2]

I don't think it's unreasonable to assume of something is advertised as Stainless Steel that it is just that.

That being said, there are some fantastic eBayers out there.

 

[ssashton]

Hey guys, I actually titled this thread differently, but it was rather naughty so got changed by a moderator.

Beer in mind I did not buy those nuts for 'brewing use' just stuff I had in stock from other projects. Marked as stainless, but were not... or perhaps a low grade?

What I meant is, do not trust ebay nuts and bolts sellers to send high quality stainless items. They probably sourced from the big lollypop mountain and were cheated too. I work designing audio equipment and had 1Kg bag of audio connectors supposed to be gold plated, go manky after a few months. Talking ot the seller "oH, you wanted REAL gold? Sure we can offer that, it just costs more."

 

[ssashton]

Moving this in a slight different direction I tried to filter the beer to rescue it.

It helped, but not enough.

Makes me wonder about filtering all my beer in the future though, especially as I can't wait long to drink it.

So I have a couple Qs.

Why don't beer filters (he one's I've seen for home brew) use activated carbon?

Does filtering only improve clarity, or does it help flavour? Beer changes it's taste while conditioning IME. Does filtering help this along?

 

[Satellitemark]

I've found a way of filtering out some of the dodgy sellers passing off shoddy goods, if when you click on the description you see information about 50 totally non relevent items you have scroll through to try and find info on the listed item , this is a sign of possible dodgy seller , if you then click on the seller information and it gives a address in asia but the listing states despatch from the uk, it often means the seller is sneaking stuff into the eu and avoiding all taxes, which is how they can undercut legitimate sellers.

Can't say it's foolproof but it reduces the grief I've had with eBay sellers.


Mark

 

[Clint Eastwood]

Moving this in a slight different direction I tried to filter the beer to rescue it.

View attachment 28204

It helped, but not enough.

Makes me wonder about filtering all my beer in the future though, especially as I can't wait long to drink it.

So I have a couple Qs.

Why don't beer filters (he one's I've seen for home brew) use activated carbon?

Does filtering only improve clarity, or does it help flavour? Beer changes it's taste while conditioning IME. Does filtering help this along?

Activated carbon removes flavour too. In fact if it's in contact long enough it will remove all flavour. It's used a lot in these rocket fuel kits to make fake vodka etc. You remove yeast esters from the wort then back flavour.

 

[kelper]

Long delivery times are an indicator that goods are not UK sourced. There are companies now that specialise in receiving goods from China and repackaging them to make it look like UK stock. The 'seller' never sees the goods, it's all done by third parties!
I check sellers for a UK address/phone number. But I have had really good stuff from China also. I have PayPal concierge service and they normally sort out any problems over the phone.

I use a 'top draw' floating tube system with my kegs so I pull the beer from the top where it is cleanest most soon. However I have found it floats slightly too high, sometimes pulling in CO2 and giving me loadsa head.

I had beer from a top tap that was too foamy and the barrel lost pressure after a few pints but it was not the float at fault, it was the O-ring on the spigot where the tubing connects to the tap. I change these O-rings regularly. I get spares from eBay. 16mm ID x 2mm C/S Viton O Ring. Choose Quantity. 16x2. New. Metric. | eBay
These are Viton which is superior to "rubber".

 

[kudos1uk]

Activated carbon removes flavour too. In fact if it's in contact long enough it will remove all flavour. It's used a lot in these rocket fuel kits to make fake vodka etc. You remove yeast esters from the wort then back flavour.

Yes, this.
When distilling pure spirit you generally want a flavourless base product to work with so active carbon is perfect but the last thing you want to do is strip the flavour from a beer you have spent time choosing the perfect blend of malts and hops.

 

[Brasseur français]

When I want something to sink in beer I usually stick to stealing a teaspoon from the kitchen when the wife's not looking or marbles in a hop bag.

 

[dwhite60]

Did the seller specify what's grade of stainless it was? For food you ALWAYS want ANSI 300 series, 303, 304, 316. Some "stainless" will corrode in the right environment, 400 series will do this.

I've been a machinist for a long time. I've made lots of items for food service and pharmaceuticals manufacturers.

 

[HydrocarbonPrimate]

Did the seller specify what's grade of stainless it was? For food you ALWAYS want ANSI 300 series, 303, 304, 316. Some "stainless" will corrode in the right environment, 400 series will do this.

I've been a machinist for a long time. I've made lots of items for food service and pharmaceuticals manufacturers.

Indeed, 316 is best for food grade if any kind of acidity / sanitizer is to contact it regularly, All the commercial food tables and baine marie pans are 316, With regards to nuts and bolts they should be stamped A2 or A4, A2 being 304 stainless, and the more expensive stamped A4 316.

316 is hardly magnetic at all,
304 is magnetic like steel

I'm not a machinist, but a biker with a fetish for stainless steel

 

[starseeker]

Indeed, 316 is best for food grade if any kind of acidity / sanitizer is to contact it regularly, All the commercial food tables and baine marie pans are 316, With regards to nuts and bolts they should be stamped A2 or A4, A2 being 304 stainless, and the more expensive stamped A4 316.

316 is hardly magnetic at all,
304 is magnetic like steel

I'm not a machinist, but a biker with a fetish for stainless steel

Biker myself ,i have a 1200R monster and a 98 R1 (had it 22 years now ) what are you riding ?

 

[HydrocarbonPrimate]

Biker myself ,i have a 1200R monster and a 98 R1 (had it 22 years now ) what are you riding ?

Nice, Just an 02 Fazer 600, I rode an R1 the other week, nice bikes.

 

[Satellitemark]

Hi Guys,

I just started a biker Thread, if you fancy joining in.

https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/biker-thread.88456/

Mark

 

[Petrolhead]

It is getting harder and harder to understand the quality of the product you are buying whether it is from Amazon, eBay or the high street. I dabble in a few hobbies and be it building my electric brewery or restoring a classic car the quality problem arises all the time and when talking to other enthusiasts they all say the same.

I wanted to buy an expensive branded motorcycle jacket a few years ago and was looking on eBay for a lightly used one. Came across someone allegedly selling an unwanted present that was brand new. It all seemed legit and the price was good but nothing to write home about. Sent a few questions and was assured it was genuine so bought it.

When it arrived it wasn’t even a poor copy, it was a joke, I asked for my money back and the seller, even though he had assured me it was genuine, actually had the nerve to get shirty and ask what I thought I was getting at that price. He actually seemed to think that everyone operated like that and he was being reasonable.

Buyer beware........

 

[Richie_asg1]

It really is buyer beware on Ebay. I buy most things from Ebay and have had my fair share of dodgy traders, but on the whole I get good service and you remember the good sellers.
I've had sellers back out of auction sales because they wanted more for it.
I've had stainless steel nuts and bolts go rusty too. China seem to make a special type of stainless steel which rusts very quickly.
I've had fake electronic components from China, and some from UK sellers who also got stung - they destroyed a whole box when they tested them. I found out when they caught fire.
I've had items advertised as a 10pc set turn up as one single item.
And I've had complete fakes. The latest one was knorr gravy mix that was from a UK seller, but when bought a Chinese tracking number was generated, and updated a few days later telling me it was in Heathrow. I contacted Knorr and they said they don't manufacture this product in China - and wanted to see it, so I informed the seller and it never arrived here.

But some Chinese stuff just can't be beaten on price. Maybe we could if we still had a manufacturing industry.

One thing I found funny is the price of a genuine Duracell garden light. Something like £9.99 for one light. But it is made in China. After doing the manufacturing for Duracell, they kept on making them! -same size, same moulds- everything. I bought a box of 10 for less than one duracell one. You can even get them in pound shops cheaper than you can buy the one rechargeable battery in them. So by them manufacturing in China they have shot themselves in the foot because they have been overtaken by the same people who made products for them.

They don't just rip us off, they sell fakes to their own people too. Baby milk was a bad one as it was mixed with melamine powder. Now even the Chinese buy baby milk from other countries as an import. Fake rice is also a problem, as is fake eggs.

 

[Derren]

Biker myself ,i have a 1200R monster and a 98 R1 (had it 22 years now ) what are you riding ?

R1 here although wish I had kept my gsxr750 as that was without doubt the best bike I've ever owned