plastic tube for checking liquids fell apart

[darkcornermtnstiller]

Hey artists of the liquid variety!! I was doing a run yesterday. The ambient
temperature was about 75F. The distillate exiting my worm was a perfect 60F.
After checking my first heads which were their usual 140 proof. I put my plastic
tube for checking proof and PH back on the floor standing straight up and un-molested
by my curious Dobermans. After 10 minutes of calm, my tube began developing
cracks which got bigger until finally the tube came apart into 2 pieces. Now I assure you
I was watching this tube the whole time and NOTHING disturbed it. Is it normal to degrade
from strong alcohol after 2 months use, or is my deceast Mother-in-law unhappy because my
grown daughters are "hooked" on my fine top quality whiskey? My wonderful wife swears her
mom is unhappy and destroyed my test tube. Has anyone else out there watched their test
tube crack and break before their very eyes?

[olddog]

Now you know why plastics are not recommended for use with high proof alcohol



OD

[blind drunk]

Your mother-in-law did you a favor

[rubber duck]

No shit, that's why you don't use plastic.

[darkcornermtnstiller]

I have listened to you pros and don't use plastic in anything else, but these test
tubes from the beer supply house ONLY come in plastic I guess. If they come in glass,
I assure you I will gladly spend the extra $$$ for glass. This tube literally come apart
poltergeist style right before my very eyes!!!

[rubber duck]

Ya I have done the same thing. 1" copper pipe and a cap work better.

[darkcornermtnstiller]

Thanks RD, that was the response I needed! Now if someone would respond
to my post about the credibility of Georgia Ridge Stills, that would make me
very happy!!!!

[WalkingWolf]

Be sure to put a bit of mesh or something down in the bottom of that tube or you'll be breaking your alcometer on a regular basis.

[rubber duck]

Be sure to put a bit of mesh or something down in the bottom of that tube or you'll be breaking your alcometer on a regular basis.

Done that one to.

[Husker]

Be sure to put a bit of mesh or something down in the bottom of that tube or you'll be breaking your alcometer on a regular basis.

An inch of copper scrubber jammed down into a capped copper tube will keep a hydro working a lot longer. Great tools, but damn, they are fragile.

H.

[maheel]

get a glass one from a chemistry supply mob in your area.

or build a parrot type thing

[myles]

Parrot is the way to go. Give your artistry free reign and build a functional sculpture.

[darkcornermtnstiller]

Great ideas!!! Thanks to all of you, I am on my way to the hardware store!!!

[Smokehouse Shiner]

Hillbilly Stills has glass test jars for like 7-8 bucks. Your probably gonna have a hard time getting short lenghts of 1" tube. Around here you gotta buy a full stick. Parrots are great but not really convenient for taking samples while diluting ,etc.

[blind drunk]

There was a post here a while back and the guy used one of those tall, thin single flower vase. If I remember, it cost him a buck @ the dollar store.

[Smokehouse Shiner]

There was a post here a while back and the guy used one of those tall, thin single flower vase. If I remember, it cost him a buck @ the dollar store.

Yea I bought some of those. One dollar at The Dollar Tree. I was just gonna buy one till I picked it up and realized how thin it was. I bought three. Broke one the first time I used it. One broke in storage without me even touching it. The flower vase will work good if you could find one of reasonable quality. Oh and the ones I got weren't tall enough. They could only read up to like 70 or 80%. Which is fine for a potstiller, but the reflux guys would be disappointed. So take a tape measure when you go shopping.