brand new 48L urn for $120 - too good to be true (or good)?

[buckerooni]

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/heidelberg-west/other-appliances/new-hot-water-urn-s-steel-exposed-element-48l/1035377868

Suuuper cheap, was just thinking about buying an esky to mash a 2nd bag while I have my urn on the go with another brew and saw this. Anyone had an experience with this unit?

Will have to run another lead into the shed to run 2 urns (and a over the side heater) at the same time but being able to make 2 completely different worts is pretty compelling with hopefully only adding an extra 15% more time to brew day.

 

[NealK]

It looks under powered, 2kw will struggle to boil 48 litres. Still a bargain though and can always be modified if you know an electrician.

 

[takai]

Nah, they arent second hand. Brand new from a place on Sydney Rd. I bought one for my first BIAB setup, and it worked fine.

 

[AJS2154]

Will have to run another lead into the shed to run 2 urns (and a over the side heater) at the same time but being able to make 2 completely different worts is pretty compelling with hopefully only adding an extra 15% more time to brew day.

That 15% increase in time made me lauch Buckerooni........very specific time mate. Sounds like you have put some serious thought into that number. Not taking the piss mate, just enjoying the moment. See you. Anthony

 

[Mr_Brewer]

hope this helps some one
12 month warranty and paid by paypal ill post after i get hope by Friday
NEW HOT WATER URN S/STEEL EXPOSED ELEMENT 48L
HOT WATER URN Quality 48L hot water urn.
These high quality electric urns are proven performers, they are safe, reliable & long-lasting.
High quality & low maintenance- chrome plated brass tap at a comfortable cup height & polished stainless steel body with vented, stainless steel lid. welded joints for superior corrosion resistance & effortless cleaning.
Safety- cut-out switch turns off the power if the urn boils dry & non-drip tap prevents accidents & mess.
MATERIAL: Stainless steel
CAPACITY:48 Lt
VOLTAGE: 220-240V
WATTAGE: 2000W --------------------------------------------------- BUT IT IS A 2500W MISS PRINT I JUST BROUGHT ONE
INTEL SIZE: diameter 40cm and height 40cm
$120.00
and $12 post to adelaide

 

[mashhammer]

Mr_Brewer

Certainly does help, I have looked at this ad for a while and now have the $. I'm in.

Cheers

 

[takai]

Oh the other thing is that they arent 48L, more like 44L.

 

[NealK]

The dimensions suggest it is more like 50 litres, are the advertised dimension wrong?

 

[technobabble66]

What takai said has been mentioned before by someone else (takai himself, maybe?) on AHB (try searching for the thread, or it may be buried in the eBay thread).
They pointed out to the seller it wasn't the full 48L, & FWIW the seller was quite happy to give him a discount of a few bucks ($5-20?) to compensate. I believe the AHB-r was quite happy with walking away with a bargain (he only needed a 40L, i guess), and i believe reported it worked fine. I've been tempted to get one over the last year or so.

 

[Tilz]

I have that same urn and it works well. I removed the thermostat as occasionally it would shut off during the boil. Great value.

 

[Mikeyr]

What takai said has been mentioned before by someone else (takai himself, maybe?) on AHB (try searching for the thread, or it may be buried in the eBay thread).
They pointed out to the seller it wasn't the full 48L, & FWIW the seller was quite happy to give him a discount of a few bucks ($5-20?) to compensate. I believe the AHB-r was quite happy with walking away with a bargain (he only needed a 40L, i guess), and i believe reported it worked fine. I've been tempted to get one over the last year or so.

Might have been me, 38l advertised (ebay), but the measurements are very generous. The one i bought was a good 6L smaller, got $20 partial refund. Year on, small rust pitting, use as my HLT and herms heater. (and was 2400w) Heats up pretty fast.

 

[Edgebrew]

I bought one too. The element only just boils. I am planning to upgrade it. The tap is rubbish, replace it for a ball valve (the hole already 1/2"). The seams are not finished well and rusted before use. I had to passivate with citric. The material is so thin that I drill ripped the stainless instead of cutting it. I bypassed the temperature control to stop it cutting out during boil.

In summary it's ok if you want to tinker otherwise buy a better one.

 

[Mr_Brewer]

Hi received the urn today as promest It arrived by Australia post but damaged
I then tested the pot 5lts in cold water got to 50dg quick then set for 68 got to that ok
It Switches off and on ok to keep temp so all good there.
Email the seller told him about the damage
I managed to pushed out the dent as good as i could
We then settled for $20 refund
i through this was ok hard to say whose fault it was
So all in all, cheap pot but ok for a 48lt urn considering the cost of a real one lol $349 up
if you’re looking for an urn this is a good start for now
I will do a dummy run tomorrow and see how it goes and may even throw in a brew
Will post again after that

Thanks hope this helps

 

[Mr_Brewer]

hi i cant say much yet but don't buy the above urn it turn out its not stainless steel and cuts out and ill write more soon trying to get paypal refund will update soon thanks .......

 

[technobabble66]

Not stainless?? That's really crap! Commiserations!!

What's happened? (rusting i'm assuming!).
I'm curious whether anyone else has had this problem? ... It's definitely not from you using a wire brush or pliers etc on it and "contaminating" it with regular iron? - not thinking you're an idiot or anything, it's just an easy mistake to make if you're not aware of this potential issue.

 

[crowmanz]

What's happened? (rusting i'm assuming!).

Rusting is an indicator of stainless steel (compared to aluminium, as aluminium doesn't rust).

 

[Bribie G]

Stainless can rust, I've got a collection of SS hooks to prove it.
SS is made in several grades, I'd guess these urns are made out of the cheapest.

Pity that Crown or Birko don't put out a 50L.

 

[N3MIS15]

Put a magnet on it and you will know instantly if its stainless or not.

 

[buckerooni]

interesting to see the updates on this, starting to lean towards a 70l+ SS post and chucking some ghetto kettle elements in it. as posted in the 71ltr pot thread, following Gash Sluggs lead! [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLAcxHTvu4U[/media]

 

[pist]

Stainless can rust, I've got a collection of SS hooks to prove it.
SS is made in several grades, I'd guess these urns are made out of the cheapest.

Pity that Crown or Birko don't put out a 50L.

Ahh the joys of top quality Chinese stainless

Ive got a bigw stock pot here and a smaller one i got from Coles both have some pitting in the bottom.

 

[pist]

Put a magnet on it and you will know instantly if its stainless or not.

Not always. There are 3 types of stainless, austenetic, ferritic and martensitic stainless, this is where your grades come into it. The composition of the stainless alloy determines the mechanical properties of the metal. Austenitic is what you are after if you want top corrosion resistance. Martensitic and ferritic stainless does respond to magnesium and you can even non destructively test both types of stainless using magnetic particle testing. Ferritic stainless steel has a much higher proportion of iron in it, and is generally alot cheaper and what the Chinese make many cheaper pots and more than likely this cheap urn out of.

 

[N3MIS15]

Not always. There are 3 types of stainless, austenetic, ferritic and martensitic stainless, this is where your grades come into it. The composition of the stainless alloy determines the mechanical properties of the metal. Austenitic is what you are after if you want top corrosion resistance. Martensitic and ferritic stainless does respond to magnesium and you can even non destructively test both types of stainless using magnetic particle testing. Ferritic stainless steel has a much higher proportion of iron in it, and is generally alot cheaper and what the Chinese make many cheaper pots and more than likely this cheap urn out of.

Understood. If it is magnetic though, there is no chance in hell I would say it's safe to put water in it without expecting rust sooner or later.

EDIT: Just for clarity, there are magnetic grades of stainless that i know of that would be safe for water (duplex comes to mind). But realistically, any grades used I imagine would be 316 and lower.

 

[Mr_Brewer]

ok i can now say don't buy this urn it cuts out at 89dg and it is not stainless and mine was dented so beware dont buy
i finally got my money no thanks to the seller paypal save the day
but still fighting to get my return post back will see

 

[takai]

It is stainless... as above read about grades of stainless steel.

Either way mine has worked fine for over 18 months and has been going flawlessly in its second owners hands. I upgraded it to be PID controlled and have a basic stainless tap in that time though.

 

[Batz]

I have a brand new one, still in the box. No dents etc etc. Sunny coast Hinterlands pick up $80.00. PM me if interested.

Batz

 

[Bribie G]

I'll send you a bag and you can upgrade your system to BIAB

 

[mashhammer]

I bought one of these units knowing full well that the stainless is not a great quality grade. It has some superficial scratches on the inside, probably not a problem as long as they are cleaned well between uses. Perhaps if I get anal about it, I will clean them down and re-polish.

I am yet to fill and test. I assume the best thing to do if it cuts out is to bypass the cutout switch. I recall somewhere that is what some people do on the good urns anyway.

Fortunately I live quite close to where the guy has his warehouse, I went there in person and picked it up, he also gave me a 12 month guarantee.

Edit. It has a crappy tap, looks like chromed plastic, but common sense says its not, I will change that out.

 

[blekk]

ok i can now say don't buy this urn it cuts out at 89dg and it is not stainless and mine was dented so beware dont buy
i finally got my money no thanks to the seller paypal save the day
but still fighting to get my return post back will see

Any pics of the rust? It's not just light surface rust is it?

 

[Brewman_]

I bought one of these units knowing full well that the stainless is not a great quality grade. It has some superficial scratches on the inside, probably not a problem as long as they are cleaned well between uses. Perhaps if I get anal about it, I will clean them down and re-polish.

I am yet to fill and test. I assume the best thing to do if it cuts out is to bypass the cutout switch. I recall somewhere that is%

 

[mashhammer]

Sorry Brewman, what was your response, you quoted but nothing else?