Coffee Maker Replacement Tubing?

Thread Starter

ErnieM

Joined Apr 24, 2011
8,377
I have a fairly new Oyster coffee maker that just failed: it will drain out any water in short order so making coffee is a frustrating race between cleaning water off the counter and actually getting enough coffee to make it worthwhile.

The whole issue is clear after removing 6 screws on the bottom: connections to the dual purpose carafe heater / water boiler were make with some sort of flexible tubing held in place with spring wire clips, and these clips have cut thru the tubes.

Current tube is 3/8" milky white, with some stretch to it. Any replacement will see a high temperature due to the live steam made here, plus whatever temperature this thing reaches once the water has all boiled off. There may be some sort of thermal regulation but I know not what temperature.

Would anyone know of an appropriate replacement tube? Keep in mind this sees high temperatures and carries water people will be injecting so it needs be food safe stuff.
 

RichardO

Joined May 4, 2013
2,270
My guess would be silicone rubber tubing.

I now wait for more knowledgeable members to point out my ignorance. :rolleyes:

By the way... How do you plan on not having to fix the same problem over and over again?
 

BR-549

Joined Sep 22, 2013
4,928
You can find legal, safe, and appropriate tubing and clips at your home depot or lowes.

Great for setting up potable drinking bars.

The cheap clear tubing will work fine, just don’t lay it close or touching the element.
 

Lestraveled

Joined May 19, 2014
1,946
I don't think "potable" is the significant parameter here. I think this tubing has to withstand high temperatures. Vinyl is out, reinforced or not, it will decompose or melt.
 

Thread Starter

ErnieM

Joined Apr 24, 2011
8,377
Damn autocorrect for changing ingest into inject.

Silicon may be the thing, as long as I can source it under say 10 bucks to my door.

I think the clips were the main fault mode thru their cutting thru the tubing, rather than the tubing melting. Standard hose clamps should prevent that.

Heck, even undersized hose jammed into place is better than those wire clamps.
 

Roderick Young

Joined Feb 22, 2015
408
That's silicone rubber tubing. It often comes in a red color. You can find it on eBay, among other places, and it's rated for temperatures of 500 F or so, generally. And yes, it is food grade material.

THAT SAID, make absolutely sure that the tubing is leaking. That material generally doesn't go bad. I bought a length of silicone tubing to fix a coffee maker, only to find later that it was the base of the fitting that the tubing connected to that had a hairline crack.
 
Last edited:

BR-549

Joined Sep 22, 2013
4,928
Well, being it’s a vital piece of equipment, maybe we shouldn’t cut corners.

Find you some of those flat, round band spring clamps.

They don’t cut like the round rings do.

I worked in an environmental lab for a while.

It’s quite amazing the abuse the cheap vinyl can endure.
 

Scotophor

Joined Oct 8, 2014
8
Yes, I agree... once you find appropriate replacement tubing, you need to do something about those clamps. If they're too small to replace by a jubilee type or those flat spring metal clamps usually used to fasten the hose which connects the radiator to the overflow reservoir in a car, see if you can just cut some strips of thin sheet metal slightly shorter than the tubing circumference, to fit between the existing clamps and the new tubing, thus spreading the pressure out enough to stop the cutting.

Another path might be to search out whether the appliance has been recalled and undertake whatever remedy is offered. BTW, the brand name is Oster with no "y", rhymes with "poster" - probably another autocorrect.
 

Thread Starter

ErnieM

Joined Apr 24, 2011
8,377
I found some silicone tubing off EBay for a good price from a guy selling beer making supplies. It should be here by the weekend.

As a work around I left the bottom cover off and just pressed the short ends of the silicone tubes onto the metal tubes. Worked fine to make one leak free pot of coffee. I just may try it this way when I rebuild this thing.

This is definitely a candidate for "Made by "Monkeys".

Thanks all.
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
If it wasn't available cheap on eBay, the next cheapest suggestion would be to go to Walmart and buy a new coffee maker, almost any brand, and take the tubes off of that one. The hot plates are almost a standard design, standard size.

Now that the silicone is dead, the thermofuse will be next. Then the electronics. Then...
 

Thread Starter

ErnieM

Joined Apr 24, 2011
8,377
Repair update: with three pots of coffee now out of the repaired unit I am calling the repair a success. Two feet of 800° tubing was procured thru EBay from a US supplier (who mostly sells beer making supplies) - much easier than going to the store, finding the correct tubing, then finding someone to cut and price it for me. Less than 5 bucks got it to my door.

Removed the old tubing, which was a little difficult on the high ends as it had the same horrid spring clips on them, but off they came, then the new tubing was added.

One interesting thing I learned is while the descending water tube is open there is a valve of sorts in the ascending tube taking the steam up. It is quite a simple thing being just a small ring inserted into the tube and a small bead above it. Gravity holds it in place. If you ever heard your coffee machine clicking it is this bead you hear.

I did not bother with any retaining clips or bands on the new tubing. The friction fit seemed sound and I'm just going with that.

So far no leaks. I might even finally screw back the bottom plate.
 

MrAl

Joined Jun 17, 2014
11,389
Hi,

I was going to say silicone too, and those clamps that you need the tool to install, which dont bite into the hose like those screw adjustable type do and the spring wire type.
 
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