Usually with a pump, you'll recirculate your boil through the Counter Flow Chiller for the last 15 minutes or so of the boil. This will sanitize both the pump and the chiller before you start chilling. A pump is worth it if you have thw ~$150 to blow and you ever sit on the couch with a sore back after brew day.
My parents were nice enough to give me the pump for my birthday a few years back. It's definitely a back saver. Besides, who wants to lift a keggle with 5gal of water to batch sparge? I know I could have built a three tier sculpture, but it's nice to be able to see inside the HLT without getting on a ladder. And the wort chills much faster pumping through a CFC than it does if I gravity feed. And vorlaufing is so much easier when you can just recirculate for the last 5 min of the mash.
Overall, I'd say the pump is probably my best investment in my brewing equipment (granted, it didn't cost me anything, but I would have bought one myself if I didn't receive one as a gift).
__________________ On tap: Amarillo Pale Ale, Impromptu Wit Kegged: Sterling Gold (x2), Impromptu Wit, Lady Liberty cream ale (x2), Chinook SMaSH Primary: Schwartzbier Secondary: On Deck: Barleywine
My parents were nice enough to give me the pump for my birthday a few years back. It's definitely a back saver. Besides, who wants to lift a keggle with 5gal of water to batch sparge? I know I could have built a three tier sculpture, but it's nice to be able to see inside the HLT without getting on a ladder. And the wort chills much faster pumping through a CFC than it does if I gravity feed. And vorlaufing is so much easier when you can just recirculate for the last 5 min of the mash.
Overall, I'd say the pump is probably my best investment in my brewing equipment (granted, it didn't cost me anything, but I would have bought one myself if I didn't receive one as a gift).
Hadn't thought of recirculating the mash. I'm worried about pulling suction with the pump on a mash. Any issues getting a stuck sparge because of it?
Hadn't thought of recirculating the mash. I'm worried about pulling suction with the pump on a mash. Any issues getting a stuck sparge because of it?
I've had no issues, but I only open the valve on the pump output about half way when I recirculate so I don't disturb the grain bed too much. I'm also using a copper manifold instead of a SS braid in my MLT which improved the flow a lot over the SS braid I started with.
__________________ On tap: Amarillo Pale Ale, Impromptu Wit Kegged: Sterling Gold (x2), Impromptu Wit, Lady Liberty cream ale (x2), Chinook SMaSH Primary: Schwartzbier Secondary: On Deck: Barleywine
Hadn't thought of recirculating the mash. I'm worried about pulling suction with the pump on a mash. Any issues getting a stuck sparge because of it?
I've never had a stuck mash, but a REALLY slow sparge after recirculating at 100% open on the march pump valve. I try to keep it under 50% open on the recirculation, which will set the grain bed and start the filtering process but not compact the grain bed into a barley brick.
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Fermenting: ESB Kegged: Extra IPA, Brown Ale, American Wheat, Blackheart Stout Coming Up: Dunkleweizen, 3C Pale Ale
Nice work derekbooth, looks familiar...yours looks a touch nicer actually.
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