Whirlpool IC (with new stainless fittings) and Toolbox March Pump (pics)

Evan! · 02-20-2009, 03:14 PM

I hope you don't have dialup or a small screen, because these are kinda big.

So about a month and a half ago, I built my whirlpool IC using stuff from Lowes and a few things from NB. Brewed three batches with it, and really like it.

Well, an awesome mf'er from the other forum sent me all this beautiful stainless stuff for free. Thing was, it was coming from Canadia, which meant it took a whole month to arrive. A MONTH! But for free, it was worth the wait. So, here's what he sent:

I also ordered 3 sets of 90 degree QD's from McM-C, two for the march pump, one for the valve:

I also took an idea from, I believe, ryanpa, and modded my brewing toolbox with the march pump:

Evan! · 02-20-2009, 03:14 PM

Last night, I got the couplings to attach the QD's to the pump, and was able to finalize everything (including swapping out the stainless stuff for the brass). Tested the pump install out, and it works perfectly:

Evan! · 02-20-2009, 03:15 PM

Here's the inside of the kettle:

Which would normally be connected to the IC's recirc arm:

So there she is. I'm really happy with this setup so far, and I really like the toolbox mod---it's perfect for people, like me, who like to be mobile, rather than have a big sculpture. And the whirlpool IC got 11 gallons of wort from boiling to 65f in 13 minutes on its inaugural run. The only thing I'll need to do differently in the summer is break out my sump pump so I can pump icewater through the chiller coil. Oh, and yeah, I need one of those switched GFCI power strips from Lowes, so as to not shock the sh*t outta myself.

**beerthirty** · 02-20-2009, 03:21 PM

It looks great Evan! I like the idea of protecting the motor from spillage. I would suggest drilling lots of holes in the sides of the toolbox or perhaps mounting a small fan in there. Cooling the motor is very important, just look at the size fan that is in the motor. The pump heads are not that expensive which means its the motors that are so pricey.

flyangler18 · 02-20-2009, 03:31 PM

Looking good, and I now have SS envy, you bastard.

I'll be running a CFC with the same toolbox pump mod, once the pump arrives next week. Looking at the CFC, I may need to pick up a few more parts from Lowe's and McM-C to finish this bitch up.

Evan! · 02-20-2009, 03:31 PM

Yeah, I'm thinking about drilling some speed holes in it. A fan...well...given all the liquid splashing around, I'd like to keep electric components to a minimum.

**beerthirty** · 02-20-2009, 03:39 PM

You have plenty of room in the box. I was thinking a small box fan mounted to the inside blowing out. That way heat would be vented and any incidental drops of water that came in through the intake holes would drip to the bottom instead of being spun around inside by the fan. I think I understand what speedholes are but the link didn't work.

Evan! · 02-20-2009, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beerthirty

You have plenty of room in the box. I was thinking a small box fan mounted to the inside blowing out. That way heat would be vented and any incidental drops of water that came in through the intake holes would drip to the bottom instead of being spun around inside by the fan. I think I understand what speedholes are but the link didn't work.

Odd, do you have urbandictionary.com blocked at your office or something? The link works for me. Speed holes are from the Simpsons---Homer used a pickaxe to put a bunch of holes in the hood of his car to make it go faster. Speed holes.

As for the fan, what I meant was that it's just another electric component that will be around water. And I'd have to have some kind of power converter, and it just seems like a lot of crap to go through. I'm not running that motor for that long at a time. 15 minutes maybe. I ran it for 10 minutes last night, and when I opened the toolbox, there wasn't any residual heat, and the unit wasn't that hot.

**beerthirty** · 02-20-2009, 04:25 PM

UD was very slow loading for some reason. I recirc during the entire mash and my pump gets hot enough you don't want to pick it up. The first 150* is from wort heat transfer. I do like your design and will probably copy it (with the fan addition). I will power the fan with a $10 plugin transformer coming off the pump pigtail. Thanks for the inspiration.

Evan! · 02-20-2009, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beerthirty

UD was very slow loading for some reason. I recirc during the entire mash and my pump gets hot enough you don't want to pick it up. The first 150* is from wort heat transfer. I do like your design and will probably copy it (with the fan addition). I will power the fan with a $10 plugin transformer coming off the pump pigtail. Thanks for the inspiration.

If you do that extra step, please let me know. If it's not too bulky or complicated, I'm game.