weizen
Well-Known Member
Will this pump work for brewing? Little Giant Pump Company
Might be able to get my hands on one or two for <$50 each....
Might be able to get my hands on one or two for <$50 each....
I've been using a Little Giant mag drive pump for a number of years without problems. I use it exactly like most use the March pumps including moving near boiling wort and hot water. The max temp ratings relate to the max line pressures which can be as high as 200 psi in some cases. We home brewers are dealing with only a few psi at most, so it's nothing to be concerned about. IMO, the LG pumps are higher quality than the March pumps. They run much more quietly and the motors have ball bearings. The owners manual says it can run dry up to eight hours without damage. That statement alone tells me a lot about the quality. Unfortunately, the LG's are a little more expensive than the March pumps from most suppliers.
Temperature ranges are to be taken with a grain of salt. I wouldn't think twice about using it for boiling wort. Often times temperature ratings (or any other rating) are simply made at whatever the highest temperature that the equipment would be expected to be used in the typical application for the piece of equipment.
I've used my brew-club's 809 and it's ok, but can't really whirlpool in my kettle at all, and doesn't have a tremendous flow rate. But the 3-md-hc pumps usually cost a good bit more than the 809's. I got lucky on eBay and got mine for $135. No comments on the /really/ lucky board member who got two for about $85 each.
I figured that with some water in there to push against and help float the impeller that it would be fine.
Everybody here must be looking for them now. They are going for at least $150. When are the HBSs going to start selling these. If I'm going to pay a lot for one, I'd rather give it to AHS or BMW.
Lucky you. I got mine for 130I picked up 2 of these for my new build on Ebay for $89... I cant wait to use them!
Lucky you. I got mine for 130
Be careful when looking at eBay that you're looking at the full pump, and not just the pump head. You can occasionally find the full pump for < $200, but most listings around 150 are for just the pump head, without a motor at all.Everybody here must be looking for them now. They are going for at least $150. When are the HBSs going to start selling these. If I'm going to pay a lot for one, I'd rather give it to AHS or BMW.
Yeah, these pumps are really quite pricey. There was a guy selling them new for $89 so I jumped on it. He raised his prices almost daily and sold out each day.
I bought a used pump for 80 bucks. Hope I don't die from all the chemicals and/or sewage it was used for.
Temperature ranges are to be taken with a grain of salt. I wouldn't think twice about using it for boiling wort. Often times temperature ratings (or any other rating) are simply made at whatever the highest temperature that the equipment would be expected to be used in the typical application for the piece of equipment.
The housing is made from Ryton, which is a proprietary plastic made by Chevron Phillips. Here is a quote directly from the Chevron Phillips website:
PPS (Ryton) has not been found to dissolve in any solvent at temperatures below about 200°C (392°F).
It's up to you...
Since it is a self-priming pump, it must draw a suction at the inlet of the pump. If it didn't, it couldn't self prime. When you have liquid at close to its boiling point, and drop the pressure, you can drop below saturation pressure and have cavitation. Essentially boiling at the inlet, and those bubbles collapsing at the outlet. I don't know if that is why they are only rated to 200F, but it might be.
Thanks MrH! Not sure why I thought they were self priming, but good to hear from someone who has so much experience with one. I'll chalk it up to trying to consume too much information while enjoying homebrew lately
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