Found the perfect pump

Found the perfect pump:

1) It's self priming to 15 feet
2) It can be run dry
3) Is sanitary and easy to clean
4) Works at up to 170 degrees (probably higher if you change out the tubing)

The only down side is that it is $450. For $100 more you can get one that works at 270 degree F.

www.mcmaster.com part #4306K64 - Catalog page 322

yeah, I would have to say $450 is a little pricy, and it dosn't even handle boiling liquids... I am having to scrape together the $$ to get the March pump at $135...

lol.$450,really?

If you're willing to shell out that kinda dough, check out part number 8249K52.

Yuri_Rage said:

If you're willing to shell out that kinda dough, check out part number 8249K52.

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Now that is a pump! and such a small price tag, $600.

It's $351.82. Really not bad if you're looking at a pump that will last a lifetime with proper care.

deathweed said:

yeah, I would have to say $450 is a little pricy, and it dosn't even handle boiling liquids... I am having to scrape together the $$ to get the March pump at $135...

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I really think that pumps should be self-priming. I have a self-priming pump but can't use it above 140 F. For moving fermenting beer it can't be beat.

I also have a march pump and it absolutely blows. I can never get it to work properly, plus there is the cleaning thing. With a pump like the one I found on mcmaster, the fluid never touches an internal part of the pump. I am wondering if I could build my own version using a drill for the power source.

I think the march 809 is a perfect brewing pump once you figure out how to keep it primed properly. I've used it on like 10 batches straight without taking it apart. When I finally did, it was spotless inside.

atarlecky said:

I also have a march pump and it absolutely blows. I can never get it to work properly, plus there is the cleaning thing.

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I have the March 809 pump as well and had some issues with it at first. In my case the pump sits 3 feet below the MLT and has to pump up about 8 feet, through a 50ft copper coil then back to the MLT. I found that the angle of the inlet hose to the pump is crucial to getting it to work properly. My pump currently sits on the floor so what I ended up doing was stacking some scrap wood underneath the inlet hose (creating about a 45° angle on the hose) in order to maximize the flow from the MLT to the pump. It works great now.

As for cleaning, it's nothing more than flushing some hot water through the lines at the end of the brew session.

Peristaltic pumps are a nice concept, but with near boiling liquids, the tubing will be expensive and short lived. more so, in situations with high back pressure. The tubing loses it's spring-back elasticity.
Mind you, I am always looking around the labs I work in for a unit they may be retiring