RIMS directly to Pump?

hey guys. i'm just finishing my brewstand. it'll by a hybrid, natural gas with a 120v rims to maintain mash temps.

i've got a chugger pump, with a blichman three piece valve and male camlock. i only have one pump and it's mounted directly below the mash tun. the boil kettle is on the right in the pic.

is it a stupid idea to mount the rims directly to pump, using a female camlock connection?

i was trying to think where i'd put a rims tube in this setup, and it it would have to be to the right of the pump since this is the output. it would be nice to have it totally removable so I can flush it afterward. the output would be on top with the RTD, then connected to a camlock with locline inside the mash tun.

i'm planning on using this rims tube: http://www.brewhardware.com/rimsherms-parts/122-rims

what do you all think?

can you just mount the RIMS tube to the stand, and rune tubing to it, ot even hard plumb it?

Tim

There's some concern about having a RIMS tube full of liquid being supported only by the camlock fitting and the pump head. That will put unnecessary strain on the pump head and could lead to premature failure and leaks. If possible, I'd support the weight of the tube by mounting it to the stand. Even if you only weld a hook on the front of the stand and hang your RIMS tube on the hook, it'll hold the weight on the strcture of the stand vs. the pump head.

Thanks guys, for the feedback.

I'm not sure how much one of these things weighs, but definitely understand after your input that it's likely too heavy to just be hanging off the pump head.

I am going to try and weld a support, or hook for it to hang from.

I'm trying to avoid having to cut a small piece of silicon tubing with fittings on both sides (at approximately six bucks a piece).

Is weight the only concern, or is there a concern related to the fluid or heating aspect with connecting it directly (no tube between the female camlock and the rest of the tube)?

Other than vibration I don't see a reason to worry about it. Heat won't be a problem as the pump is rated to 250*F. You might leave a little less wort behind since you're not using tubing. Don't forget - it's not just the weight of the RIMS tube and element, but also the amount of wort in the tube as well.

just get some pipe hangers and use those to mount the tube.

I know the cams get $$$ but in the end, the beer is worth it.

Also, if you have to connect other stuff with tubing and cams, just let on of your other runs pull double duty.

Tim

Just got my tube in the mail. Now that I know how heavy that thing is, you all must have thought I was smoking something, thinking that I could just connect it directly to the pump.

I'm going to have to find a place to mount this thing. I'm thinking maybe behind the mash tun on its own mount or on a leg near the boil kettle.

Yeah, you will be glad you mounted it with some additional support.