Is an affordable pump like a unicorn?

Hey everyone,
I'm building a RIMS system and I'm looking for an affordable pump. Like a unicorn it just doesn't seem to exist. I have looked at March, chugger, and little giant. They all look great, but are very spendy. Does anybody have an example of a generic pump that has similar specifications to the name brands for a lower price? Or is there a way to buy a nice pump housing and get a less expensive motor from tractor supply, grainger, or northern tool? Thanks.

Unfortunately, if there was something out there like you are describing, everyone would already be using it. Being able to handle high temps and still be food safe makes them more expensive because certain materials must be used to meet those requirements.

Good luck.

I know what your saying but there has to be a company that makes a small brass pump that has an input shaft that could be coupled with a inexpensive electric motor.

Have you looked at http://greatbreweh.com/Beer_Pump.html?

KokomoSam said:

Have you looked at http://greatbreweh.com/Beer_Pump.html?

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That price is much better, anybody have reviews for this?

fluidmechanics said:

That price is much better, anybody have reviews for this?

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I'm not a fan of the design of this pump. I'm speaking about the fact that the pump head is not isolated from the motor. From what I can tell in the pictures, the liquid passage is enclosed by the motor itself. On a March or Chugger, the fluid passage and magnet is completely separate and isolated from the motor. I'm glad I spent the extra $30 or $40 for my March pump.

tyzippers said:

I'm not a fan of the design of this pump. I'm speaking about the fact that the pump head is not isolated from the motor. From what I can tell in the pictures, the liquid passage is enclosed by the motor itself. On a March or Chugger, the fluid passage and magnet is completely separate and isolated from the motor. I'm glad I spent the extra $30 or $40 for my March pump.

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Agreed, I only posted to help the OP find a thread discussing the GBE pump. I have two chugger pumps and they are great. I personally would not chance compromising a batch of beer over a pump, it's not the cost of the ingredients or the pump (within reason), it's my time.

Search on eBay for "12v centrifugal pump", order by price+shipping, and scroll down until you find one that claims to be food safe, works at 100°C, and meets your specifications of head/rate.

tyzippers said:

I'm not a fan of the design of this pump. I'm speaking about the fact that the pump head is not isolated from the motor. From what I can tell in the pictures, the liquid passage is enclosed by the motor itself. On a March or Chugger, the fluid passage and magnet is completely separate and isolated from the motor. I'm glad I spent the extra $30 or $40 for my March pump.

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The pump is a magnetic drive so there is no contact between the motor and the fluid.

I have one. There is no contact between the motor and fluid, but there IS contact between the fluid and the drive magnet.

I use mine to recirculate water in my electric HLT only (which it is perfectly suited for). I wouldn't dream of using it for wort. It would be prone to clogging and is harder to clean than a march. Plus you need a power supply.

ANGELofDEBT said:

The pump is a magnetic drive so there is no contact between the motor and the fluid.

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In response to the OP, Chugger has been making some serious market headway vs. March lately, for better or for worse. In it's "class", chuggers are the cheapest out there if you're talking about new equipment.

And seriously, chuggers are cheap. If you're feeling like a chugger is spendy, remember gravity is free

ANGELofDEBT said:

The pump is a magnetic drive so there is no contact between the motor and the fluid.

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After watching the video on their site, I see that the motor is not your typical design. The mag drive looks to pull double duty as the motor rotor (or vice versa). I still don't care for the design for wort movement (the magnet still touches the wort), but as they say, it's my personal preference. However, the price is right and if it works as advertised, then go for it!

fluidmechanics said:

Hey everyone,
I'm building a RIMS system and I'm looking for an affordable pump. Like a unicorn it just doesn't seem to exist. I have looked at March, chugger, and little giant. They all look great, but are very spendy. Does anybody have an example of a generic pump that has similar specifications to the name brands for a lower price? Or is there a way to buy a nice pump housing and get a less expensive motor from tractor supply, grainger, or northern tool? Thanks.

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Check out the thread I started a couple months ago. If you don't need high flow rates or high "pump head", then this might be a viable option for you: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/cheap-compact-wort-pump-375904/

ColonelPanic said:

Check out the thread I started a couple months ago. If you don't need high flow rates or high "pump head", then this might be a viable option for you: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/cheap-compact-wort-pump-375904/

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I love this idea. It's cool that in the video he has the pump threaded directly into the ball valve on the kettle. No issues with priming there. His control "tackle" box is awesome too. 150$+ is a lot for me to spend on one piece of gear, I have built my entire brew setup for around that much money. I also am not convinced that just because a pump is sold on brew supply sites that it is my only option. I appreciate all your input on this. Pics to follow after its built, for a lot les than 150$.

I am very satisfied with the way my pumps work ....I use two of the 12VDC type pumps like GBE and US Solar sell. GBE has the stainless fittings and US Solar has the brass that you can pickle if worried about surface lead. They're nearly silent, and work very well circulating the water in the HLT, circulating wort through the RIMS tube, and also pumping hot wort through the plate chiller.

So far I have bought this controler:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005NGL4WO/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

30.14$ with shipping

This pump; food grade, temp rated, cheep

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-High-Qu...993&pid=100010&prg=1076&rk=2&sd=400399737380&

21.98$ free shipping

And this relay

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005K2IXHU/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

16.99$ with shipping

Spent a few extra dollars for one with a heats ink though I don't know if I will need it.

Total so far 69.11$, I'm working on a free keg, I already have a weld less through fitting and valve from my current mash tun. I think with some stuff in the garage I can have this entire build for less than 100$.

You need a 12V power supply for the pump, plus a dimmer to control pump speed. The cheapest you can get is called "12V 8A LED dimmer" on eBay for under $5.

alien said:

You need a 12V power supply for the pump, plus a dimmer to control pump speed. The cheapest you can get is called "12V 8A LED dimmer" on eBay for under $5.

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Thanks, and I got a free keg today. I'm excited to start this build.

I just switched over to a single laptop charger for all three pumps ... 14v, 4.5a . I use no dimmer , throttling the flow with a valve instead.

SleepyCreekBrews said:

I just switched over to a single laptop charger for all three pumps ... 14v, 4.5a . I use no dimmer , throttling the flow with a valve instead.

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Do you have any pics? I'd like to see how you wired the laptop charger in. Thanks.

Look under the vendor section for Chugger Pumps. They have a sale for them right now for $84 each with the promo code.

- Destin

fluidmechanics said:

Do you have any pics? I'd like to see how you wired the laptop charger in. Thanks.

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I don't have any handy, and the wiring is hidden inside the control panel , but in short, the pumps are all just wired in parallel (with a switch on the + side for each pump), with a common ground .