March pump fittings and questions

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Jukas

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So I was lucky enough to get a March 815 pump for xmas, however it only came with a repair parts list and very sparse instruction paragraph.

So my main question is about fittings as I believe I read somewhere that you shouldn't have any elbows on the inlet side? I was planning on doing a Camlock A on the inlet side and then a ball valve and a Camlock F on the outlet. Are there any other suggested fittings for the pump?

My pump came with both the inlet and outlet on the horizontal axis, but I've seen many people have rotated their head so the inlet is on the high vertical axis and the outlet on the low vertical axis. Is there a performance gain to doing this?

Lastly, I plan on ordering high temp silicone tubing but I don't know if there are suggested min/max lengths for the input side or output side? What fittings should I look at for the tubing?

At least to start I'll primarily be using this from the brew kettle to the fermenter (Carboy to start, brewhemoth on order). I'd like to use this for my mash tun, but I havent' been able to find a camlock that's 3/8" threaded npt though maybe I can find a 3/8 - 1/2 step bit.
 
Did they include this with the pump?

Out of the box the pump head is oriented "horizontally" with the inlet on the left (when facing the head end of the pump). When the pump head is oriented "vertically", the inlet is actually pointing at 6 o'clock.

Try to stick with 1/2" fittings, particularly on the inlet side, to minimize the potential for impeller cavitation. "Full-flow" fittings are even better, so try to avoid using any 1/2" barbs on the inlet side. You might want to consider outright replacement of the mash tun valve with a 1/2" ball valve.

Many of us stretch 1/2" ID / 3/4" OD non-reinforced silicone tubing right over the threaded ends of our camlock fittings to avoid using barbs.

Cheers!
 
Referencing that linked page, and with vertically oriented pump heads, I use A-type males on my pump inlets, and pull the hoses over B-type female threads. The outputs are set up the same as the BH site shows...

Cheers!
 
I use elbows on the inlets to my chuggers and haven't had any problems. I've heard people say its a bad idea, but I've not had any issues with cavitation or priming. It is a lot easier to attach a hose with an elbow on the end to the down-pointing inlet fitting though. YMMV.
 
Thanks for the suggestions folks. Is there the only benefit to mounting the head vertically in assisting priming? If so, will a horizontal mount, as delivered from the factory be noticeably more difficult to prime?
 
I've only run mine vertically, but I wouldn't expect there to be a huge difference in priming a horizontal setup. As long as you have an outlet above the pump head to let air escape you should be fine...

Cheers!
 
If you set the pump on a table and look at the inlet/outlet, you will see the outlet is slightly higher...that lets the air seek it's highest point and helps it escape the pump head. As long as your plumbing is not overly long and drapes back down below the outlet causing an air lock to trap the air from escaping, you should not have priming problems. To make things easier, most people rotate the pump head 90* so the outlet is on the top and the inlet is on the bottom...this helps the air get out easier for priming. As for the elbows on the inlet, it will depend on how many you have and if they are made properly with the size inside being consistent all the way through it.....some elbows are the right size on the threaded side's, but if you look inside you can see its been drilled out and its actually smaller, and that can cause restrictions.
 
If you set the pump on a table and look at the inlet/outlet, you will see the outlet is slightly higher...that lets the air seek it's highest point and helps it escape the pump head. As long as your plumbing is not overly long and drapes back down below the outlet causing an air lock to trap the air from escaping, you should not have priming problems. To make things easier, most people rotate the pump head 90* so the outlet is on the top and the inlet is on the bottom...this helps the air get out easier for priming. As for the elbows on the inlet, it will depend on how many you have and if they are made properly with the size inside being consistent all the way through it.....some elbows are the right size on the threaded side's, but if you look inside you can see its been drilled out and its actually smaller, and that can cause restrictions.

Thanks for the reply Walter! Are there any problems with mounting the pump in a toolbox build like documented at BYO http://***********/stories/projects...d-it-yourself/1968-pumped-up-toolbox-projects ?

I'd like to mount it in one, or something like a Stanley mobile toolbox but would I need to worry about ventilation and overheating?

If I used an elbow it would likely be this one from Bobby M http://www.brewhardware.com/fittings/115-elbarb . Think this would cause any problems on a 4-6' inlet tube if there was 2 of these max?
 
No problems at all...the motor has a thermal overload built in...so if it gets too hot it will shut off and turn back on again when it cools off....if that was to happen i would install a vent plate on the opposite side fothe box to let air in....or keep the box lid open.
That link you have posted shows the pump head rotated so the outlet is on the top....they would need to install some sort of block under the pump to lift it up for that clearence. I posted a template for this type of project on around page 30 of the "Questions Answered by the Factory" Post....could help you with making the hole in the box :)
And that elbow should be OK
 
Walter,

I found that template, thanks! I had already planning on building a small little block out of either 2x4 or 2x4 & plywood.

Now it's time to acquire parts and figure out how much silicone tubing to order :drunk:
 
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