Aside from the standard March Pump, what are other options?

Just curious if people have had luck with other pumps aside from the March 809... If I have to I'll drop the money on it, but wanted to try expanding my search criteria on ebay/craigslist to try and save some cash.

I'm sure some will chime in saying something to the effect of "It's not always better to save a few bucks"

I'll admit I haven't done the research, but I imagine you'll find that the march pumps are the cheapest solution given the requirements for a pump in the brewery. Most of the less expensive pumps aren't food-safe and if they are, aren't high temperature.

The reason the March pump is so popular is that it's food grade rated and it can handle higher temps ( 250 degrees ). I've done alot of searching and it always comes back to those two qualities of the March pump. For the price and the features, I haven't found a good substitute. Let us know if you find one.

I haven't found anything yet either... Its quite difficult to find a 115VAC pump that meets the specs of the 809... I was hoping someone else might have found something. I suppose that if someone had, these boards would reference that pump as well as the 809.

I have sourced all of my vendors at work without any luck...

If you use a counter-flow or plate chiller, a cheaper pump option is the "Wort Wizard" or other DIY venturi pump solution. There are some threads about them around here somewhere. I'm doing alright with good ol' gravity, though, so I don't have any experience with these systems.

I am going to start using a pump for chilling, however I want to use it when I go single tier which I will start building this summer...

Hey NoClue, I have been looking for a pump alternative as well for my one barrel brewery currently in the works.


Check out Iwaki pumps. (http://www.iwakiwalchem.com/products/wmd.htm)

There is a little link that says. "increased temp ratings", when you click it, it says they are rated to 100* C.

I would think the 20 or 30 series would be in the range that we are looking for.

Another alternative that I have seen is Little Giant Pumps.

http://www.lgpc.com/MagDrive/ByCategory.aspx?TypeID=4&CategoryID=19

Would have to go with the "highly corrosive" (HC) series, as they are rated to 200*F. The 2 or 3 series would be about right.

I have heard good things about the Little Giants, but nothing on the Iwaki's.

Good luck on your search...let me know if you find any other alternatives!

tag for future reference

Try Chuuger pumps, too. Rated to 250 deg F and has 20% more hp than 809. Little Giant only rated to 170 deg F, I think.

http://www.chuggerpumps.com/

These guys are super cool and really are into helping out the brewing community. The pumps are slightly cheaper than March and they have a stainless steel head. They are out of stock now but should be getting pump back in stock in March. I highly recommend them.