Looking forward to getting my pump and switch off the ground...
Pump stand
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carlisle_bob
Well-Known Member
Hi
I think it would be an good idea to tie the power cord directly to the 2x4's. That way when somebody catches the cord with a foot, the force goes to the 2x4 and not to the fitting on the switch box. There are a lot of ways to do it, zip ties work fine and are pretty cheap.
Can't see to well in the picture, I assume you have a water tight fitting on the bottom of the switch box. If not, they are another cheap addition.
Bob
I think it would be an good idea to tie the power cord directly to the 2x4's. That way when somebody catches the cord with a foot, the force goes to the 2x4 and not to the fitting on the switch box. There are a lot of ways to do it, zip ties work fine and are pretty cheap.
Can't see to well in the picture, I assume you have a water tight fitting on the bottom of the switch box. If not, they are another cheap addition.
Bob
Thanks for the input Bob. There are 2 of these at the bottom of the box for strain relief and water resistance:
carlisle_bob
Well-Known Member
Hi
Those are the gizmo's I was talking about and was not sure I could see in the pictures. They are fine for water if properly sized, but not quite as good for strain. Something else in addition is a good idea for protection against a sharp tug. You *know* somebody will trip on that cord eventually :cross::cross:
Bob
Those are the gizmo's I was talking about and was not sure I could see in the pictures. They are fine for water if properly sized, but not quite as good for strain. Something else in addition is a good idea for protection against a sharp tug. You *know* somebody will trip on that cord eventually :cross::cross:
Bob
You are right about that, and the somebody will probably be me. Thanks.
If you orient the pump head so the inlets/outlets are horizontal and on top (-o- ascii art), you will have much better priming success. Open the head up, and you will see why. The outlet hole in the volute is adjacent to the outlet near the centerline (at least on a March, and a Chugger is a clone). In your orientation, there is a tendency to trap air, which then gets whipped around when first started.
And you are already turning a 90 on the outlet anyway, and it will make the inlet have 90 less direction change, which has a bigger effect on these type of pumps.
You can leave the motor mounted as is, and simply rotate the head. Rotate the whole head, though, and not just the cover. Apparently the chugger's are not perfectly centered, and just rotating the cover causes issues.
"...the best orientation would be with the outlet facing straight up with the inlet on the bottom..." -Walter at March
http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=11157.0
I see what you mean about the shape of the volute. I originally tried the horizontal orientation, but air was being trapped in the outlet of the pump because of the fittings attached to the outlet. I have no issues with cavitation in the vertical orientation and no noticeable flow decrease because of the 90.
FWIW, I havn't had priming issues since I started removing the trapped air in the pick up tube in the kettle (not at the pump) as demonstrated by BobbyM (thanks again Bobby).
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You got me on that one, at least partially.
Either proper orientation should work about the same, but horizontal will clear more air if set up properly. I played around with it a few times, but no longer use this type of pump. I think why Walter recommends vertical is because it forces people to have straighter paths at the pump, and is more forgiving of improper line path. I remember now the issue of needing to have the lines gradually curve to clear the air. The 90's on the outlet is what threw me a bit about yours. Line path and junctions/connectors can make a huge difference, but if you follow Bobby then I assume you have seen his camlock fittings tutorial.
If you really want easier priming, and a lot more flow, get the center inlet. I still can't figure out how the inline model ever became popular. Walter even recommended it numerous times, but it fails to gain traction with the average homebrewer. Even funnier is when someone posts a parts list with a center inlet, and someone invariably warns them they have the wrong pump listed and are ordering the center inlet by mistake. Like some cult watchdog- conform!
My hunch is that the small amount of air that may be trapped in the vertical orientation would be cleared in the first few seconds of running the pump. The reason for the 90 is because my silicone hoses will kink without it. I also like the location of the valve after the 90. If you are seeking the best hydraulic performance, ya, you should be paying attention to fitting losses and such, but that's not my goal. I haven't done calcs on this, but I imagine that the difference between the center inlet pump and my pump setup is a matter of seconds and not minutes for an average brew day task. On long pump tasks like fly sparging and recirculation, the valve is cracked open. Whirlpooling seems to work fine with this setup.
I chose the inline over the center inlet on purpose. This is the first pump that I have owned, and I wanted to experiment with it. I felt like the inline would give me more possible configurations. If I put the 90 on the inlet, I basically have the center configuration. Like I said, I started with the horizontal orientation, and it didn't work for me. I would still need a 90 on the outlet of the center inlet pump.
I chose the inline over the center inlet on purpose. This is the first pump that I have owned, and I wanted to experiment with it. I felt like the inline would give me more possible configurations. If I put the 90 on the inlet, I basically have the center configuration. Like I said, I started with the horizontal orientation, and it didn't work for me. I would still need a 90 on the outlet of the center inlet pump.
You are correct about the bubble getting cleared, but when there is another pocket of air that gets added to it, then prime can be affected. The vertical orientation helps with this by forcing a correct path for air to clear, whereas for the horizontal it has to be consciously constructed.
Here is a thread where a guy did more than calcs. He is more than a little obsessed with flow rate. The link is for the punch line. The beginning is where all the flow rate stuff is. ( I am pretty sure he has some of the undersized camlock fittings in the mix causing other issues.)
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/ma...orld-flow-test-334667/index2.html#post4175911
The center inlet primes more easily, too.
RE: configurations- the center inlet can be turned into an inline, but not the reverse, at least not without adding even more right angles and additional priming issues. Turning a center inlet into an inline with a 90 would give better priming and flow than that built-in molded 90 on the inline.
With the center inlet, most people don't bother pointing the outlet up because the priming is so good it doesn't need it. So, you wouldn't need the 90 on the outlet. Most don't use a 90 on the inlet either- gravity is working with the hose as opposed to the outlet kinking issue.
RE: silicone- I feel your pain with the kinking. I am piecing together a stainless piped version, but hose makes things much easier, until it collapses. I turned down a screaming deal on some 3/4" braided silicone that I still regret.
Here is a thread where a guy did more than calcs. He is more than a little obsessed with flow rate. The link is for the punch line. The beginning is where all the flow rate stuff is. ( I am pretty sure he has some of the undersized camlock fittings in the mix causing other issues.)
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/ma...orld-flow-test-334667/index2.html#post4175911
The center inlet primes more easily, too.
RE: configurations- the center inlet can be turned into an inline, but not the reverse, at least not without adding even more right angles and additional priming issues. Turning a center inlet into an inline with a 90 would give better priming and flow than that built-in molded 90 on the inline.
With the center inlet, most people don't bother pointing the outlet up because the priming is so good it doesn't need it. So, you wouldn't need the 90 on the outlet. Most don't use a 90 on the inlet either- gravity is working with the hose as opposed to the outlet kinking issue.
RE: silicone- I feel your pain with the kinking. I am piecing together a stainless piped version, but hose makes things much easier, until it collapses. I turned down a screaming deal on some 3/4" braided silicone that I still regret.
