Questions about March Pumps answered by the Factory!

emjay said:

Where the heck can I buy one of these pumps with a stainless steel head these days? Or even a SS replacement head?

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Are you referring to the March pumps? If so you can check out our Canadian distributors and any one of them can hook you up.
http://www.marchpump.com/western-hemisphere-distributors/

WalterAtMarchPump said:

Are you referring to the March pumps? If so you can check out our Canadian distributors and any one of them can hook you up.
http://www.marchpump.com/western-hemisphere-distributors/

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2 of the 3 distributors in my area have catalogs available with at least 100 variations of March pumps - though only a fraction of them are 809's/815's of course. But none of the models in these two series - in either catalog - has a stainless steel head, only polysulfone and bronze.

If I have to order one from the US, I'm fine with that. But since MoreBeer replaced the HS with a higher flow 809, they haven't had a SS version to go along with it like they used to, and I can't find one anywhere else.

Whatever you do, don't go to chuggerpumps, their CS is terrible.

Walter, I will post pictures tomorrow morning. I didn't get your request until now and I need to take more pics.

What is wrong with chugger?

emjay said:

2 of the 3 distributors in my area have catalogs available with at least 100 variations of March pumps - though only a fraction of them are 809's/815's of course. But none of the models in these two series - in either catalog - has a stainless steel head, only polysulfone and bronze.

If I have to order one from the US, I'm fine with that. But since MoreBeer replaced the HS with a higher flow 809, they haven't had a SS version to go along with it like they used to, and I can't find one anywhere else.

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Whats the exact setup your looking for? 809-HS w/Stainless head? Do you want a mounting base with it and a cord with a plug on the end? I can post up the part number for the pump assembly and you can just give it to the distributor....or just tell them what your looking for and have them call us direct. When they place orders they usually speak to either Michelle or Kay.

-Walter

If you have the distributor order part number 0809-0177-0100 you will get an 809-HS with stainless head....center inlet...with mounting base and 38" cord. You would need to install your own plug on the end of it. If you want a 230v version it would be 0809-0177-0200.
If you want it with a plug on the end then its # 0809-0196-0500 for the 115v and if you want 230v then at this time you just need to have them specify it when placing the order as i dont have a part number for that assembly just yet.

-Walter

Hey Walter, does 0809-0177-0100 have 1/2" MNPT on both the inlet and outlet? If so, do you have a part number for just the SS head?

Unfortunatly our Stainless head only comes in one configuration. Center 3/4" MPT inlet and 1/2" MPT outlet.

-Walter

No worries, I'm ok with polysulfone but obviously others take a bit of issue with it. If you ever go with the same configuration as the current 180 degree 1/2 - 1/2 polysulfone head, I'd buy a couple if only for strength reasons. I've already broken off a couple ball valves from the polysulfone head.

Irrenarzt said:

No worries, I'm ok with polysulfone but obviously others take a bit of issue with it. If you ever go with the same configuration as the current 180 degree 1/2 - 1/2 polysulfone head, I'd buy a couple if only for strength reasons. I've already broken off a couple ball valves from the polysulfone head.

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If you happen to break a plastic head, next time order part number 0809-0171-0100
Its the same inline pump head but with 1" MPT threads instead of the 1/2" MPT version....it has some more "meat" to it and should be stronger.

-Walter

Unfortunately my ball valves cost more than my pumps so I'm pretty much married to 1/2" NPT but thanks for the info. I could always get some reducing female to male fittings though...

WalterAtMarchPump said:

Unfortunatly our Stainless head only comes in one configuration. Center 3/4" MPT inlet and 1/2" MPT outlet.

-Walter

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Yeah, I've noticed that. Will it create restriction/cavitation issues if somewhere between the source and the inlet, I step up from 1/2" to 3/4"? And would I be able to put a bushing right at the pump inlet, or is it better on the other side of the hose?

Thanks for the part numbers by the way.

Your ball valves costs more that your pump? Why the heck is that? Are they made of gold? No really, I'm interested to hear what makes the price high?

pola0502ds said:

Walter, I will post pictures tomorrow morning. I didn't get your request until now and I need to take more pics.

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Here are the pictures.

1 pump transfers water from the HLT to the mash. That same pump recirculates wort through a RIMS tube and it also transfers water from the HLT to the mash while sparging and at the same time the 2nd pump transfers wort from the mash to the bk during sparging and it also pulls wort through a trub filter and into a therminator.

I would like to know what the best way is to add a priming fixture. Can anyone post pics of what they did to be able to prime their pumps?

emjay said:

Yeah, I've noticed that. Will it create restriction/cavitation issues if somewhere between the source and the inlet, I step up from 1/2" to 3/4"? And would I be able to put a bushing right at the pump inlet, or is it better on the other side of the hose?

Thanks for the part numbers by the way.

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You can put a reducer at the pump to adapt it from the 3/4" mpt to a barb that fits a hose with 1/2" ID.

-Walter

pola0502ds said:

Here are the pictures.

1 pump transfers water from the HLT to the mash. That same pump recirculates wort through a RIMS tube and it also transfers water from the HLT to the mash while sparging and at the same time the 2nd pump transfers wort from the mash to the bk during sparging and it also pulls wort through a trub filter and into a therminator.

I would like to know what the best way is to add a priming fixture. Can anyone post pics of what they did to be able to prime their pumps?

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The pump to the right side of your fixture, that doesnt look like an 809 from the pics.....I'm almost thinking it looks like one of our MDX series....
Also the only thing that pops out at me is the look of the hoses squeezed by the hose clamps....almost leads me to believe the quick connect fitting is smaller then the hose is and you had to crank down on the clamp to close it up from leaking???

Are both pumps having issues? The pump on the left i would clock 90* so the inlet is at the bottom and outlet is on top...you would eliminate the 90 and have a straight shout out of the pump for air to purge.
The other pump i would need to see still a better pic....not sure why you have the 45* (on the outlet?) since it looke like you have enough room just to have a straight in/out to your quick connect.

-Walter

pola0502ds said:

Your ball valves costs more that your pump? Why the heck is that? Are they made of gold? No really, I'm interested to hear what makes the price high?

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Swagelok series 60. If you have to ask...

WalterAtMarchPump said:

The pump to the right side of your fixture, that doesnt look like an 809 from the pics.....I'm almost thinking it looks like one of our MDX series....
Also the only thing that pops out at me is the look of the hoses squeezed by the hose clamps....almost leads me to believe the quick connect fitting is smaller then the hose is and you had to crank down on the clamp to close it up from leaking???

Are both pumps having issues? The pump on the left i would clock 90* so the inlet is at the bottom and outlet is on top...you would eliminate the 90 and have a straight shout out of the pump for air to purge.
The other pump i would need to see still a better pic....not sure why you have the 45* (on the outlet?) since it looke like you have enough room just to have a straight in/out to your quick connect.

-Walter

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Yes, I really did have to tighten the hose clamps down. The hose fits snug on the barb but I really don't have to use much force to remove it with no clamp. I just thought the clamp should be as tight as possible so the hose cannot come off and so no air can get it?

I have a 45 because i wanted the rest of the plumbing to come off of it horizontal.

That other pump is a little giant from Sabco.

I will take a better pic

Any way you can tweak the output of the 809 up a tad? Or maybe twist it 90* so its pointing straight up? Not sure if thats the one w/JB weld on it or not but i suspect that maybe its not perfectly horizontal but slightly downwards pointing and you may be trapping air in the discharge elbow.
-Walter

Question for those of you looking for stainless heads and "settling" for polysulfone: What is your aversion to bronze?

Bronze has great corrosion resistance, and much better strength and heat tolerance than polysulfone. I've been using my 809-BR-HS for 2.5 years with great results. It's actually a structural part of my kettle--I have been known to use the plumbing attached to it as a handle when I flip the kettle to dump it out, clean it, etc. I know the pump is not intended to be abused like this, but it works. I went with bronze primarily because, in my setup, the pump head can inadvertantly be exposed to direct heat from the burner. It is a rare occurance, but it can happen, and polysulfone wouldn't stand a chance.

(For those who care, the aforementioned plumbing is a 3/4" NPT female welded bulkhead in the keg, to a 3/4" nipple, to a 3/4" in, 1/2" out 90°, to the bronze pump inlet; and a 1/2" "shower 90°" on the outlet side to 1/2" copper tubing (soldered throughout) that either returns the wort to the kettle for chilling/whirlpooling or dispenses the chilled wort at a 1/2" hose barb.)

And thanks to Walter and other thread contributors for the info on cleaning. I've been using PBW as my primary cleaning agent, and it's good to know that I don't have to keep my fingers crossed anymore.

+1 I'm using bronze heads too. I found the castings a bit rough on the inside so I "cleaned" them up a bit with my dremel.

The main reason most people dont use the Bronze is that they contain up to 6% lead in the mixture. The FDA doesnt want people drinking the hot water from your faucet due to mineral fallout in the water heater and possible lead leaching from the fixtures/pipes. And most domestic hot water systems dont go above 140*F
So when you brew and expose the pump to 212*F the concern would be if the lead would be leached out faster due to the temps... For such short exposures as home brewers do i persoanly dont see it as that big a deal bu ti am no FDA expert and i wouldnt want to risk it either..

-Walter

Walter,

On my 809, I removed the head like you said and rotated it 90 degrees, went to put it back on and I lost on of the screws. I think it went down the drain in my garage. Can you tell me the exact spec's on those screws so i can buy another one or tell me who to contact at your office to purchase another one.

screws are #8-32x1"
Hate to say it but the fastest/cheapest/easiet thing you an do is to hit a local hardware store for one screw. Or even 4 new ones....i think Home Depot sells a 4 pack of screws for $0.98
-Walter

Thats what I was going to do.. Didn't want to go through the hassle of ordering them over the phone.

The lead content of bronze doesn't worry me. Brass fittings are generally considered safe for use in brewing applications despite their lead content. While there are some mitigation procedures that are recommended when using brass, I'm not sure these would even apply to bronze, which is significantly less reactive than brass.

In a perfect world, everything would be 304 stainless (and without the price hit ) but I am not losing any sleep over the use of bronze (or brass, for that matter) in my brewing systems. Then again, maybe I'm just going crazy from lead poisoning.

Walter,

I have a question, what would happen if water were pushed through a pump (which is off), in the opposite direction the pump acts. Here is what i am thinking, fill my mash tun in reverse through my pump, and while filling the mash tun prime the pump. So would this damage the pump in any way? or should i change my pluming plan and put in a check valve after the pump?

I'd like to hear more about this check valve even if you don't use one. Has anyone used something like this? Does it make sense to use a check valve on a pump if you are having priming issues? Does anyone know where to find one large enough for a march pump?

No check valve is necessary for this application.

You can back flush our pumps with no problems. It wont hurt the pump in any way...only thing you need to keep an eye on is the pressure that you are useing to flush with. The plastic pumps are only rated to 50psi....(metal to 150) if you hook up your garden hose or any water line from your house it can have a range from 35psi all the way up to 80psi depending on the time of day and how far away from the main pumps your house is.
Check valves are sometimes used to keep a prime in the system....but its more for applications where someone may draw a tank down so the liquid level drops below the pump and there could be a possibility of turning the pump off during that phase of pumping. As long as the pump is at the lowest point in the your system you shouldnt need a check valve.

-Walter

Thanks Walter.

Walter, have you seen this thread? Is the more beers pump really different from the standard?

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/one-these-would-you-buy-242773/

The morebeer pump has the 815 impeller inside of it as a few members have posted allready. The rest is all the same between the two pumps...
All our standard pumps other then the center inlet style do not have mounting bases and will either come with a 3' cord you need to add your own plug to, or a conduit box you would need to hard wire. When you see the pump combination with a mounting base and a plug in cord on the motor then its a special assembly for the beer brewers.

-Walter

And what is better/different with the 815? The number?

the 815 pump has a slightly bigger impeller and a stronger magnet inside of it. So when you change out the standard impeller in the 809 with an 815 impeller you are in essence making your pump into an 815 pump.

-Walter

Is that all you really need to do to make it a 815? Is it worth it?

Yes it's worth it. I did it awhile back and they pump way stronger now IMO and I haven't had a priming issue since.

Where can you find that part at? I'm having priming issues so that sounds great to me.

I think the part numbers are posted earlier in this thread. Jot down the part numbers then call your local March dealer with the part numbers and they will order them for you.