Which pump to get? (March, LG, Chugger)

I have been reading through a lot of the threads on different pumps but I am still having trouble deciding which pump to get. There seems to be reviews on each type but usually they represent a unique view (ex. residue inside pump but pump hasn't been cleaned in years, manufacturing problem but pump is from early run). They all seem to be pretty close in price. Is there anyone who has used all 3 or have some info that would shift me one way or another? Thanks in advance for any advice or info. Cheers!

p.s. I will mainly be using the pump for recirculating through a jamil-style chiller for now and just transferring from vessel to vessel.

EDIT:I guess it would also help to say which pumps I am looking at haha.

March 809
Chugger Pump
Little Giant 3-MD-MT-HC

BigPatBrewer said:

I have been reading through a lot of the threads on different pumps but I am still having trouble deciding which pump to get. There seems to be reviews on each type but usually they represent a unique view (ex. residue inside pump but pump hasn't been cleaned in years, manufacturing problem but pump is from early run). They all seem to be pretty close in price. Is there anyone who has used all 3 or have some info that would shift me one way or another? Thanks in advance for any advice or info. Cheers!

p.s. I will mainly be using the pump for recirculating through a jamil-style chiller for now and just transferring from vessel to vessel.

EDIT:I guess it would also help to say which pumps I am looking at haha.

March 809
Chugger Pump
Little Giant 3-MD-MT-HC

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I have 2 809's and never have a problem with them

I hear good things about the LG's

I hear mixed reviews of the Chuggers.

I think any of them would work.

I have the same question as BigPatBrewer. I'm looking to make an app electric Kal clone and need 2 pumps to complete. I can't afford the $395 price tags for 1 SS march ($800 for 2) but I want something reliable and efficient. Chugger seems to be less expensive but the old adage, cheap you pay, cheap you keeps ringing in my ears. Thoughts?

Setup, usage patterns, and additional added hardware is almost as critical as your pump. You will have a hell of a brew day if you aren't setup right. My feedback would be you will be happy with any pump as long as you practice usage, mounting it on your stand and tweak it before brew day. I rotated the head on my pump, added a valve directly to the output, wired up a dual receptacle mobile power pole among other things just to make the brew day a little easier.

I went with a basic march 809 and the only think I could dream of is MORE POWER! You can always restrict the flow on the out, but you can't add more after the fact. I can't complain though, I just used my single march pump to take 24 gallons of boiling wort straight through my plate chiller and into 4 carboys in about 20 min. Used a hella ice here in Texas, but the output was 45F.

Go with the March pump. Better company and better products than the rest.

I wrestled with the same decision about 6 months ago. I went with the March pump, and have not regretted the decision.

PacificNWBrewer said:

I have the same question as BigPatBrewer. I'm looking to make an app electric Kal clone and need 2 pumps to complete. I can't afford the $395 price tags for 1 SS march ($800 for 2) but I want something reliable and efficient. Chugger seems to be less expensive but the old adage, cheap you pay, cheap you keeps ringing in my ears. Thoughts?

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Chugger Center inlet. Only $10 more each.

I recently built a system for a friend and used the center inlet ss chugger, flows good but the heat from the burners would make the thermal protection kill the pump, I have LG's on my system configured exactly the same and never had a issue. I'm a firm believer that you get what you pay for, and with chugger I now know that is the case. Chugger= decent pump for the price but you gotta keep them as far away from heat as possible.

I'm not impressed with my chugger. Kind of slow...about same speed I was getting using gravity

I have a chugger ss head and a march hf. Love the march, the chugger had been replaced several times due to defect so I've had bad experiences with them.

I have a chugger pump and love it, no problems priming and no problems with flow.

same here have a chugger and no problems

Chugger seems to be hit or miss on the quality control. I have March pumps with the SS heads and am really happy with them. I know they are out of your price range but the motors are the same and I've been so pleased.

As much as it pains me to admit it, I have been having intermittent issues with my chuggers, same as a previous poster, due to thermal protection cutting the pump off at inopportune times. The pump is not anywhere near my burner, either. It just heats up due to recirculating boiling wort through it. The one I had before that this one replaced would cut off while recirculating during the mash, when the wort was only 150F or so. So, it's better but still not good enough IMO.

On my brew day yesterday, it cut out as I was getting to the last gallon or so of beer to pump through my plate chiller and into the fermenter. Luckily, gravity and the magic of siphons got me the rest of the way there, but I was pretty pissed off since I then couldn't do my usual cleanup procedure, and instead had to take apart my rig to hand-wash various parts.

I will say that Mike at Chugger has been very good about quickly shipping me replacements when I do run into trouble. That being said, I am now on my third or fourth replacement and still running into intermittent issues.

weirdboy said:

As much as it pains me to admit it, I have been having intermittent issues with my chuggers, same as a previous poster, due to thermal protection cutting the pump off at inopportune times. The pump is not anywhere near my burner, either. It just heats up due to recirculating boiling wort through it. The one I had before that this one replaced would cut off while recirculating during the mash, when the wort was only 150F or so. So, it's better but still not good enough IMO.

On my brew day yesterday, it cut out as I was getting to the last gallon or so of beer to pump through my plate chiller and into the fermenter. Luckily, gravity and the magic of siphons got me the rest of the way there, but I was pretty pissed off since I then couldn't do my usual cleanup procedure, and instead had to take apart my rig to hand-wash various parts.

I will say that Mike at Chugger has been very good about quickly shipping me replacements when I do run into trouble. That being said, I am now on my third or fourth replacement and still running into intermittent issues.

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Interesting... I have two brand new chuggers mounted on my ALL ELECTRIC brew-stand. All electric = no excess ambient heat on the pumps. I was running a "test brew" with just water and after only 10 or 20 minutes running the pump shut down. I contacted Mike a week ago tomorrow and he said he would get a pump out to me real quick.

It sounds like the Generation 3 chuggers have an issue with thermal shut-down.

How long did it take to get your replacement pumps from Chugger? I noticed the other day that they were out of stock again. (hope they kept some warranty stock on hand)

Huaco said:

Interesting... I have two brand new chuggers mounted on my ALL ELECTRIC brew-stand. All electric = no excess ambient heat on the pumps. I was running a "test brew" with just water and after only 10 or 20 minutes running the pump shut down. I contacted Mike a week ago tomorrow and he said he would get a pump out to me real quick.

It sounds like the Generation 3 chuggers have an issue with thermal shut-down.

How long did it take to get your replacement pumps from Chugger? I noticed the other day that they were out of stock again. (hope they kept some warranty stock on hand)

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I had the same problem. Chugger customer service was exceptional, which is why I never dinged them on my original review. But I never got the pumps to work without shutdown during a re-circulation, they refunded my money. .

Go with the March, I've run this thing dry in 105 degree weather and it never shut down.

I used two of the March 809 pumps with the plastic heads for a couple years and have no problems at all. With my system I have a few valves and connections that add weight to the heads and my pumps are mounted low so I always worried about breaking one during a brew day.

A couple months ago I bought two 2nd generation SS Chugger pump heads and mounted them on my March motors. They work great and the new SS Chugger pump heads have a larger inlet port and slightly larger impeller so I have no priming issues at all.

Huaco said:

I was running a "test brew" with just water and after only 10 or 20 minutes running the pump shut down.

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That's kind of crazy and would frustrate the hell out of me. I hope your replacement one works better.

I have the March 809 on my HERMS; not counting a pause for swapping hoses, I pretty much run mine at least 2 hours straight (60-ish minute mash , 15-ish for mashout, and another 45-ish for fly sparging).

I've only had one problem with it, the pump head seized up on me once when I momentarily switched it off. I think the problem was the time before that, I didn't clean it well enough and it was a little gummed up inside. I took it apart real quick, rinsed the housing under hot water and lubed the impeller shaft with some keg lube. That was a couple years ago and I haven't had any problems since.

Not loving the info about Chugger pumps cutting out on thermal overload. I've got two sitting in the box that I picked up in the March madness sale. Getting close to finishing my stand so here's hoping my pumps don't have this issue.

We have the little giant and the chugger with SS. The LG will handle hotter temps, chugger will shut down above 185 -190.

br1dge said:

We have the little giant and the chugger with SS. The LG will handle hotter temps, chugger will shut down above 185 -190.

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185-190 water temp or Air temp?

Huaco said:

185-190 water temp or Air temp?

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I read this and thought that those temps would be lethal if you were in them, then I realized that this would be due to propane burners or the human torch brewing.

Anyone had temp issues with a metal shield over the pump body? I would assume 1" clearance for airflow.

Im going to chime in here.
I have been using an inverted march 809 for 6+ years on my system and I have ran the hell out of this thing. I have only once had it not prime and really I think it was my fault. Same head, same motor and let me tell you during any given brewday the 809 will run for about 3-4 hours! from first rinse to the mash resirc to pumping to the BK and clean up. I do very much like the March 809 for the pump that it is. I really dislike the fact that March wont sell direct to me as a home brew store, but whatever. They want me to buy from B3 and then try and resell for free, funny.
That said I carry Chugger pumps in my store. The front inlet is cool but its 3/4" NPT...Why? They say its for better flow...Don't most people have a 1/2" ball valve leaving their kettle? The customers that I have sold Chuggers too seem to RAVE over them and haven't had the trouble some here have had. I do very much like the construction of the head, I am partial to stainless myself. I don't like that Chugger is ALWAYS out of stock, which makes me out of stock most of the time too. I am new to the Chugger pumps so I am very hopefull that it is a good replacement to the march and I am installing 1 on the system that I am building right now for sale.
Cheers
Jay

I have my chuggers mounted sideways. Both mounted to a vertical wooden leg of my brewstand. One mounted with the base pointing to 3 o'clock and the other mounted with the base at 9o'clock. With the post in between the two. I have no shroud over them right now. Only the one mounted at 9 o'clock is giving me problems. It gets considerably hotter to the touch than the other pump does. I have a laser thermometer at work, I will see about bringing it home and taking some readings on the actual pump housing at timed intervals while running both pumps.
I have my pump heads indexed with the inlet at 6 o'clock and the output at 12 o'clock with no angle restriction on the inlet. Ambient temps in my garage were ranging from 95 to 105 when I was having problems but I was also pumping hot (mash temp) water through them.
Jaybird, I hope your chugger works out for you on that brewstand you are building for a customer.
Heck. I hope this replacement pump comes in from Chugger and I never have any trouble with the pump again!

Let me run this by you guys... The pump I am having trouble with is my "Wort" pump. I can switch the bad pump to be my "Water" pump for a brewday I have planned for Saturday morning. If the pump craps out, I can "vorlauf" back into the HLT with a bucket for a while until the pump decides it wants to run again. At least my Wort pump will maintain mash circulation the whole time. Does that sound like it would work to you guys?

thepirho said:

Anyone had temp issues with a metal shield over the pump body? I would assume 1" clearance for airflow.

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My March 815 is installed into a plastic portable tool box of about 14"x8". Within, I used aluminum flashing in an arc over the pump as a splash guard, so I could open the tool box for air cooling, aprox 2.5" of clearance at the peak. I can leave the box closed and the pump has never once stopped running.

I am new to the Chugger pumps so I am very hopefull that it is a good replacement to the march

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I was hopeful too. The company's service is impeccable. They aren't ready to take that title, I'm afraid. I went through two of them that wouldn't pump more than 30 minutes anything above 120 degrees.

Let me run this by you guys...

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Just an idea...
If you have two pumps, having quick disconnects on them, you can switch to use the other pump if one quits pretty easily. I use a single pump for my whole system. But then again, I currently gravity to the BK. The Chuggers usually took around 10 minutes to cool down and restart.

The pump I am having trouble with is my "Wort" pump

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That's what I had the most trouble with as well. Straight water pumped significantly longer and at higher temperatures before they quit.

thepirho said:

I read this and thought that those temps would be lethal if you were in them...

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Some European Dry-Saunas get up to around 190-200*F
I know... I didn't believe it either!

I run both a March and a Chugger. I ordered the Chugger before they offered the front port or I would have went with that option. They are both close in performance and in my opinion they are both loud as Chit! Its a easy fix though, I just turn up the stereo..........My old LG was a lot quieter.

zeus53219 said:

I run both a March and a Chugger. I ordered the Chugger before they offered the front port or I would have went with that option. They are both close in performance and in my opinion they are both loud as Chit! Its a easy fix though, I just turn up the stereo..........My old LG was a lot quieter.

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Zeus, without hijacking this thread, do you have any more details on the rack you're using for your brew stand? Like the width of it and some more pics? I'm working on building a new system and it looks like that may work perfect as a temp solution until I can weld together a proper stand.

krazydave said:

Zeus, without hijacking this thread, do you have any more details on the rack you're using for your brew stand? Like the width of it and some more pics? I'm working on building a new system and it looks like that may work perfect as a temp solution until I can weld together a proper stand.

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What?!? You saying this isn't a proper stand? PM sent

Hah! It's very proper. So proper in fact, it's almost what I'm using now, just wider and shorter. Thanks for the PM.

And so I'm not a total thread hijacker, I have both a March 815 and a new Chugger with SS head. I have yet to use the Chugger, but probably will the next time I brew. I'll report back then if the thread is still alive.

I like the Chugger pumps and service is out of this world, I also hear the same type of service from March, both have great service. Chugger had issues with their first version of the pump (green) and had upgraded the pump on version 2, I have one version 2 and two version 3 and they are both rock solid and reliable.
The reason I have 3 pumps mounted on my system is because 1. I'm a maintenance mechanic by trade and I always have a backup when I can, 2. at the price they sell them for I can afford to have a little peace of mind by having a back up pump, $139 is cheap insurance compared to a cost of a lost 10 gallon batch.

Some people like Coke, others like Pepsi. Ether way, both March and Chugger will back up their products, so your risks are minimal. Castermmt

PS. you can see my 3 pump setup in the link below. I never had to use the spare pump.

Replaced a faulty Chugger yesterday evening. Prior to cutting the power cord for the turn-lock plug and sheathing it, I ran it through a pretty serious duty cycle. I hooked it up to recirculate the BK and I also placed a heating lamp next to it with a thermometer sitting on top of the pump motor. I ran it at various water temps, all the way up to boiling, at an ambient temp up to 110*F for about 2-2.5 hours. It never once shut down due to thermal failure. I figure I will probably not brew in my garage much above 110*F so that was probably a good test.
One thing I did notice was once the boil kettle got a hard rolling boil, it attempted to cavitate. I would hear a growling noise. I shut and opened the output valve and it solved the problem. Interesting. Does anyone else recirculate boiling liquid with this pump? It only does it with a HARD boil.
Gotta hand it to Chugger Pumps. They replaced the pump with minimal questions asked. All they wanted to know was, what were ambient temps, were the motor fan/vents obstructed, and temperature of fluid it was pumping.
Thanks Chugger!!! GREAT service.

Huaco said:

One thing I did notice was once the boil kettle got a hard rolling boil, it attempted to cavitate. I would hear a growling noise. I shut and opened the output valve and it solved the problem. Interesting. Does anyone else recirculate boiling liquid with this pump? It only does it with a HARD boil.

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My March pump will cavitate if I recirculate from a hard boil, so I don't think that's anything specific to Chuggers. I think that's just all the air bubbles from the boil getting into the pump. In fact, when my march does it, it sounds more like a pig squealing than a growl.

Agreed, any pump will cavitate if you try to pump enough bubbles through it.
If you can keep your Chugger running with liquid above 190 and in high ambient temperatures, then here's to hoping success to Chugger, for excellent service.

omayhemo said:

Agreed, any pump will cavitate if you try to pump enough bubbles through it.
If you can keep your Chugger running with liquid above 190 and in high ambient temperatures, then here's to hoping success to Chugger, for excellent service.

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It ran non-stop for 2.5 hours in 105-110 ambient. I am more than happy with that.

We do have pumps for warranty replacement and we have been unable to duplicate any thermal problems here with any of the pumps that customers have claimed to fail. There are a multitude of possible reasons for failure thermally.

Long Cords
Brown power
Ambient temp
Ventilation around the pump

I am always here to help and strive to make sure everyone is satisfied with their purchase. Call me anytime

800-810-1053

MIKE

New Stock on 8-23-12